Nearly two million Brits suffered illness or injury at work this year

Almost two million British workers suffered an injury or illness caused by their job in the past year, figures have revealed.

The Health and Safety Executive this week published their workplace statistics for 23/24 which highlights how many employees are suffering at the hands of their employer.

The statistics reveal that the number of workers reported to be suffering from work-related ill health during 2023/24 is 1.7 million – which is similar to 2022/23 (1.8 million workers).

Approximately half of those reported ill-health related to stress, depression or anxiety, with an estimated 776,000 cases in 2023/24. The current rate of self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety is higher than the pre-pandemic level but has decreased from 910,000 in 2022/23.

Meanwhile, an estimated 33.7 million working days were lost in 2023/24 due to self-reported work-related ill health or injury.

HSE’s chief executive Sarah Albon said:

“This year marks 50 years since the legislation which established HSE was passed. Much has been achieved in that time, including a dramatic reduction of around 85 per cent in the numbers of employee fatal injuries in the workplace.

“Today, Great Britain is one of the safest places in the world to work but these statistics serve as a reminder that there is still room for further improvement, and we remain committed to ensuring people remain safe and healthy wherever work is taking place.”

HSE’s statistics also reveal the impact work-related ill health and workplace injuries are having on Britain’s economic performance.

In 2022/23, the estimated annual costs of workplace injury and new cases of work-related ill health reached £21.6 billion.

The figures also show that 138 workers were killed in work-related accidents in 2023/24, while 604,000 workers sustained a self-reported non-fatal injury in the workplace during the same period.

Below we break down some of the key statistics that were found in this year’s HSE report:

1.7 million working people suffering from a work-related illness, of which
- 776,000 workers suffering work-related stress, depression or anxiety
- 543,000 workers suffering from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder
2,257 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures (2022)
138 workers killed in work-related accidents
604,000 working people sustained an injury at work according to the Labour Force Survey
61,663 injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR
33.7 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury
£21.6 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2022/23)

Liam Hill, Solicitor and Deputy Head of Industrial Disease at Oakwood Solicitors spoke about these shocking statistics. He said:

“Illness and injuries at work continue to occur across the country bringing misery and hardship to millions of individuals and families across the UK.

“What we are seeing in the industry however is the number of people brining claims become lower and lower. We understand that an injury, being physical or mental, puts a huge amount of pressure on an individual which often results in knock on consequences which are entirely out of your hands.

“The only way to address the issue is to contact a Solicitor to consider whether you have a case to bring against your employer in the circumstances.

“We at Oakwood Solicitors are more than happy to discuss your personal injury, industrial disease, clinical negligence or psychiatric injury at your convenience, ensuring you get the best advice to move forward.”

I have suffered an injury or illness caused by work – Can I make a claim?

If you have suffered an injury or illness caused by your current or former job role, you may be entitled to claim compensation. Whether you have suffered as a result of a workplace accident which has caused injuries, or you have suffered from a disease caused by your work environment, you may be entitled to compensation.

Oakwood Solicitors Ltd specialises in workplace accidents and industrial disease claims and may be able to assist you.

Common types of workplace injuries

Whatever workplace or industry you work in, you may be at risk of having an accident or contracting an industrial disease if the correct safety procedures are not followed.

For example, even relatively ‘safe’ jobs such as working in an office could result in injuries such as repetitive strain injuries or slips and trips if the workplace does not follow adequate procedures.

However, certain job roles may put you more at risk of certain accidents or illnesses. For example, builders or construction workers may be more at risk of falling from a height, whereas stonemasons may be at risk of contracting silicosis from silica dust in certain building materials.

Whatever accident or illness you may have suffered, Oakwood Solicitors Ltd is able to assist you with your case.

What needs to be proven?

To make a workplace injury claim, it needs to be proven that the injury or illness was caused by negligence, and the defendant had a duty of care to you. Under employer liability laws, employers must ensure that workers are kept as safe as reasonably possible, by following the Health and Safety Executives guidelines.

It must then be proven that the negligence was the cause of the injury. In some cases, this is easy to prove – for example – if a worker falls over and breaks their leg after a box was left in the middle of a walkway, and they have not suffered from any related injuries before.

