Category: News

HSE Annual Health & Safety statistics 2024/25: The 5 key takeaways

Posted on by Melusi Chirikure

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its latest annual health and safety statistics for 2024/25. Below are five key takeaways from the data.

An estimated 1.9 million workers suffered from work-related ill health (new or long-standing) in 2024/25, an increase from 1.7 million last year and the highest on record. The rate of worker illness remains stubbornly high, with the latest mark being the second-highest on record and significantly higher than pre-COVID levels.

Ill health also continues to be the dominant cause of harm at work, resulting in 35.7 million working days lost, compared to 4.4 million days lost due to non-fatal injuries.

2. Stress, depression or anxiety cases also reach a record high

Work-related stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 52% of all work-related ill health, affecting an estimated 964,000 workers in 2024/25 – an increase of 180,000 cases from last year. After falling by 127,000 cases last year, this latest figure is a record number – a very worrying trend.

Rates remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels, particularly in sectors such as public administration and defence, education, and health and social work.

This has led to 22.1 million working days lost, making mental health the single largest contributor to work-related absence.

3. Workplace fatalities reach the lowest rate on record

In 2024/25, there were 124 worker fatalities, which is 14 fewer than last year and notably below the five-year average of 133. The overall worker fatality rate is also the lowest it has ever been.

However, an estimated 13,000 deaths each year are linked to past exposures at work, primarily from occupational lung diseases. Around 11,000 of these deaths are due to lung disease, including mesothelioma and work-related lung cancer.

4. Workplace injuries reach a 6-year high

According to the Labour Force Survey, an estimated 680,000 workers sustained a workplace non-fatal injury – significantly higher than both last year (613,000) and the five-year average (579,000). The rate of injury has also jumped slightly, reaching its highest mark in 6 years.

On the other hand, 59,219 employee injuries were reported by employers under RIDDOR, which is both the second-lowest number on record and the second-lowest rate of injury ever reported.

The most common causes of reported non-fatal injuries were:

  • Slips, trips or falls on the same level (30%)
  • Handling, lifting or carrying (17%)
  • Being struck by a moving object (10%)
  • Acts of violence (10%)
  • Falls from height (8%)

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affected an estimated 511,000 workers in 2024/25, representing 27% of all work-related ill health cases. This is positively a drop from last year (547,000), but higher than the five-year average of 501,000 – which shows a trend upwards. MSDs remain a persistent and costly issue particularly in construction, transportation and storage, and administrative and support services.

MSDs also resulted in 7.1 million working days lost, with the most commonly affected areas being:

  • The back (43%)
  • Upper limbs or neck (41%)
  • Lower limbs (15%)

Bibliography

HSE (2025) ‘Health and safety at work: Summary statistics for Great Britain 2025’. Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/ (accessed: 21/01/2026)

HSE (2025) ‘Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain’. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm (accessed: 21/01/2026)

HSE (2025) ‘Index of data tables’. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htm (accessed: 21/01/2026)

Safesmart is now a Schools North East Commercial Supporter!

Posted on by Melusi Chirikure

We are proud to be a Schools North East Commercial Supporter – a self-funded school network which represents all 1,150 schools in the north-east region.

Formed by a group of headteachers in 2007, Schools North East provides networking, consultations, events and more for over 3,500 school officials in the north-east every year; and we are very pleased to be adding our support going forward.

HSE 2023/24 health & safety at work statistics: The 5 key takeaways

Posted on by Melusi Chirikure

The HSE have released the annual health and safety figures for the year 2023/2024, and here are the 5 key takeaways.

1. Musculoskeletal disorders have increased

Since last year, musculoskeletal disorders have gone up by 14%, which is 67,000 cases more than last year – the largest single year increase in 10 years. After hitting its lowest rate on record last year, almost 2 in every 100 workers has suffered from a musculoskeletal disorder this year. This is the highest rate since 2015/2016.

Illnesses mainly affecting the back (18%), illnesses mainly affecting the lower limbs (33%), and breathing or lung problems (30%) have also increased significantly.

2. Stress, depression or anxiety cases are down

After a record amount of cases in 2021/22 (914,000), and a similarly high 910,000 cases last year, this year has seen 134,000 (14%) fewer stress, depression or anxiety cases than last year. This has produced the lowest rate per 100,000 workers (2.3%) since 2018/19.

