The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its annual health and safety statistics for Great Britain. The statistics cover ill health and disease, safety, enforcement (i.e. notices and prosecutions) and costs resulting from poor health and safety and lost working days.
Key figures (2013 – 2014):
– 1.2 million people suffered from ill health (46%) or injury (54%);
– 133 people were killed at work;
– There were approximately 13,000 work-related deaths (99% due to ill health);
– 28.2 million working days were lost due to ill health (83%) and safety incidents (17%);
– The estimated cost of ill health and injuries from working conditions is £14.2 billion (based on 2012-2013 figures).
Workplace ill health
The most common work-related ill health conditions are stress, musculoskeletal disorders, skin disease and asthma. The most common long-latency conditions are cancers, asbestos related diseases, COPD and other respiratory conditions, vibration and hearing loss.
Workplace injury
There were 133 fatal injuries, 80,000 non-fatal injuries reported by employers under RIDDOR and 629,000 self-reported injuries from the Labour Force Survey. The most common causes of injury were manual handling, falls from height and slips/trips.
Economic costs
Ill health and injury is estimated to cost £14.2 billion annually, this figure excludes the cost of cancer as these figures are not yet available. Ill health makes up 60% and injuries (including fatalities) 40% of the total cost. Over recent years costs have fallen and show signs of leveling off.