The latest HSE statistics underscore the critical link between workforce wellbeing and commercial performance. For UK businesses, the data reveals urgent priorities.

Mental Health in the Workplace

Over 964,000 employees suffer from work-related stress, depression, or anxiety, driving absenteeism and reducing productivity, resulting in 22.1 million working days lost. Proactive mental health strategies are now a core business requirement.

Physical Health Risks Affecting Operations
511,000 workers report musculoskeletal disorders, resulting in a further 7.1 million working days lost. These disorders are often linked to poor ergonomics and manual handling. These issues disrupt operational efficiency and increase compensation costs.

Scale of Workforce Illness
1.9 million people are suffering from work-related ill health. This trend demands stronger health and safety governance.

Losses
Sadly, 124 workers were killed in work-related accidents. More can be done to reduce this to zero.

4.4 million working days were lost last year due to workplace non-fatal injury. This represents a significant drag on output and profitability across sectors.

Economic Impact
The annual cost of work-related injuries and ill health is £22.9 billion, highlighting the financial imperative for robust health and safety investment.

Practising a Safety Culture

Health and safety isn’t a compliance checkbox—it’s a legal and moral responsibility to ensure the safety of every single worker. The person comes first, always – because one case of ill health, one injury, one fatality, is too many.

Commercially, it’s a strategic lever for productivity, talent retention, reputation and cost control.

Here’s the latest report in full: https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/index.htm