The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has published its annual report on work-related ill health and injuries for 2024/25, and the figures highlight ongoing challenges for UK workplaces. An estimated 1.9 million workers experienced work-related ill health during the year, a level that remains broadly consistent with recent trends but still higher than pre-pandemic figures.
Mental health continues to dominate the picture, with 964,000 workers reporting stress, depression, or anxiety linked to work. This upward trend reinforces the need for proactive mental health strategies in occupational health and safety programs. Overall, work-related ill health and injuries led to 40.1 million lost working days, placing significant strain on businesses and employees alike.
The economic impact is equally striking: in 2023/4, the cost of workplace injuries and new cases of ill health was estimated at £22.9 billion. In 2024/25, fatal injuries totalled 124, while non-fatal injuries reached 680,000 self-reported cases. Despite these challenges, HSE Chief Executive Sarah Albon emphasized that Great Britain remains one of the safest places to work globally, thanks to decades of robust health and safety regulation.
For Occupational Health & Safety professionals, these figures underline the importance of a holistic, people-centered approach to workplace health and safety – one that treats mental health risk management with the same seriousness as physical safety. Consider reviewing stress risk assessments and ensuring managers are trained to spot early signs of burnout.
With millions of working days lost, investing in preventative measures like ergonomic assessments, mental health resources, and clear reporting channels can significantly reduce disruption and costs. Staying informed about trends and guidance will help you keep your workforce safe, healthy, and productive.
We have worked with Safewell for many years and are retained clients, so we have developed an excellent working relationship with the team. However, this really came into its own when Covid 19 appeared.
As a Plumbing and Heating business, we were able to carry on working during the lockdown but only for responding to emergencies. We were obviously very concerned about the health and safety of our employees and before we even had chance to get in touch with Safewell, they had emailed us offering their assistance. It is hard to put down on paper how that made us feel - we like everyone else felt totally at sea, which way to turn, what to do? But Safewell were there guiding, supporting and being totally brilliant. Their attention to detail is very impressive and reassuring and we feel able to ask lots of questions without feeling silly.
During the pandemic Safewell helped us to write risk assessments, safety procedures and protocols. They kept in touch regularly, issuing new guidance as soon as it appeared and checking in with us. They held group Q&A sessions over Zoom which were helpful, and knowing other businesses were facing the same challenges and having the opportunity to discuss issues was invaluable. Their help during the preparation for a full return to work was brilliant, they enabled us to be fully prepared and feel in control, and when we had our first case of Covid within the team, because we had planned our response it felt ok.
I think our team felt very reassured by our robust approach and that our office was Covid secure. We are extremely grateful to all the team at Safewell
