Source: “Statistics – Index of Tables,” Hse.gov.uk, 2023, https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htm.
Work-related fatal injuries to workers (employees and the self-employed) in Great Britain by broad industry group
- In the year 2022/23, there were 135 fatal injuries to workers across all industries, with 91 employees and 44 self-employed individuals affected. The rate of fatal injury per 100,000 workers was 0.41, with a higher rate among the self-employed at 0.93.
- The year with the highest number of fatal injuries was 1988/89 with 609 fatal injuries. The rate of fatal injury per 100,000 workers in this year was 2.4.
- The year with the lowest number of fatal injuries was 2019/20 with 113 fatal injuries. The rate of fatal injury per 100,000 workers in this year was 0.34.
- The number of fatal injuries has been generally decreasing since 1974, when there were 651 fatal injuries.
- The rate of fatal injury per 100,000 workers has also been generally decreasing since 1981, when it was 2.1.
- The number of fatal injuries to employees has been higher than the number of fatal injuries to the self-employed in every year since 1981.
- The rate of fatal injury per 100,000 employees has generally been lower than the rate of fatal injury per 100,000 self-employed since 1981.
- The data for 2022/23 is provisional and will be finalised in 2024 following any necessary adjustments.
- The employment data used to calculate rates includes those temporarily absent from work. In 2020/21 and (to a lesser extent) in 2021/22 the number of such workers was higher than previous years due to temporary employment schemes (e.g. furlough) introduced during the coronavirus pandemic. This has contributed to a discontinuity in injury rates.
Work-related fatal injuries to members of the public in Great Britain by broad industry group
- The year with the highest number of fatal injuries to members of the public across all industries was 1999/00 with 436 fatalities.
- The year with the lowest number of fatal injuries to members of the public across all industries was 2020/21 with 63 fatalities. This was likely affected by the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
- The Agriculture, forestry and fishing industry consistently reported fatal injuries every year. The highest was in 1982 with 17 fatalities.
- The Extractive and utility supply industries had a relatively low number of fatal injuries, with the highest being 23 in 1984.
- The Manufacturing industry had a relatively steady number of fatal injuries throughout the years, ranging from 1 to 7.
- The Construction industry also had a steady number of fatal injuries, with a peak of 15 in 1987/88.
- The Service Industries consistently had the highest number of fatal injuries among all industries. The peak was in 1999/00 with 416 fatalities.
- There were several years where the industry of the fatal injuries was unclassified. The highest number of unclassified fatal injuries was 7 in 1986/87.
The figures for 2022/23 are provisional and will be finalised in 2024 following any necessary adjustments. The figure for ‘Mining and quarrying’ in 2022/23 does not include the case of a worker currently presumed missing at sea following a work-related accident on an offshore installation. The case is currently under investigation. In line with established statistics procedures this information will be updated when further details are confirmed.
Work-related non-fatal injuries to employees and the self-employed in Great Britain by broad industry group
- The year with the highest number of reported non-fatal injuries to employees was 1974 with 336,722 injuries.
- The year with the lowest number of reported non-fatal injuries to employees was 2020/21 with 51,229 injuries. This was likely affected by the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
- The number of reported non-fatal injuries to employees has been decreasing over time, from 336,722 in 1974 to 60,645 in 2022/23.
- The number of Major/ Specified injuries has also been decreasing over time, from 30,689 in 2003/04 to 17,725 in 2022/23.
- The number of over-7-day injuries has been decreasing over time, from 59,256 in 2012/13 to 42,920 in 2022/23.
- The rate of all reported non-fatal injuries per 100,000 employees has been decreasing over time, from 314 in 2012/13 to 215 in 2022/23.
- The rate of Major/ Specified injuries per 100,000 employees has been decreasing over time, from 79 in 2012/13 to 63 in 2022/23.