However, stress, depression or anxiety cases now make up more than half (55%) of all work-related illness cases – their largest proportion on record. These cases affect an estimated 2.3% of all workers, which is significantly higher than 20 years ago, where the rate was an estimated 1.6% of all workers.

3. Illnesses have fallen for the first time in 5 years

Total illnesses have fallen by 141,000 cases (8%) from last year – the first year-by-year decrease since 2018/19 after going up for 4 straight years.

This is mainly due to the large fall in stress, depression or anxiety cases, as well as 51,000 (48%) fewer infectious disease cases this year when compared to last year. ‘Other’ types of illnesses have also fallen by 48,000 cases (25%), contributing to the overall decrease.

4. Workplace injuries have increased

On the other hand, workplace injuries have gone up for the fourth straight year, rising by 28,000 cases (5%) since last year. Overall however, the injury rate per 100,000 workers remains on the downward trend, with a 3.5% rate 20 years ago, a 2.1% rate 10 years ago, and a 1.9% rate this year:

YearRate per 100,000 workers
2003/043,480
2013/142,130
2023/241,890

5. A third of workplace deaths were aged 60+

This year, a third (45) of workers killed in work-related accidents were aged 60 and over, even though only around 11% of workers in the UK are aged 60 and over. This is also up significantly from 25% last year and 24% the year before – a worrying development.

Overall, worker deaths (138) are similar to last year (136) with an almost identical rate per 100,000 workers (0.42%). Promisingly however, work-related deaths continue to trend downwards. The latest 5-year average of 131 deaths is the lowest since RIDDOR began collecting records in 1974, with three of the five lowest annual numbers on record occurring during this period.

The most common cause of fatal injuries to workers continues to be falls from height (50), which make up more than a third of all fatalities (36%). This is followed by being struck by a moving vehicle (25), struck by a moving/flying/falling object (20), and then being trapped by something collapsing/overturning (15).

Other recent trends continue, with construction remaining the industry with the most work-related fatalities (51), followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing (23), and manufacturing (16).

Bibliography

HSE (2024) ‘Health and safety statistics’. Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/ (accessed: 16/12/2024)

HSE (2024) ‘Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain’. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm (accessed: 16/12/2024)

HSE (2024) ‘Index of data tables’. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htm (accessed: 16/12/2024)

ONS (2023) ‘The occupations most dependent on older and younger workers’. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/theoccupationsmostdependentonolderandyoungerworkers/2023-05-31 (accessed: 16/12/2024)

iHasco eLearning now available in Smartlog®

Posted on by Melusi Chirikure

We are delighted to announce that we have partnered with eLearning specialists iHasco, and their extensive library of 200+ training courses are now available to purchase, assign and complete within Smartlog®.

Alongside Smartlog’s training course library and our recently released Training Course Creator, this new partnership with iHasco provides our clients with even more options for employee mandatory training.

Over 200 training courses

With video presenters, different language options and numerous interactive features, iHasco’s eLearning offers 200+ courses across the following main subjects:

Manage everything within Smartlog

From assigning training to tracking learners’ progress, all courses and credits can be managed within Smartlog. System alerts and email reminders are sent out exactly the same as regular Smartlog eLearning.

Additionally, all applicable course certifications and accreditations will be printed on users’ pass certificates, including:

  • CPD accreditation
  • Skills for Care
  • RoSPA
  • IIRSM approval

Wish to purchase course credits?

If you want to learn more about our new partnership, or wish to purchase course credits for your organisation, please contact your Smartlog Account Manager or email us on: info@safesmart.co.uk

Introducing ‘Help Desk’ – our latest Smartlog® module

Posted on by Charlie Patrick

We are pleased to announce the release of a new Help Desk facility in Smartlog®.

The new help desk module allows your users to raise tickets regarding any premises issues in your
organisation. Live tickets can be tracked, updated and then resolved within Smartlog and through
immediate email notifications – including all related costs and time spent fixing the issue.

Help Desk provides you with the following abilities:

Create custom ticket categories
Any user can raise a ticket, and custom categories can be created. All created tickets are
automatically categorised and can be immediately assigned to the responsible user to resolve.

Set time-bound priority levels
You can set custom priority levels for your tickets, determining exactly the length of time the ticket requires to be resolved. This enables your SLAs with your contractors to be automatically built-in,
for example.

Keep a track of all costs
You can input and track all costs related to a ticket, and you can also track the exact time spent
resolving the ticket. Also, anyone working on the ticket can update it anytime with their detailed
costs.

