Alcumus SafeWorkforce
Alcumus SafeWorkforce
By Marion Keogh, SafeWorkforce Health and Safety Consultant
I recently co-hosted a webinar with my colleague Emil from SafeHR to unpack the latest 2024/25 HSE statistics and what they mean for businesses like yours. We explored trends in workplace injuries, ill health, and mental wellbeing, and shared practical steps employers can take to protect their teams.
In the latest HSE stastics, 1.9 million workers experienced work-related ill health, with 511,000 cases linked to musculoskeletal disorders such as back injuries and repetitive strain injuries. These issues alone cost UK businesses an estimated £22.9 billion per year, factoring in sickness absence, treatment, recovery time, and long-term health impacts.
These statistics vary significantly across sectors. Construction, manufacturing, healthcare, and education continue to see higher rates, which allows regulators like the HSE to target campaigns and enforcement. For businesses, these figures provide a valuable benchmark to assess internal trends and identify where controls may need strengthening.
Importantly, mental health and wellbeing now form a much larger part of the overall picture. Health and safety is no longer just about physical hazards, it’s about understanding how job roles, environments, and pressures affect people holistically.
When employees are off work due to illness or injury, the impact rarely stops there. In small and medium-sized businesses, colleagues often absorb additional responsibilities, increasing fatigue, workplace stress, and the likelihood of further incidents. Over time, this creates a cycle that affects productivity, morale, and staff retention.
During 2024/25, 680,000 non-fatal workplace injuries were self-reported, ranging from minor cuts and slips to serious RIDDOR-reportable incidents. Tragically, 144 workers lost their lives in work-related accidents. Each fatality has a far-reaching impact, affecting families, colleagues, and entire organisations.
Many serious incidents are preventable. From my own experience in the lift industry, I’ve seen how a single behavioural decision, such as bypassing a safe system of work, can result in life-changing injury. Even where risk assessments and training are in place, ongoing engagement and supervision are essential to ensure safe practices are followed day to day.
Mental health risk assessments are an increasingly important part of workplace safety. From a health and safety perspective, this means looking closely at the demands of the role itself.
Certain safety-critical or high-pressure roles, such as emergency responders, control room operators, or those working with vulnerable people, carry inherent stress. In some industries, exposure time is deliberately limited to reduce risk, and employees are encouraged to step away, debrief, and access support.
Training plays a key role, as does communication. Where tasks do not require direct human involvement, businesses should also consider engineering solutions in line with the hierarchy of control, reducing reliance on individuals where possible. Ultimately, it’s about understanding the job, listening to employees, and designing roles and environments that are sustainable.
To reduce workplace injuries and ill health, businesses should focus on:
Health and safety is not just about paperwork. It’s about making systems work in real environments, through observation, communication, and continuous improvement.
Turning statistics into safer workplaces requires practical expertise and consistent action. SafeWorkforce supports organisations with hands-on health and safety guidance, from risk assessments and training to building sustainable safety cultures that protect people every day.
For a more in-depth discussion of these insights, watch the full webinar here.
If you want help strengthening your approach to workplace safety and wellbeing, speak to the SafeWorkforce team about how we can support your business.
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