Counting the cost of injury and ill health

Latest statistics released by the HSE show that the annual cost of work related injury and new cases of ill health in Britain was £15 billion of this approximately £9.7billion related to new cases of work related ill health. This annual cost has been broadly level since 2009/10.

The two most common types of work related ill health were musculoskeletal disorders (35% of new and long standing cases) and stress, depression or anxiety (44%).

Overall it is estimated that 1.4million workers are suffering from new or long standing cases of ill health leading to 26.8million working days lost in 2017/18. Also 13,000 deaths are estimated each year to be related to past exposure at work, mainly exposure to chemicals or dust.

In addition, it is estimated that there were 555,000 non-fatal injuries to workers in 2017/18 leasing to 3.9million lost working days. The most common causes of injury were slips, trips or falls on the same level (31%) and injuries associated with handling, lifting or carrying (21%)

Note: Total costs include financial costs and human costs. Financial costs cover loss of output, healthcare costs and other payments made. Human costs are the monetary valuation given to pain, grief, suffering and loss of life.

A summary of the latest statistics can be found on the HSE’s website at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh1718.pdf

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