A deep dive into the HSE’s latest health and safety statistics for 2024/25

If you are familiar with the health and safety industry, you’ll know that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), publish annual statistics tracking key metrics towards the end of each year. For the period covering 2024/25 these were published on 20th November. But what did they tell us?

For context, stats show that the UK has an excellent record internationally; with only Germany having a more favourable fatality rate in Europe, only Poland having fewer days off work due to a self-reported workplace non-fatal injury, and only Italy having fewer days off work due to self-reported workplace ill health.

Regrettably though, that does not give corporate UK a clean bill of health. Far from it, in fact. Compared to the previous year’s statistics, fatalities are down, but injuries are up, and ill health (driven by work-related stress, depression or anxiety) is ballooning.

 

Workplace fatalities – One is too many

Every workplace death is a tragedy. No one should attend their job never to return home, and this is at the crux of our industry. In these statistics, it showed that there were 124 workplace fatalities. As is the same each year, the number one cause of death in the workplace is falls from height. The previous year there were 138 workplace fatalities.

 

Workplace injuries – More acts of violence

Workplace injuries is a different story, with the number rising from 604,000 in 23/24 to 680,000 in 24/25 – well over a 10% increase. Injuries reported under RIDDOR fell, from 61,663 to 59,219. The top causes of injuries remained almost exactly the same, with slips, trips and falls accounting for almost one in three and the next most common cause being “handling, lifting or carrying”. Acts of violence became slightly more common rising from 9% to 10% of causes.

 

Workplace ill health – A considerable (and costly) rise

This is perhaps the most interesting area of the HSE statistics this year.

Overall, the numbers have risen 200,000 from 1.7 million to 1.9 million. As we said earlier, this has very much been driven by cases of stress, depression or anxiety, which have jumped 192,000 from 776,000 to 964,000. With only 109,000 of these being new cases, it suggests that some people are also staying ill for longer with these conditions.

Musculoskeletal disorders on the other hand have fallen by 32,000 cases and the number of days of absence due to this has also plummeted. Could this be at least partly linked to the vast number of people away from work for mental health reasons? That there are fewer people in work to receive musculoskeletal disorders?

The industries where musculoskeletal disorders occur most are “construction”, followed by “transportation and storage” and “admin and support service activities”.

 

The financial impact of poor health and safety

Let’s not forget that behind any health and safety shortfalls there is human suffering, whether mental, physical or emotional. But focusing on a business perspective, the costs are huge.

While injuries can be more sudden, more tangible than illness, there is no comparison between the cost to business. Workplace injury costs UK businesses £6.5 billion in these latest statistics, but illness costs multiples more at £16.4 billion. And there were 40.1 million working days lost in total to the two.

 

Let’s work together to make 2026 better

At The Health & Safety Dept, we are passionate about helping UK businesses run safe workplaces, where risks are eliminated or well managed and everyone goes home in good health at the end of the day. We would love to work with you too as an outsourced H&S partner supporting you with all your needs, from risk assessments and competent person, to training and investigations. Please get in touch if you would like to find out more.