Work-Related Incidents Claimed 135 Workers’ Lives from 2022 to 2023 in Great Britain, Provisional Data Shows
The fatal injury rate per 100,000 workers from April 2022 to March 2023 was 0.41.
- By Alex Saurman
- Jul 11, 2023
A government agency in Great Britain has released the number of workplace fatalities that occurred from April 2022 to March 2023.
According to the provisional data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)—the government agency in Britain that handles matters related to occupational health and safety—as reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, work-related incidents claimed the lives of 135 workers in Great Britain from April 2022 to March 2023. The fatal injury rate for the time period was 0.41 per 100,000 workers.
Of the fatalities, nearly 30 percent involved falls from a height, and 21 percent involved being struck by a moving object.
One-third of the deaths occurred in the construction industry, followed by about 15 percent in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry. The manufacturing industry, the wholesale, retail, motor repair, accommodation and food industries and the transportation and storage industries saw 15 fatalities each. Close behind, with 12 fatalities from 2022 to 2023 were other, unspecified industries.
Of the 135 workers who lost their lives, 33 were over the age of 60, and 99 were between the ages of 16 and 59. The age of three workers is not known.
While information on workplace fatalities from 2022 to 2023 is not yet available in the U.S., let’s take a look back at fatal work injury rates in 2021. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2021, the fatal work injury rate in the U.S. was 3.6 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.
During the 2021 to 2022 time period (slightly different than the time period the U.S. uses), per HSE, the rate of fatal injuries per 100,000 workers in Great Britain was 0.38 (though the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected these numbers, HSE reported, which also noted that this statistic “includes those temporarily absent from work”).
“Any loss of life in the workplace is a tragedy,” Sarah Albon, HSE’s Chief Executive, said in a press release. “While these figures show Great Britain is one of the safest countries in the world to work, safety must continue to be at the top of everyone’s agenda.”
The exact numbers should be finalized in July 2024, per the report.
Editor's Note (7/11/2023): The word "Preliminary" in the headline was changed to "Provisional" to reflect the report's language.
About the Author
Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.