Global Data | Fatalities
UK Workplace Fatalities:
A Decade of Stalled Progress in Reducing Deaths
Published Mar, 2024
After a sustained decrease from a rate of 2.1 per 100,000 workers in 1981, UK workplace fatality rates have largely plateaued over the last decade. According to the 2022/23 report, the fatality rate stood at 0.41, slightly lower than the 0.45 observed a decade earlier, yet significantly beneath the rate in 1981.
This stagnation presents a dual narrative. While some view it as a disappointing halt in progress, others perceive it as an indication of sustained efforts to maintain low fatality rates. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stated that ...fatal injuries are thankfully rare events, underscoring a measure of success in workplace safety protocols.
When contextualised internationally, the UK's figures are notably encouraging. Compared to Australia's fatality rate of 1.43 and the United States' 3.7 per 100,000 workers in 2022, the UK's rate of 0.41 in 2022/23 stands out markedly.
A Note on Understanding Statistics in Reports
Understanding statistics in reports requires a discerning approach. Beyond the familiar adage of "lies, damned lies, and statistics" sometimes attributed to Mark Twain, it's crucial to remember that statistics can be tailored to support diverse narratives.
They are often shaped by underlying assumptions, omissions, and specific contexts such as classification changes or external events like the COVID-19 pandemic. These influencing factors, usually detailed in explanatory notes, are vital to consider for a comprehensive interpretation of statistical data.
This variability complicates data comparisons, as the criteria for what is included in each category can differ significantly, making accurate correlations challenging unless where explicitly designed for such correlations.
Both Absolute Numbers and Rates are Steady
The UK witnessed 135 workplace fatalities in the 2022/23 period, translating to a fatality rate of 0.41 per 100,000 workers. This figure is relatively stable compared to 2014, which saw 136 fatalities at a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 workers.
Over the decade since 2014, the number of fatalities peaked at 149 in 2019 and reached a low of 113 in 2020.
The HSE reports delves into detailed breakdowns in its annual reports, focusing on aspects such as gender disparities, age differences, and employment status, among others. These focused analyses reflect areas of targeted policy interventions.
However, the prioritisation in data splitting also shapes the nature of publicly available raw data. We belief that access to more comprehensive raw data could unlock new insights, potentially benefiting a wider array of stakeholders by informing more nuanced safety strategies and interventions.
Farmers Face Disproportionately High Fatality Rates
In 2022/23, there were 21 fatalities in the Agriculture sector. The sector experiences one of the UK's highest workplace fatality rates, at 7.87 per 100,000 workers in 2022/23. This issue is not unique to the UK; similar concerns are observed internationally, with the US reporting a rate of 18.6 and Australia 14.66 per 100,000 workers in the agriculture sector.
Over the past decade, the fatality rate within UK agriculture sector has shown little improvement, moving from 8.84 per 100,000 workers in 2015 to 7.87 in 2022/23, indicating a need for enhanced safety measures and interventions in this critical industry.
Waste Management: An Overlooked Hazard
In the 2022/23 period, the waste management sector witnessed 7 fatalities, underlining its status as a significant yet often underestimated area of occupational danger. With a fatality rate of 2.75 per 100,000 workers, it not only parallels but also exceeds the construction industry's rates.
Despite being lower than agriculture, waste management has experienced alarming peaks, such as a rate of 6.62 per 100,000 workers in 2017. Observing rates from 2.45 in 2015 to 2.75 in 2023 highlights a concerning trend of stagnant improvement across the past decade, spotlighting the critical need for attention and action in this vital sector.
Construction: The Persistent Challenge
The UK construction industry recorded 45 workplace fatalities in the 2022/23 period, equating to a fatality rate of 2.1 per 100,000 workers. Known for its high-risk work environments and notable accident rates, construction often garners significant media attention, overshadowing sectors like agriculture, which is statistically more hazardous.
The fatality rates in construction have evolved from 1.63 in 2015 to 1.91 in 2021, and finally to 2.1 in 2023, echoing the broader narrative of stagnation over the past decade.
Despite substantial interventions and heightened focus, reducing fatalities remains a formidable challenge, contrasting with Australia’s construction sector, which saw a decrease in fatality rates from 3.3 to 2.2 per 100,000 workers over the same period albeit from a higher rate.
Accounting for one-third of all workplace fatalities in 2022/23, the construction industry remains a major employer but also a significant contributor to occupational hazards.
In comparison, the agriculture sector, despite its higher fatality rate, accounted for about 15% of total workplace fatalities in 2022/23.
This discrepancy highlights the unique challenges faced by the construction industry in enhancing safety and underscores the need for ongoing efforts to protect its workforce.
The Height of Risk: Fatal Falls
In the 2022/23 period, falls from height were responsible for 40 workplace fatalities, marking them as a significant concern within workplace safety. This accounted for a third of all recorded fatalities, indicating an over representation of this hazard.
Remarkably, this number has only slightly decreased from 42 a decade ago, highlighting a concerning trend of stagnant progress in reducing these types of fatalities.
Internationally, the scenario appears quite different. In the United States, falls from height accounted for 13% of workplace fatalities in 2022, a smaller proportion when compared to the UK. Meanwhile, in Australia, falls from height represented an even lower 9% of workplace fatalities.
While the frequency of falls has plateaued in the US, Australia has experienced a notable reduction, from 29 cases in 2015 to 17 cases in 2022.
Other Notable Causes: Impacts from Vehicles and Objects
In 2022/23, incidents involving impacts from vehicles and objects significantly contributed to workplace fatalities. Specifically, 21% of fatalities resulted from being struck by falling and moving objects, underscoring the persistent danger they pose in the workplace.
Transport-related fatalities, resulting from being struck by moving vehicles, accounted for 15% of the total fatalities while 15% of fatalities resulted from being trapped between objects.
In loose comparison, transport-related fatalities represent a larger portion of workplace fatalities in the US and Australia, accounting for 38% and 47% of fatalities, respectively.
In conclusion, despite the advent of improved workplace technology and potential enhancements in healthcare outcomes, the reduction in workplace fatalities has seen a plateau in the last decade after substantial progress in previous years.
Interestingly, this period aligns with the maturation of zero-accident programs, some of which aimed to eliminate workplace incidents entirely. Yet, the anticipated promise of achieving zero accidents seems elusive when looking at these statistics.
It raises a critical question: Are these programs effective, but their success is not captured in the broader data? It's plausible that such initiatives yield significant improvements within organisations that adopt them, while the statistics we observe predominantly reflect outcomes from entities that haven't implemented these measures.
This discrepancy underscores the need for more detailed, granular data to unlock meaningful insights—data that, regrettably, often remains inaccessible to the public.
Moreover, improved data accessibility could enhance transparency and potentially render the enigmatic zero-accident programs obsolete, as a deeper understanding of workplace hazards and the development of effective mitigation strategies could more directly contribute to reducing accident rates.
At SafetyRatios, we are committed to gathering essential safety metrics that are publicly available. Our goal is to curate this data, develop new metrics, and unveil deeper understanding of safety performance across industries.
Our interactive dashboard features all the charts discussed, enriched with data from the UK, the US, Australia, and other nations soon to be included.
We invite you to sign up today and delve into the wealth of information we provide. Join us in our ongoing quest to refine safety outlooks and redefine safety performance, embracing the insights that pave the way for a safer future.
As we conclude, let us take a moment to solemnly reflect on the individuals lost to workplace incidents, remembering that each number represents a person who has left behind loved ones. Their memory compels us to strive towards a future where such losses are increasingly rare.