Latest figures evidence continuing need for H&S legislation
Posted on February 27, 2025
I was listening to a radio comedy drama the other day in which one of the main characters worked for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). He was taking several contentious positions including, for example, smoking bans in public places having led to an increase in stress, conflict and petty violence!
He also opined that in general: “The HSE is a gross waste of taxpayers’ money devoted to making taxpayers feel as oppressed, overregulated and miserable as possible. We would better off, instead of bossing people about from morning ‘til night, to run a simple campaign saying: ‘use your sense, be nice to people and calm down’.”
It echoes some criticism of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 that has characterised Britain’s health and safety culture as ‘nanny state restriction on individual liberty’. (Conservativehome.com 2014)
We have written in these pages on the positive impact that the Act has had since its creation in 1974, which has been administered/policed in the last five decades by the HSE.
The HSE turned 50 on New Year’s Day this year and in a future blog we will discuss its role and impact since 1975 more closely.
HSE Annual Report
The Act was designed to reduce the risk of serious accidents and deaths because there was an absence of any standardised law addressing this issue. Every year the HSE publishes its annual report shedding light on the state of workplace safety in the UK. The most recent 2023/24 was published towards the end of last year and while the figures show some positive trends, they also serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges faced in ensuring the well-being of the UK’s workforce.
The figures 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. Of those 138, 51 were in construction; 23 in Agriculture, Forestry and Farming and 16 in Manufacturing. And if you’re thinking that those workers were in potentially dangerous, at height or outdoors roles that can come with a certain amount of risk, then consider the fourth sector on the list – Admin and Support Services which claimed 12 lives.
Meanwhile – in other areas on which I have written – mental health (that’s stress, depression, and anxiety) continue to be a major concern, affecting a staggering 776,000 workers. This highlights the need for employers to prioritise mental well-being alongside physical safety. Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders also remain prevalent, accounting for 32 per cent of all work-related illnesses, often as a result of the risks of hazardous manual handling.
Cost to the economy
It all amounts to a staggering cost to the UK economy. Workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill health cost us £21.6bn in 2022/23. I’ve said this many times before, good health and safety is good for business.
With these figures in mind, think how much worse they might be if there was no health and safety legislation and no HSE to enforce it, especially as the number of fatalities increased by two on the previous year. The number of fatal injuries to employees in 1974 was a staggering 651, after which it has never been higher.
Far from “health and safety gone mad”, it’s more of a case of “mad not to have health and safety”. There is no doubt that this is a key protection of all UK workers’ welfare.
If you’re reading this and think you might need helping in not becoming a statistic in the HSE’s 2024/25 annual report, give us a call today on 0151 545 0497.