However, in some cases, for example, if the worker had a pre-existing condition, but claim the accident was the cause of this injury, it may cause complications, and we can help you with this.

Time limit to make a claim

For cases involving an accident at work, the time limit to make a claim is three years from the date of the accident (unless there are complications, for example, your injuries suffered meant that you were not able to make a claim within this time).

If you are claiming on behalf of a loved one who has passed away as a result of the negligence, the time limit is three years from the date of death.

However, with industrial diseases, such as asbestosis, silicosis and mesothelioma the time limit to make a claim is different as in many cases, symptoms do not present themselves until decades after exposure.

If you have only become aware of a problem recently and have only just noticed issues, then your action should be in time for limitation purposes. However, this is something that is solely evidence-based for each action, so it is strongly recommended that you speak with a solicitor to take further advice.

Although a number of illnesses such as occupational cancer, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and asbestos-related illness latency periods can be a number of decades, for other diseases such as occupational asthma, repetitive strain injury (RSI) and vibration white finger, you would expect these symptoms to manifest at the time of (or very shortly after) exposure.

What is the duty of my employer to keep me safe?

As well as common law duty to ensure a safe place of work and a safe system of work, your employer will have a number of duties set down by statute:

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Employers have a duty so far as is reasonably practicable to ensure the safety and welfare of their employees.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Duty to undertake a reasonable risk assessment (Reg. 3)
Requirement to undertake a health surveillance (Reg. 6)

Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992

Ensure that suitable personal equipment is provided (Reg. 4)
Ensure an assessment of any personal protective equipment is undertaken to determine whether it is suitable.

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002

Required to assess health risk where work is liable to expose employees to substances hazardous to health (Reg. 6)
Ensure exposure to substances hazardous to health is either prevented, or where not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled (Reg. 7)
Ensure any employee exposed to substances hazardous to health are monitored and under suitable health surveillance (Reg. 11)

I have suffered as a result of stress at work – can I make a claim?

As well as physical injuries and illness, you may be suffering as a result of stress at work. Oakwood Solicitors Ltd can assist you in making a claim against your employer if you have been diagnosed with a psychological illness as a result of workplace stress.

What is the criteria for a Stress At Work claim?

You must legally prove that you have not only suffered workplace stress, but that the stress meets the clinical criteria for a recognised psychiatric condition. If so, you would be able to claim compensation known as general damages – compensation for the pain and suffering you have endured as a result of the negligence.

If the symptoms meet the criteria, the court uses guidance called the Judicial Studies Board Guidelines (JCG) as a starting point, which takes into account the following:

The injured person’s ability to cope with life and work
The effect on the injured person’s relationships with family, friends, and those with whom he or she comes into contact
The extent to which treatment would be successful
Future vulnerability
Prognosis
Whether medical help has been sought

Common causes of workplace stress

High levels of stress over a period of time runs the risk of damaging mental health to the extent that medical intervention is required. Employers have a legal obligation to take measures to support both the physical and mental wellbeing of staff.

Common stress at work claims can include:

Workplace bullying – Physical or verbal abuse, being belittled, excluded, malicious pranks, aggressive and passive-aggressive treatment, etc.
Harassment at work – Threats, physical, verbal and sexual assault, attacks on ‘protected’ characteristics, and some of the behaviours listed under workplace bullying.
Lack of training – Pressure of doing a job and do it well, having been offered insufficient or zero training.
Excessive workload – Having far too much work for one person to manage. This can affect both and personal life.
Denial of rights – Such as toilet, coffee or lunch breaks, permission to attend medical appointments, unreasonably required to stay after hours, etc.
Unfairly applied policies or procedures – Selective enforcement of rules, unreasonable demands, or being singled out to do something when you are unable to do.
Having mental health issues ignored – When your employer has full disclosure about a mental health condition, yet they don’t make satisfactory adjustments to accommodate your needs within the workplace.

Compensation is pursued in the county courts against an employer who has failed in their legal duties to keep their employee mentally safe at work despite being aware that risks were present, causing harm to that employee’s health.