Data

UK workplace injury and ill health statistics

Reviewed by the Apex broking team · Last reviewed 2026-10-30

126 workers were killed in work-related accidents in Great Britain in 2025/26, according to provisional HSE figures published in July 2026. Most other figures below are from HSE's 2024/25 summary statistics.

Part of: Commercial insurance

In short

HSE's provisional figures show 126 workers were killed in work-related accidents in Great Britain in 2025/26, with falls from a height the most common cause. Its summary statistics for 2024/25, published in November 2025, estimate 680,000 workers suffered a non-fatal injury and 1.9 million had work-related ill health, of which 964,000 involved stress, depression or anxiety. Employers reported 59,219 employee injuries under RIDDOR, and 40.1 million working days were lost. HSE puts the annual cost at £22.9 billion (2023/24). HSE completed 246 prosecutions in 2024/25 with a 96% conviction rate.

Latest UK workplace injury and ill health figures

These are the latest official workplace health and safety figures for Great Britain. Most come from HSE's Health and safety at work: summary statistics for Great Britain 2025, published on 20 November 2025 and covering 2024/25. The next edition is due in November 2026. Fatal injury figures for 2025/26 come from HSE's work-related fatal injuries statistics, published on 1 July 2026; they are provisional and will be finalised in July 2027. Enforcement figures come from the HSE Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025, because HSE no longer publishes enforcement statistics in its annual statistical release.

Figure	Value	Source and period
Workers killed in work-related accidents	126	HSE fatal injuries, 2025/26 (provisional)
Workers killed in work-related accidents, previous year	124	HSE summary statistics, 2024/25
Members of the public killed in work-related incidents	104	HSE fatal injuries, 2025/26 (provisional)
Workers with work-related ill health (new or long-standing)	1.9 million	HSE summary statistics, 2024/25
New cases of work-related ill health	730,000	HSE summary statistics, 2024/25
Workers with work-related stress, depression or anxiety	964,000	HSE summary statistics, 2024/25
Workers with a work-related musculoskeletal disorder	511,000	HSE summary statistics, 2024/25
Self-reported non-fatal injuries to workers (Labour Force Survey)	680,000	HSE summary statistics, 2024/25
Non-fatal injuries to employees reported by employers under RIDDOR	59,219	HSE summary statistics, 2024/25
Working days lost to work-related ill health and injury	40.1 million	HSE summary statistics, 2024/25
Cost of workplace injury and new cases of ill health	£22.9 billion	HSE summary statistics, 2023/24 (2024 prices)
Mesothelioma deaths from past asbestos exposure	2,146	HSE, 2024

Figures checked 30 October 2026.

Fatal injuries at work by industry and cause

HSE's provisional count of 126 worker deaths in 2025/26 is two more than the 124 recorded in 2024/25 (a simple comparison of the two published figures). HSE's July 2026 release describes it as the lowest annual figure, excluding 2019/20 to 2021/22, and compares it with 217 in 2005/06 and 495 in 1981. The same release gives an all-industry rate of 0.37 deaths per 100,000 workers, and the sector rates shown below.

Breakdown, 2025/26 (provisional)	Worker deaths
Construction	25
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	22 (rate 8.09 per 100,000 workers)
Manufacturing	18
Transportation and storage	15
Waste and recycling	6 (rate 5.47 per 100,000 workers)
Falls from a height	31
Struck by moving vehicle	24
Struck by moving object	21
Trapped by something collapsing or overturning	18
Contact with moving machinery	10
Workers aged 60 and over	40 (about a third of deaths; 12% of the workforce)

Separately, HSE estimates around 13,000 deaths each year are linked to past exposures at work, including 11,000 from lung disease. Mesothelioma deaths were 2,146 in 2024.

Non-fatal workplace injuries

The Labour Force Survey estimate of 680,000 injured workers in 2024/25 is much larger than the 59,219 employee injuries reported by employers under RIDDOR, because many injuries do not meet the reporting thresholds or go unreported. Of the self-reported injuries, 124,000 (18%) led to more than seven days' absence and 556,000 (82%) to seven days or fewer.

The most common kinds of non-fatal injury reported under RIDDOR in 2024/25 were:

Slips, trips or falls on the same level: 30%
Handling, lifting or carrying: 17%
Struck by moving object: 10%
Acts of violence: 10%
Falls from a height: 8%

HSE names accommodation and food services, construction, transportation and storage, and wholesale and retail trade (including motor vehicle repair) as industries with injury rates above the all-industry average. Agriculture, forestry and fishing has historically had higher rates, but no estimate was available for the latest period.

