GB Sees Slight Rise in Worker Fatalities
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released its annual statistics for Great Britain, indicating a slight increase in worker fatalities for the period 2023/2024. A total of 138 workers tragically lost their lives due to work-related accidents, up from 136 in the previous year (2022/23). This figure remains broadly in line with pre-pandemic levels, suggesting that little progress has been made in reducing workplace deaths over the past decade.
The fatal injury rate for 2023/24 stands at 0.42 deaths per 100,000 workers. While the long-term trend shows a decrease since 1981, when 495 deaths were recorded, the recent plateau is a cause for concern. Men continue to be disproportionately affected, accounting for 95% of all fatal injuries. Older workers also face a higher risk, with 34% of fatalities involving individuals aged 60 and over, despite this group making up only 11% of the workforce.
The most common causes of fatal accidents in Great Britain were falls from height, being struck by a moving vehicle, and being struck by a moving object, collectively accounting for over half of all fatal incidents. The construction sector recorded the highest number of fatalities with 51 deaths, an increase from 47 in the previous year. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing also remained a high-risk sector, with 23 fatal injuries reported.
Ireland Reports Record Low in Fatalities
In contrast to Great Britain, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) in Ireland has reported a significant decline in work-related fatalities for 2024, reaching a record low rate. Provisional data indicates that 33 people lost their lives in work-related incidents, a notable reduction from 43 in 2023. This brings the fatality rate per 100,000 workers down to 1.2, the lowest since the HSA's inception in 1989.
Remarkable improvements were observed in high-risk sectors. The construction sector saw a 50% reduction in fatalities, dropping from 10 deaths in 2023 to 5 in 2024. The agricultural sector also experienced a 40% decrease, with fatalities falling from 20 in 2023 to 12 in 2024. Despite these positive developments, agriculture, forestry, and fishing still accounted for the highest number of fatalities (12), representing over a third of all deaths.
Leading causes of fatalities in Ireland included vehicle-related incidents (10 fatalities), incidents involving heavy or falling objects (6 fatalities), and falls from height (5 fatalities), collectively accounting for 64% of all fatalities. Self-employed workers represented a significant proportion of the deceased, accounting for 18 of the 33 deaths. Similar to GB, individuals aged 55 and older were particularly vulnerable, representing two-thirds of all fatalities in Ireland.
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Non-Fatal Incidents and Illnesses Remain a Challenge
Both Great Britain and Ireland continue to face challenges with non-fatal workplace incidents and work-related ill health. In Great Britain, the HSE reported 1.7 million workers suffering from work-related ill health in 2023/24, with approximately 776,000 cases attributed to work-related stress, depression, or anxiety. These conditions led to a significant 16.4 million working days lost. Additionally, 604,000 workers self-reported non-fatal injuries.
In Ireland, the HSA recorded 10,441 non-fatal workplace incidents in 2024, a 3% increase from 2023 and 14% above the five-year average. The Human Health and Social Work Activities sector reported the highest number of incidents among workers (24%), while education saw the most non-worker injuries (40%). Manual handling was identified as the most common trigger for non-fatal incidents. The lost working time due to injuries and illnesses remains substantial, with 688,000 days lost to injuries and 1,330,000 days to illnesses in 2023.
These statistics underscore the ongoing need for robust health and safety management systems, comprehensive risk assessments, and effective training programmes across all sectors. Proactive measures are crucial to protecting workers and reducing the human and economic costs of workplace incidents and ill health.
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