Key Facts, Trends, and Analysis:

Recently, the HSE released its annual summary of statistics which details reported instances of injuries and ill-health for workers throughout the UK. Our team has reviewed the report and put together this article, which explores key facts and findings, identifies trends and patterns from previous years’ reports, and explains what options organisations have for better managing health and safety in their workplace.

We’ll start by reviewing several key facts from the 2023/24 summary, including how the numbers compare to last year’s report:

Analysis of Key Areas: WMSDs and Work-Related Accidents

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs):

WMSDs encompass a wide range of diseases and disorders. Per the HSE, WMSDs can affect muscles, joints and tendons in all parts of the body. Such conditions - which include Arthritis, Osteoporosis, inflammatory diseases, pain conditions, and connective tissue disorders - these can be chronic and range in severity from mild to severe. In many cases, WMSDs can greatly impact a person’s ability to live and work.

Over the past year, there has been a significant increase in the number of workers suffering from new or long-standing musculoskeletal disorders. In 2022/23, there were 473,000 reported cases of WMSDs. In 2023/24, the number of reported cases rose to 543,000, which represents an increase of almost 15% from the previous year. Currently, WMSDs account for nearly one-third of all work-related ill-health. In terms of working days lost, WMSDs currently account for 26% of reported workplace absences due to ill-health.

It’s clear from these numbers that WMSDs remain a persistent issue across the UK. While certain industries, such as construction and transportation, see the highest rates of WMSDs, these conditions impact workers in a variety of sectors: Plant and machine operatives, agricultural workers, machine drivers, and other skilled trades see consistently high rates of WMSDs. The reality is that anyone who performs repetitive or forceful tasks, work in awkward or tiring positions, or who moves, handles, or supports loads is at risk of developing a work-related musculoskeletal disorder.

With reported cases of WMSDs increasing by such a significant amount in just one year, it is clear that current approaches to risk management in this area are inadequate. In light of these statistics, organisations must reconsider their strategies, and ensure that workers are protected from the sources of risk that can cause or contribute to these potentially lifelong, debilitating conditions.

Fatal and Non-Fatal Work-Related Accidents:

The number of fatal work-related accidents increased from 135 in 2022/23 to 138 in 2023/24. In addition, an estimated 604,000 workers experienced a non-fatal injury at work, up nearly 8% from 561,000 in 2022/23. It’s worth noting that the HSE acknowledges that these numbers are likely under-representative, due to under-reporting of workplace injuries and accidents. Even without the complete picture of workplace accidents, the statistics to which we do have access - and their direction of travel - makes it clear that there is still work to be done when it comes to protecting workers from potentially dangerous hazards at work, particularly moving vehicles, objects, and machinery. 

Being struck by a moving vehicle and being struck by a moving object accounted for over one-third of all fatal workplace accidents. When it comes to non-fatal injuries, being struck by a moving object or vehicle and contact with moving machinery accounted for 16% of all reported accidents. When it comes to being struck by moving vehicles, specifically, the construction industry accounted for nearly one-fifth of all reported accidents in the HSE’s most recent report. Given the availability of proximity warning systems for modern workplaces, it’s difficult understand how such accidents continue to rise sharply. It’s obvious that organisations could be doing more to create safer working environments where the likelihood of these accidents is lower, and workers are more situationally aware.

A Better Approach to Occupational Risk Management

It’s clear from the most recent statistics that current approaches to workplace health and safety are still inadequate in many key areas, including WMSDs and proximity to hazards. Relying exclusively on periodic risk assessments is clearly not a strong enough strategy when it comes to protecting workers from known threats to their wellbeing. Averages and estimates from third-parties can only go so far toward helping you monitor and manage a dynamic and fast-paced working environment, where things are constantly moving, and changing. 

To well and truly protect your workforce from potentially life-threatening workplace risks - and to protect your organisation from the debilitating costs associated with injuries and ill-health - you should consider an approach that goes well beyond guesswork. An effective health and safety strategy should give you the tools and information that you need to actually create a safer and healthier working environment. 

Today, there are modern solutions that make it easy for you to access a range of reliable, accurate information about your risk landscape, including issues of tool condition, worker behaviour, or workplace hotspots and bottlenecks. With this insight, you can take confident action to refine or improve controls to better protect your workers’ health safety, and your bottom line.

To read our response to last year’s annual report from the HSE, visit this page.