Work-related ill health, days lost and cost

Of the 1.9 million workers with work-related ill health in 2024/25, 964,000 had stress, depression or anxiety (409,000 new cases) and 511,000 had a musculoskeletal disorder (173,000 new cases). HSE's November 2025 release said ill health was broadly consistent with recent years but still above the 2018/19 pre-pandemic level, with stress, depression and anxiety on an upward trend.

Measure, 2024/25	Value
Working days lost to ill health	35.7 million
of which stress, depression or anxiety	22.1 million
of which musculoskeletal disorders	7.1 million
Working days lost to injury	4.4 million

Ill health rates were higher than average in public administration and defence, human health and social work, and education. Musculoskeletal disorders were higher than average in administrative and support services, transportation and storage, and construction.

Cost to Britain

HSE estimates workplace injury and new cases of ill health cost £22.9 billion in 2023/24 (a three-year average, 2024 prices, excluding long-latency illness such as cancer): £16.4 billion (72%) from ill health and £6.5 billion (28%) from injury. Individuals bore £13.4 billion, government £5.2 billion and employers £4.3 billion.

HSE enforcement: prosecutions, fines and notices

According to the HSE Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025, published on 20 November 2025, HSE in 2024/25:

completed 246 criminal prosecutions with a 96% conviction rate;
saw over £33 million awarded in fines;
issued over 4,400 notices, around 3,200 improvement notices and 1,200 prohibition notices;
completed over 13,200 inspections;
completed 86% of fatal investigations within 12 months of the primary report, against an 80% target.

These figures cover HSE only. Local authorities enforce in many offices, shops and leisure premises, and prosecutions in Scotland are brought by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. See our notes on the Health and Safety Executive and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

What this means for insurance

These statistics are the background to two of the commonest business covers. A few points, which are our reading rather than anything stated by HSE:

Employers' liability is compulsory. Most employers must hold at least £5 million of cover under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969. See what employers' liability insurance is and our wider guide to employers' liability insurance.
Ill health claims matter as much as accidents. Ill health accounts for most working days lost. Whether a stress or disease claim is covered depends on the policy wording and on showing a breach of duty; not every case leads to a claim.
Members of the public are a separate exposure. 104 people not at work died in work-related incidents in 2025/26. Injury to visitors and passers-by usually falls under public liability insurance; see public vs employers' liability.
Fines are usually uninsurable. Criminal fines are generally not covered, but some policies include defence costs for health and safety prosecutions, subject to the wording. Directors can face personal exposure; see health and safety prosecutions and D&O.
Higher-risk trades face closer questions. Construction recorded 25 worker deaths in 2025/26, so insurers usually ask about subcontractors, height work and training. See our construction insurance guide, contractors' insurance and the construction RIDDOR fatality scenario.

Our RIDDOR explainer covers reporting duties, and the compulsory business insurance table shows which covers apply by business type.

How Apex helps: we arrange employers' liability, public liability and wider commercial insurance for UK businesses, and can help firms that struggle to get employers' liability cover present their risk to insurers.

Sources

Frequently asked

How many people died at work in Great Britain in 2025/26?

HSE's provisional figures, published in July 2026, show 126 workers were killed in work-related accidents in Great Britain in 2025/26, compared with 124 in 2024/25. A further 104 members of the public died in work-related incidents. Falls from a height were the most common cause, with 31 deaths, and construction had the most deaths of any industry, with 25.

How many workplace injuries are there in the UK each year?

HSE's summary statistics for 2024/25 estimate 680,000 workers sustained a non-fatal injury at work, based on the Labour Force Survey. Employers reported 59,219 non-fatal injuries to employees under RIDDOR in the same year. Slips, trips or falls on the same level were the most common kind, at 30% of RIDDOR reports.

How much does workplace injury and ill health cost Britain?

HSE estimates the cost of workplace injury and new cases of work-related ill health at £22.9 billion in 2023/24, at 2024 prices. Ill health accounted for £16.4 billion and injury £6.5 billion. Individuals bore £13.4 billion, government £5.2 billion and employers £4.3 billion. The figure excludes long-latency illness such as cancer.

How many prosecutions does HSE bring?

HSE's Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025 says it completed 246 criminal prosecutions in 2024/25 with a 96% conviction rate, and over £33 million was awarded in fines. It also issued over 4,400 improvement and prohibition notices. Local authority and Scottish prosecutions are counted separately.

Does employers' liability insurance pay HSE fines?

Generally no. Criminal fines are usually uninsurable as a matter of public policy. Employers' liability insurance responds to compensation claims from employees injured or made ill at work. Some policies include legal defence costs for health and safety prosecutions, but this depends on the wording, so check the policy terms.

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Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.