HSE publishes 2016 statistics

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has released its annual figures detailing how the UK is performing in terms of health and safety. The statistics reveal that:

  • 144 people were killed at work in 2015/16. This is an increase from 142 people in 2014/15.
  • 72,702 non-fatal injuries were reported by employers. This is a decrease from the 2014/15 figure of 76,000.
  • An estimated 9 million working days were lost due to work-related illness. This is a decrease from 27.3 million in 2014/15.
  • The estimated annual cost of work-related injury in 2015/16 is £14.1 billion

The increase in fatal accidents over the past two years is sad news, although the decrease in non-fatal injuries and working days lost is encouraging.

A greater emphasis on health-related issues is highlighted in the report by the estimated 13,000 deaths each year which are linked to past exposures to chemicals or dust at work. Within this number there were 2,515 deaths in 2014 as a result of Mesothelioma (the type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.) The number of deaths from this disease each year is expected to remain at this level for the rest of the decade before numbers start to decline.

The full report from the HSE contains a range of statistics covering accident rates in different injuries and comparisons with other EU countries. You can read it here.