Fatalities at Work | A Decade in Review

Creating a safe work environment should be the top priority of every employer. Regardless of the industry or nature of work, every employee should feel secure knowing that their needs are being catered to. 

The HSE publishes yearly updates on workplace safety statistics. This data includes a breakdown of injuries and fatalities by industry, region, and other factors. As a leader in health and safety training, our goal is to equip your organisation with these crucial insights so that you can stay better prepared and more aware of the emerging risks. 

In this post, we review data provided by HSE on fatal injuries to UK workers from 10 years ago, comparing it to recent figures announced for 2024/25*.

The UK's Deadliest Industries

There’s an element of risk within any industry. Whether it’s a sedentary job or a more physically demanding role, the potential for injury and, in some cases, fatalities, is always present. With that said, some industries present a higher risk than others.

The industries with the biggest fatality increases compared to 2020 are:

• Arts, entertainment and recreation; other service activities; activities of households as employers; undifferentiated good-and-services-producing activities of households for own use; activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies: 400% increase
• Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; accommodation and food service activities: 200% increase
• Information and communication; financial and insurance activities; real estate activities; professional, scientific and technical activities; administrative and support service activities: 62% increase

The top three most fatal industries to work in as of 2025 are as follows:

• Construction: 35 fatalities
• Agriculture, forestry and fishing: 23 fatalities
• Transportation and storage: 15 fatalities

Interestingly, all three have either remained consistent or seen slight reductions in fatalities compared to 2015, whereas those with lower perceived hazards, such as wholesale and retail trade, arts, entertainment and recreation, and information and communication, have all seen subtle increases.

• Arts, entertainment and recreation; other service activities; activities of households as employers; undifferentiated good-and-services-producing activities of households for own use; activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies: 25% increase.
• Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; accommodation and food service activities: 20% increase.
• Information and communication; financial and insurance activities; real estate activities; professional, scientific and technical activities; administrative and support service activities: 18% increase.

Workplace Fatalities by Region

Looking at the data on a regional basis, it appears that some parts of the UK are more prone to workplace fatalities than others:

While some places have seen overwhelming decreases in fatalities over the past decade, some have increased substantially. 

Scotland, for example, has seen a 136% increase in fatal injuries since 2019/20, going from 18 injuries to 26 in 2024/25.  This simultaneously makes it the second most fatal location to work, being beaten only by England with 88 fatalities in 2024/2025.  

Expanding this to deaths per 1,000,000 people, based on the population sizes of England, Scotland, and Wales, these numbers result in 1.42 deaths per million in England, 4.69 deaths in Scotland, and 3.14 deaths in Wales.

Likewise, the North West has seen a sizable increase of its own, going from 14 injuries in 2019/20 to 21 in 2024/25 – a 50% jump. 

Other locations, however, have bucked the trend compared to 2014/15:

• Yorkshire and The Humber: down 60%
• West Midlands: down 54%
• East Midlands: down 53% 
• South West: down 52%

Some places, however, have seemingly become more dangerous in the same timeframe:

• North East: up 200%
• South East: up 40%
• East of England: up 20%
• North West: up 10%

The Most Fatal Accidents

While it’s useful to know the industries and locations that are seeing more fatalities, it also helps to be aware of the incident types that result in fatalities. Understanding this can equip employers with vital insights on which areas of their business may be most at risk, leading to strengthened workplace training practices.

The top five most fatal accidents in the workplace as of 2025 are:

• Falls from a height: 35 accidents
• Struck by moving, including flying/falling, objects: 18 accidents
• Trapped by something collapsing/overturning: 17 accidents
• Struck by a moving vehicle: 14 accidents
• Contact with moving machinery: 13 accidents

Across the board, the majority of accidents covered have reduced in frequency compared to the past decade. 

Only three accident types have increased since 2014/15:

• Contact with electricity or electrical discharge: 75% increase
• Slips, trips or falls on the same level: 50% increase
• Trapped by something collapsing/overturning: 21% increase

Your Workplace Training Partner

How do these statistics reflect in your own place of work? If you find yourself aligning with them, it might be time to reconsider your workplace’s health and safety or training principles. Astutis is a global provider of health, safety and environmental training. We help workplaces avoid fatalities by ensuring staff are equipped with the necessary information to do their best work safely. 

Whether it’s IOSH courses or NEBOSH courses to improve safety training, or ISEP courses to improve sustainability credentials, our award-winning service can help your team pass with flying colours.

*Data sources from RIDDOR statistics released by the HSE for 2014/15, 2019/20, and 2024/25.