The report, by the Health and Safety Executive, found that a total of 61,663 non-fatal injuries were reported by employees in 2024, compared to 60,645 between 2022 – 2023. The data comes from RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013).
The data from RIDDOR also revealed that most injuries in the workplace were slips, trips or falls, which affected 31 per cent of employees. Others included injuries through handling, lifting or carrying, which involved 17 per cent of workers, with 10 per cent being struck by moving objects.
The statistics coincide with World Day for Health and Safety at Work, which highlights the importance of employers ensuring adequate measures are being taken to protect workers.
World Day for Health and Safety at Work raises awareness around what more can be done to protect employees from suffering injuries at work, and how employers can do more to fulfil their duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Tracey Benson, Head of Serious Injury (South) at law firm Slater and Gordon, says the rise in workplace injuries over the past 12 months gives reason for concern – and that employers must take action in response.
“This increase in injuries at work is very concerning – as specialist serious injury lawyers we see first-hand the devastating and often life-changing impact these injuries can have on workers and their families, which are all too often due to health and safety failings,” she says.
“World Day for Health and Safety at Work is a timely reminder of the obligations every employer has to protect their employees, and to ensure that their policies and protocols are as robust as they possibly can be. The safety of employees is at stake, and that is too important to risk.”