A review of the 2024/25 HSE accident statistics
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released its accident and illness statistics for 2024–2025, offering a detailed snapshot of workplace health and safety across Great Britain.
The latest figures reveal both encouraging stability in some areas and persistent challenges in others, reinforcing the ongoing need for robust health and safety management across all sectors.
Workplace fatalities remain steady, but risks persist
In 2024/25, 124 workers tragically lost their lives in workplace accidents. While this figure remains broadly in line with recent years, it is a sobering reminder that preventable risks continue to exist across UK workplaces.
Construction once again recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 35 deaths. Agriculture, forestry and fishing followed, reporting 23 fatalities – sectors historically associated with higher risk due to the nature of their work.
There were 59,219 injuries which were formally reported to the HSE under RIDDOR due to their severity, including specified injuries and those resulting in more than seven days of absence.
Ill health continues to outweigh injury
While injury figures often attract the most attention, ill health remains the dominant cause of lost working time.
In 2024/25, approximately 3.9 million working days were lost due to non-fatal workplace injuries. However, work-related ill health accounted for an estimated 40.1 million days lost – nearly ten times higher.
An estimated 1.9 million workers reported experiencing a work-related illness during the year. Of these, 964,000 cases (around 50%) were attributed to stress, depression or anxiety.
Musculoskeletal disorders also remained a significant contributor (511,000), particularly in sectors involving manual handling, repetitive tasks and prolonged sedentary work.
These figures demonstrate that workplace health strategies must extend beyond accident prevention to address long-term physical and psychological wellbeing.
The evolving health and safety landscape
The 2024/25 data highlight several key priorities for organisations:
- Strengthening mental health support frameworks
- Proactively managing manual handling and ergonomic risks
- Reinforcing safe systems of work in high-risk industries
- Maintaining vigilance around everyday hazards such as slips and trips
As hybrid working models, technological advancements and evolving workforce expectations continue to shape the modern workplace, organisations must adapt their risk management approaches accordingly.
Supporting safer, healthier workplaces
Effective health and safety management is about protecting people, supporting productivity and building resilient organisations.
At Aegis, we are committed to helping businesses create safer, healthier environments for their teams. Contact us today to learn more about our comprehensive health and safety services and how we can support your organisation in meeting its health and safety responsibilities in 2026 and beyond.