7th November 2019

2019 Injury And Ill Health Statistics Released

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has recently released the annual injury and ill-health statistics for 2018/2019. These figures include statistics for work-related ill health, workplace injuries, working days lost, enforcement action taken, and the associated costs to Great Britain.

Figures show that around 581,000 workers sustained non-fatal injuries in 2018/2019, with 1.4 million workers suffering from work-related ill-health and the estimated economic cost to Great Britain totalled £15 billion.

The statistics, illustrate that in Great Britain in the 2018/2019 period there were;

• 147 fatal injuries at work
• 1.4 million working people suffering from a work-related illness
• 364 cases were prosecuted and resulted in a conviction; fines from convictions totalled £54.5 million
• 28.2 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury

There have been no significant changes to those industries in which there is a higher risk of sustaining an injury while at work, with construction still being amongst the highest-risk sector.

The figures show that Great Britain continues to be one of the safest places in the world to work, however, it is clear there are still key areas to be improved upon to prevent fatalities, injuries and ill-health, and these figures will no doubt have input into shaping the HSE’s enforcement direction into 2020.

Martin Temple, HSE Chair, said “These figures should highlight to us all the vital importance of managing risk and promoting behaviours to improve the standard of good health and safety practice in the workplace.

“We must all share the responsibility of ensuring everybody is aware of what they need to do to work right by preventing work-related incidents, and making our places of work healthier and safer for everyone.”

The full annual injury and ill-health statistics report can be found on HSE’s website.