The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released its latest annual report on workplace fatalities, and while the long-term trend remains positive, the numbers serve as a sobering reminder of the risks many workers still face.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, 124 workers in Great Britain lost their lives in work-related incidents. This represents a decrease of 14 from the previous year and keeps the fatality figures broadly in line with pre-pandemic levels. For historical perspective, the number stood at 223 in 2004/05 and 495 back in 1981 – a significant long-term improvement.
Industries most affected
Two sectors continue to stand out for their high fatality counts:
- Construction: 35 deaths
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing: 23 deaths
Notably, the agriculture sector still holds the highest fatality rate per 100,000 workers, followed by the waste and recycling industry. These industries often involve high-risk environments where safety procedures are crucial.
Falls from height: A persistent threat
The leading cause of workplace deaths in 2024/25 was falls from a height, responsible for 35 fatalities – over a quarter of the total. Despite decades of safety campaigns, this hazard remains one of the most challenging to control in sectors like construction and maintenance.
Public at risk too
It’s not just workers who are affected. An additional 92 people who were not working – typically members of the public in workplace environments – were killed in work-related incidents over the same period.
Mesothelioma: A lingering legacy of asbestos exposure
The HSE also released separate figures for mesothelioma, a cancer linked to past asbestos exposure. In 2023, 2,218 people died from the disease. This marks a decrease of 62 from 2022 and is well below the average of 2,508 annual deaths between 2011 and 2020. Most cases today stem from exposure before the 1980s, and thankfully, deaths are expected to continue declining in the coming years.
rradar Senior Associate Jeff Swales from the Business Crime and Regulation team said:
“The latest HSE accident statistics continue to show a downward trend in workplace deaths but on average over two workers are dying at work every week. Once again, despite several HSE campaigns, falls from height continues to be the single biggest cause of workplace fatalities. Apart from the human cost, such deaths pose considerable risks to employers in terms of criminal prosecution, claims for compensation and reputational damage. The accident record of a business is increasingly taken into account when work is tendered for. Employers should ensure they have access to competent health and safety advice and that they implement robust systems and procedures to protect their employees and themselves.”
While the drop in fatal incidents and mesothelioma deaths is encouraging, every statistic represents a life lost – a person who didn’t return home from work. Continuous effort, training and vigilance remain essential to keep workplaces safe for all.
