At a glance – The HSE’s Annual Statistics 23/2024

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its annual statistics on work-related health and safety for the period of 2023/24.

Headlines

The key takeaways are as follows:

• 7 million working people suffered from a work-related illness. Of these, 776,000 workers suffered from work-related stress, depression anxiety, and 543,000 workers suffered from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder.
• In 2022, there were 2,257 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures.
• 138 workers were killed in work-related accidents.
• According to the Labour Force Survey, 604,000 working people sustained an injury at work.
• 61,663 non-fatal injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR.
• 7 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury.
• The annual costs of workplace injuries and ill health in 2022/23 was £21.6 billion.

Trends in key figures

The number of reports of work-related stress and mental health concerns is likely to alarm.

The HSE reported an increase in work related mental health concerns in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic and the figures for 2023/24 are higher than in those pre-pandemic years. Whilst it is encouraging that the 2023/24 period saw some decrease in the overall number of people struggling with work-related mental health and stress, with approximately 100,000 fewer work-related illnesses reported than in 2022/23, we would advise employers to ensure workplace mental health is not overlooked when identifying and managing risk. The HSE’s spotlight will continue to shine on employee mental health, and how employers are ensuring health, as well as safety, in the workplace.

More broadly, projections of a decline in the annual number of mesothelioma deaths during the 2020s have been realised, with a steady decline shown within the last decade. This trend is expected to continue to 2040. A reduction has likewise been seen in the rates of both fatal and non-fatal injuries to employees, also reflected in the number of more serious RIDDOR reported injuries.

Overall, the 2023/24 statistics seem optimistic, with lower rates in many of the predominant areas of work-related ill health and injury.

Sector analysis

Within all industries in 2023/24, the average rate of self-reported work-related ill health was 4,141. However, human health and social work, public administration and defence, and education saw significantly higher rates, with the former recording 5,953. By contrast, the fewest number was seen in the real estate sector which recorded 2,642 incidents of self-reported work-related ill health.

The highest rates of workplace non-fatal injuries were recorded in the accommodation and food service activities, construction, transportation and storage, and wholesale and retail trade (including motor vehicle repair) industries. While HSE explains that no estimate is available for agriculture, forestry and fishing for this period, in previous years these sectors saw substantially higher rates of self-reported non-fatal injury compared to the national average.

Get in touch

The Clarke Willmott Crime & Regulatory team works with businesses across the country to help them navigate the health and safety framework and reduce regulatory risk. We recognise that sometimes things do go wrong, and we regularly represent businesses and individuals in connection with HSE investigations and prosecutions. For more information, and to consider the regulatory framework for your business, including in relation to mental health and wellbeing, please reach out to our team below.

This article was written by paralegal in our Commercial and Private Client Litigation team Georgia McMahon