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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published statistics that cover work-related ill health, non-fatal workplace injuries and enforcement action taken by HSE, in the 2020/21 period. However, these statistics are based upon the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and other sources e.g. RIDDOR and as such are not at all the whole picture when it comes to the injuries and illness caused by work in Great Britain. In addition work related stress which too often leads to worker's suicide, is an area of major concern and one that is not factored into workplace injury statistics to any serious extent. See Hazards Magazine website for more details.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. Their role is to 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 and enforcement action through Fee For Intervention Charges, Improvement Notices, Prohibition Notices and prosecution through the courts. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. (HSE Website http://www.hse.gov.uk). Key Facts from the report: Work-related ill health * 1.7 million workers suffering from a work-related ill-health - around half of these were stress, depression or anxiety. * 850,000 workers suffering from a new case of work-related ill health in 2020/21. * 13,000 deaths each year estimated to be linked to past exposure at work, primarily to chemicals or dust. Work-related stress, depression or anxiety * 822,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety. * 451,000 workers suffering from a new case of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2020/21. It’s significant that the number of cases of work-related ill health continues to climb and has risen higher yet again this past year.
* 470,000 workers suffering from work-related musculoskeletal disorders. * 162,000 workers suffering from a new case of work-related musculoskeletal disorder in 2020/21. Occupational lung disease * 12,000 lung disease deaths each year estimated to be linked to past exposures at work. * 2,369 Mesothelioma deaths in 2019, with a similar number of lung cancer deaths linked to past exposures to asbestos. * 17,000 estimated new cases of breathing or lung problems caused or made worse by work each year on average over the last three years. Workplace injury * 142 workers killed at work in 2020/21. * 441,000 workers sustaining a non-fatal injury. * 51,211 employee non-fatal injuries reported by employers under RIDDOR in 2020/21. Coronavirus pandemic * 93,000 workers suffering with COVID-19 in 2020/21 which they believe may have been from exposure to coronavirus at work. 52,000 of these worked in the human health and social work sector. * 645,000 workers suffering from a work-related illness caused or made worse by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. 70 per cent of these were cases of stress, depression or anxiety. These two new estimates have been developed and added to the Report this year to measure the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at work. You can read Dave's full LTB here The HSE document entitled; 'Health and safety at work Summary statistics for Great Britain 2021', can be downloaded from the Unionsafety E-Library Source: CWU
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Here, Dave Joyce National Health, Safety, and Environment national officer for the CWU discusses the latest statistics from the HSE in his letter to branches (LTB572/321): 