Nearly two million workers in Great Britain reported suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today (Wednesday 22 November) published its annual statistics on work-related ill health and workplace injuries.
The statistics reveal that 1.8 million workers reported they were suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23, with approximately half of the cases down to stress, depression or anxiety.
In the recent years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of self-reported work-related ill health had been broadly flat, but the current rate is higher than 2018/19.
There were an estimated 875,000 cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2022/23. The current rate of self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety is higher than the pre-pandemic level .
An estimated 35.2 million working days were lost in 2022/23 due to self-reported work-related ill health or injury.
HSE’s chief executive Sarah Albon said: “Preventing or tackling work-related stress can provide significant benefits to employees, improving their experience of work and their overall health; and also to employers including increased productivity, decreased absenteeism and reduced staff turnover.”
HSE’s statistics also reveal the impact work-related ill health and workplace injuries are having on Britain’s economic performance.
In 2021/22, the estimated annual costs of workplace injury and new cases of work-related ill health reached £20.7 billion, representing a £1.9 billion increase compared with 2019/20.
The figures also show that 135 workers were killed in work-related accidents in 2022/23, while 561,000 workers sustained a self-reported non-fatal injury in the workplace during the same period.
Notes to Editors:
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. hse.gov.uk
- Details on HSE’s work-related mental health campaign, Working Minds, can be found here Working Minds – Work Right to keep Britain safe
- Details on HSE’s new 10-year strategy can be found here HSE strategy 2022 to 2032 – About us – HSE
- HSE’s annual statistics on work related ill health and workplace injuries 2022/23 can be found here – Statistics – About HSE statistics
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