• 126 workers died in work-related incidents in 2025/26

• New analysis comparing rates of fatal injury in workers from a wide range of countries from around the world supports Great Britain’s position as one of the safest places in the world to work

• 2,146 mesothelioma deaths in 2024 through past exposure to asbestos

Great Britain continues to be one of the safest places in the world to work, according to new analysis published today (1 July) by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The analysis comes alongside the annual release of HSE’s statistics for work-related fatalities for 2025/26, which show that 126 workers were killed in work-related incidents in Great Britain (GB).

HSE has this year developed new analysis comparing the level and trend of fatal injuries to workers in GB with a selection of 35 other countries from around the world, meaning for the first time the results can be compared with countries outside Europe. This analysis provides further supporting evidence that GB is maintaining its position as one of the safest places to work.

Excluding the years affected by the coronavirus pandemic (2019/20-2021/22), the number of worker deaths in 2025/26 is provisionally the lowest number recorded in a single year, comparing to 217 fatalities twenty years ago (2005/06) and 495 in 1981.

The industries with the highest number of deaths continue to be construction (25) and agriculture, forestry and fishing (22). Of all main industry sectors, agriculture, forestry and fishing continues to have the highest rate of fatal injury per 100,000  workers (8.09) followed by waste and recycling (5.47). This compares to an average 0.37 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers across all industries combined.

The most common cause of fatal injuries continues to be falls from a height (31), representing around a quarter of worker deaths in 2025/26.

Workers aged 60 and over accounted for around a third of all fatalities during the year (40) despite that age group accounting for just 12 per cent of the workforce.

A further 104 people who were not at work were killed as a result of work-related incidents in 2025/26. This refers to members of the public who were not directly working themselves at the time of the incident.

HSE’s Chief Executive Sarah Albon said:

“Every one of these numbers represents a loved one lost; serving as a powerful reminder of the importance of the work we do.

“We can be proud that Great Britain remains one of the safest places in the world to work, and the new analysis we have developed this year, for the first time, allows us to compare our safety record with a wide range of other advanced economies.”

The figures relate to work-related accidents and do not include deaths arising from occupational diseases or diseases which arise from certain occupational exposures.

The HSE has also published the annual figures for mesothelioma, a cancer caused by past exposure to asbestos. These show that 2,146 people died from the disease in Great Britain in 2024, representing a fall of 109 compared with 2023 and substantially lower than the average of 2,508 deaths per year over the ten-year period 2011-2020.

Many current mesothelioma deaths still reflect exposure to asbestos that often occurred before the 1980s and annual deaths are expected to continue declining during the next decade.

Further information:

• The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.

• Prior to 1981 only fatal injury numbers to employees were reported to enforcing authorities.

• The international comparisons report findings show how other countries’ work-related fatal injury rates compare to Great Britain, and whether those relative rates are going up or down over time. They are based on statistical models, not direct comparisons, so should be treated as estimates rather than definitive figures.

• These findings should not be used to rank countries or compare non-GB countries against each other — only against Great Britain.

•  For additional information:

• the statistics webpage – Health and safety statistics – HSE

• the latest published fatal injury statistics – Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain – HSE

• the report ‘international comparisons of rate of fatal injury to workers Comparisons of work-related fatal injuries between Great Britain and other countries

• the latest report on mesothelioma statistics Mesothelioma in Great Britain

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today (Thursday 20 November) published its annual statistics on work-related ill health and workplace injuries for 2024/25.

The figures show that an estimated 1.9 million workers suffered from work-related ill health during 2024/25, remaining broadly consistent with the levels seen in recent years.

While the recent rates of self-reported work-related ill health are similar, they continue to be higher than pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2018/19.

Mental health conditions remain the primary driver of work-related ill health, with 964,000 workers reporting stress, depression or anxiety caused or made worse by work in 2024/25. This is in line with the upward trend in recent years.

Work-related ill health and injuries resulted in an estimated 40.1 million working days lost in 2024/25, continuing to place significant pressure on both workers and businesses.

HSE Chief Executive Sarah Albon said: “Great Britain maintains its position as one of the safest places to work globally, built on more than 50 years of health and safety regulation. However, these statistics demonstrate that workplace health challenges persist, particularly around mental health.

“We remain firmly committed to protecting people and places, supporting businesses to create healthier working environments, and ensuring continuous improvement in workplace safety standards across Britain.”

The statistics also highlight the economic impact of workplace health and safety issues. In 2023/24, the estimated annual cost of workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill health reached £22.9 billion, similar to the estimate for 2022/23.

Fatal and non-fatal workplace injuries in 2024/25 totalled 124 worker fatalities and an estimated 680,000 self-reported non-fatal injuries.

Notes to editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
2. Details on HSE’s work-related mental health campaign, Working Minds, can be found here Working Minds – Work Right
3. Details on HSE’s 10-year strategy can be found here HSE strategy 2022 to 2032 – About us – HSE.
4. HSE’s annual statistics on work-related ill health and workplace injuries for 2024/25 can be found here – Health and safety statistics – HSE
5. The annual costs are based on three-year rolling average, with the named year based on the middle year of the three, for example 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 average is referred to as 2023/24.