HSE Health and Safety Stats for Great Britain

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain's regulatory body for workplace health and safety, has published a set of annual statistics. This article looks at health and safety statistics to show how your business can adapt accordingly.

If you require specific support with a health and safety issue, Croner has a team of dedicated experts who can help. Simply contact us today or call 01455 858 132.

What are the HSE summary statistics?

Each year, the HSE publishes a report which summarises the key statistics on work safety in Great Britain. These figures cover everything from fatal injuries to work-related ill health and can be a major indicator of areas your business can improve.

Health and safety statistics UK

Let's take a look at the latest statistics for Great Britain and look at preventative measures you can take in your organisation.

N.B. these figures are for 2021/22.

1.8 million working people suffering from a work-related illness

Occupational health refers to the physical and mental well-being of your employees. It can also refer to a specific medical service that supports the employee and the employer. Check your policies for references to occupational health. Do you provide services in-house, or refer to an external service? If so, who carries it out and how do you arrange contact?

If your policies aren’t clear, you should review these and bring them up to date.

914,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression, or anxiety

The well-being of your workforce is not purely based on the physical. Mental health plays a huge part in your staff's productivity, motivation, and health. Your business should look at improving the well-being of your employees. This could be through tackling stress, depression or anxiety via an EAP (Employee Assistance Programme).

477,000 workers suffering from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder

If your business requires staff to perform manual handling tasks or handle harmful chemicals then musculoskeletal disorders and occupational lung disease are potential risks. Your organisation needs to have a robust risk analysis process with risk assessments in place for these tasks.

Download our risk assessment template to get this right.

123,000 workers suffering from COVID-19 which they believe may have been from exposure to coronavirus at work

The coronavirus pandemic brought new challenges to all businesses in the UK. Carrying out a specific Covid-19 risk assessment could be key to preventing the risk of exposure in the workplace. Staff who believe they contracted Covid at work may be less willing to return to the office. Make sure you are managing these staff correctly. Health and safety compliance stretches to home working.

Other key findings from the HSE report

The HSE report highlights other key findings that you should be aware of. Remedial measures will include risk assessments, health and safety software, and, should the worst happen, health and safety insurance.

The other findings include:

• 2,544 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures
• 123 workers killed in work-related accidents
• 565,000 working people sustained an injury at work according to the Labour Force Survey
• 61,713 injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR
• 36.8 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury
• £18.8 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions

Can Croner help with workplace health and safety?

Don’t wait until an accident happens, make sure you are invested in health and safety, so everyone works safely. Call Croner today for expert advice from our health and safety consultants on 0800 470 2814