Live email updates
From the raising of a ticket, during its resolution, and to its closing, email notifications are sent to
all users involved in the ticket to keep everyone updated on exactly what is going on.

This module is completely free to all our customers who use the full version of Smartlog. and is
immediately available for Company Admins to use.

To book a demo of ‘Help Desk’ for your organisation or to request more information about Smartlog, visit our contact page or send us your query to info@safesmart.co.uk

Safesmart achieves ISO 27001 certification, adding to ISO 9001

Posted on by Melusi Chirikure

We are very pleased to announce that Safesmart has achieved ISO 27001 certification, which is the international gold standard for information security.

This new certification adds to our existing ISO 9001 certification for Quality Management Systems.

What is ISO 27001?

ISO 27001: 2022 is the international standard for Information Security Management. It is meant to demonstrate that an organisation effectively manages their cyber security, data privacy, and protects the integrity of their information and systems on a continuous basis.

What is ISO 9001?

ISO 9001: 2015 is the international standard for Quality Management Systems. It provides a framework that drives continuous improvement in an organisation to a globally recognised standard.

How does Smartlog help?

Smartlog uniquely and effectively enables us to achieve both certifications, with many of its functions being integral to our operations as a company:

  • ISO 27001 – Internal data protection policy management and certified UK GDPR and Cyber Security training delivered through the software play an important part in meeting key requirements of ISO 27001.
  • ISO 9001 – Key management functions in Smartlog enable the continuous improvement of business operations. This is especially notable in the remit of health and safety compliance within the organisational structure.

These two certifications have added to the solid foundation upon which we operate. They allow us to continually improve our products and services, whilst also providing our customers with the assurance that we continue to seek the highest possible standards across our entire company.

New eLearning course: Safeguarding & Prevent (Basic Awareness)

Posted on by Melusi Chirikure

We have now released a Safeguarding & Prevent (Basic Awareness) course on Smartlog® which is completely free for all current Smartlog customers to assign and use.

What is in the new course?

Schools and colleges have a legal obligation to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (anyone under the age of 18 years old) when carrying out their duties.

Safeguarding training is therefore a legal requirement and often a primary focus of agencies that inspect the standards of schools and colleges, e.g. Ofsted, Estyn, and Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI).

To add to our existing Safeguarding training course suite, we have now released a more condensed Safeguarding & Prevent (Basic Awareness) course, which is suitable and sufficient for any staff members who do not engage in ‘regulated activity’ with children as part of their duties.

For any employees carrying out regulated activities with a child or children, they can complete our standard Safeguarding & Prevent course.

Course Details
  • Course duration: 1 hour
  • Assessment questions
  • Certificate upon completion

New eLearning course: Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022

Posted on by Melusi Chirikure

We have now released a Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 course on Smartlog® which is completely free for all current Smartlog customers to assign and use.

What are the new changes?

From 1 October 2023, changes to the fire safety legislation in England and Wales will come into force.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, applicable to all non-domestic premises including the non-domestic parts of multi-occupied residential buildings (e.g. communal corridors, staircases and plant rooms), is being amended in accordance with Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 – this means that the duties imposed on the ‘responsible person’ are changing. 

In response, we have created an e-learning course to provide an overview of the changes, which is useful for anyone who is involved in fire safety.

Course Details
  • Course duration: 15 – 25 minutes
  • Assessment questions
  • Certificate upon completion

Gloucester Rugby onboard Smartlog®

Posted on by Melusi Chirikure

Safesmart is pleased to announce two-time European Challenge Cup champions Gloucester Rugby as a Smartlog® client.

Competing in the Gallagher Premiership and four-time runners-up of the top division, Gloucester are also five-time Anglo-Welsh cup winners, and will be utilising the cloud-based health and safety software Smartlog to manage risk, compliance, training and safety processes among both personnel and premises.

Safesmart’s Managing Director Sam Secker said:

“We are extremely pleased to have an organisation of Gloucester Rugby’s stature onboard as a client, integrating Smartlog into their health and safety processes as well as tapping into our knowledge and expertise in this field.

We are positive this will be a great relationship going forward for the both of us.”

Gloucester Rugby kick off their 2023-24 season with a Premiership Rugby Cup match against Nottingham on 9 September at 3pm.

Contact Us

    01908 320 152

    08701 273 999

    info@safesmart.co.uk