Millions suffering ill health in the workplace

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) annual statistics on work-related ill health and workplace injuries reveal that 1.8 million workers reported suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23, with approximately half of all cases down to stress, depression, or anxiety.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of self-reported work-related ill health had been broadly flat, but the current rate is higher than 2018/19.

There were an estimated 875,000 cases of work-related stress, depression, or anxiety in 2022/23, making the current rate of self-reported work-related stress, depression, or anxiety higher than the pre-pandemic level.

An estimated 35.2 million working days were lost in 2022/23 due to self-reported work-related ill health or injury.

HSE’s chief executive Sarah Albon said: “Preventing or tackling work-related stress can provide significant benefits to employees, improving their experience of work and their overall health; and also to employers including increased productivity, decreased absenteeism and reduced staff turnover.”

HSE’s statistics also reveal the impact work-related ill health and workplace injuries are having on Britain’s economic performance.

In 2021/22, the estimated annual costs of workplace injury and new cases of work-related ill health reached £20.7 billion, representing a £1.9 billion increase compared with 2019/20.

The figures also show that 135 workers were killed in work-related accidents in 2022/23, while 561,000 workers sustained a self-reported non-fatal injury in the workplace during the same period.