Zarah ChoudharyThe Government’s Health & Safety Executive found that the total costs of workplace self-reported injuries and ill health in 2022-23 was £21.6bn.
Ill-health caused the biggest proportion of total costs at around 67% (£14.5 bn), with injury resulting in around 33% of total costs (£7.1 bn).
Ill-health cases typically result in more time off work on average, which drives higher costs.
An average of 581,000 workers were injured in workplace accidents each year, and a further 674,000 workers each year suffered a new case of ill-health which they believe to be caused or made worse by their work, based on data from 2021-22 to 2023-24.
Brett Hill, head of health and protection at Broadstone, said: “These figures demonstrate the immense burden of ill-health, in particular, on the UK economy, employers and individuals.
“Hundreds of thousands of people every year are suffering new cases of ill-health that they believe are caused or made worse through their work dealing a £14.5bn to the nation’s economy.
“It is a reminder of the importance of employers implementing proactive healthcare strategies, such as occupational health programmes, that can protect the health of their workforce to avoid costly absenteeism through illness or injury.
“With NHS waiting lists still at record levels and unlikely to materially improve in the short-term, businesses must increasingly shoulder the burden of maintaining the health of their staff, with a clear focus on prevention and early intervention.”
