Health and Safety at Work – Summary Statistics for Great Britain 2018

9th November 2018

Figures recently published by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) show that although there is generally a downward trend for major incidents and fatalities in Great Britain, there is still room for improvement, with certain statistics showing an increase during the 2017/18 period.

The statistics, which cover work-related ill health, workplace injuries, working days lost, enforcements and European comparisons, highlight that 144 workers were fatally injured – an increase from 137 fatalities in 2016/17.  The number of injuries to employees reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) also rose, from 70,116 in 2016/17 to 71,062.  Mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures increased to 2,595 (2016) from the previous figure of 2,542 in 2015.

As Emotional Wellbeing Week draws to a close, it is worth highlighting that of the 541,000 workers suffering from a new case of work-related ill health in 2017/18, 44% of cases were attributed to stress, depression or anxiety.  Musculoskeletal disorders accounted for 35% of the total.

Working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury showed a slight fall, decreasing from 31.2 million in 2016/17 to 30.7 million working days in 2017/18.

Some of the key statistics highlighted by the HSE were:

  • 1.4 million working people suffering from work-related ill health
  • 2,595 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures (2016)
  • 144 workers killed at work (compared to 137 in 2016/17)
  • 555,000 injuries occurred at work according to the Labour Force Survey (compared to 609,000 in 2016/17)
  • 71,062 injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR (compared to 70,116 in 2016/17)
  • 30.7 million working days lost due to work-related ill health and workplace injury (compared to 31.2 million in 2016/17)
  • £15.0 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2016/17)

For more detailed information on these published figures, click here.

The S2 Partnership provides a range of Health & Safety consultancy services, managing the health & safety requirements of clients in the UK and abroad.  Health and safety risk management need not be difficult or time-consuming, particularly when clients are in a low-risk environment – the S2 Partnership always begin by finding out what help or advice a client needs, guiding them through the process to deliver a safe working environment. For more information, click here.