The findings revealed that the construction and agriculture sectors remain the most hazardous, with 51 and 23 fatalities respectively, leading the statistics in workplace fatalities for another year.
The HSE’s 2024 workplace health and safety statistics cover workplace fatalities, injuries, illness, and the economic impacts of work-related incidents, serve as a benchmark for both employers and policymakers striving to make workplaces safer and more resilient.
The data also shows there were an estimated 604,000 non-fatal injuries reported across UK industries in 2024, 43,000 more injuries than the 2023 report. This figure includes a breakdown of common accident types, such as slips, trips, and falls, which accounted for 31% of injuries.
Additionally, there were 1.7 million workers suffering from work related ill health (new or longstanding) in 2024. Significantly, 13,000 deaths each year are estimated to be linked to past exposure at work, primarily to chemicals or dust.
The cost of workplace injuries and illnesses in the UK reached approximately £21.6 billion for 2024, according to the HSE’s findings. This includes both direct costs, such as medical expenses, and indirect costs like lost productivity and compensation claims. This marks an increase of £2.8 billion from 2023.
The HSE also reported 33.7 million days per year are lost due to work-related ill-health, with stress, depression, and anxiety contributing to a significant proportion of these cases (21.1 days per instance).