Work-related ill health and
occupational disease in Great Britain
12,000 Lung disease deaths each year estimated to be linked to past exposures at work
1.6 million Workers suffering from work-related ill health (new or long-standing) in 2019/20 (LFS)
Occupational lung diseases contributing to estimated annual current deaths
12,000 lung disease deaths each year estimated to be linked to past exposure at work. 33% suffered Chronic Obstructive pulmonary Disease (COPD), 23% Non-asbestos related lung cancer, 20% Asbestos related lung cancer, 20% Mesothelioma and 5% Other disease.
| Diseases | Number of diseases |
|---|---|
| Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) | 33 |
| Non-asbestos related lung cancer | 24 |
| Asbestos related lung cancer | 20 |
| Mesothelioma | 20 |
| Other disease | 3 |
Chart notes
Source: Estimates from epidemiological information including burden of occupational cancer research
New and long-standing cases of work-related ill health by type, 2019/20
New and long-standing cases of work-related ill health by type, 2019/20
1.6 million workers suffering from work-related ill healh (new or long standing) in 2019/20. 51% suffered stress, depression or anxiety, 30% musculoskeletal disorders and 19% other type of illness.
| Type of illness | Number of illness |
|---|---|
| Stress depression or anxiety | 51 |
| Musculoskeletal disorders | 30 |
| Other type of illness | 19 |
Chart notes
Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS) self-reported estimates
Work-related ill health per 100,000 workers - new and long-standing
Workers suffering from work-related ill-health (new and long-standing) has been broadly flat in recent rates, although 2019/20 is above recent years.
| Year | Work-related ill health | Lower Bound | Upper Bound |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4870 | 4690 | 5050 |
| 2002 | 4750 | 4575 | 4930 |
| 2003 | 4630 | 4460 | 4810 |
| 2004 | 4210 | 4040 | 4390 |
| 2005 | 3910 | 3740 | 4080 |
| 2006 | 4710 | 4530 | 4900 |
| 2007 | 4170 | 3990 | 4350 |
| 2008 | 3890 | 3710 | 4070 |
| 2009 | 4230 | 4030 | 4420 |
| 2010 | 3830 | 3630 | 4030 |
| 2011 | 3550 | 3370 | 3730 |
| 2012 | 3770 | 3580 | 3955 |
| 2013 | 3990 | 3790 | 4180 |
| 2014 | 3910 | 3710 | 4110 |
| 2015 | 4050 | 3840 | 4260 |
| 2016 | 3970 | 3750 | 4190 |
| 2017 | 4120 | 3890 | 4340 |
| 2018 | 4060 | 3830 | 4280 |
| 2019 | 4790 | 4530 | 5060 |
Chart notes
Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS) self-reported estimates
- The years displayed represent the end of each financial year
- Shaded area represents 95% confidence interval
- For the year, 2002/03 and 2012/13, estimated figures have been provided where data hasn't been collected.
Notes
- Occupational lung diseases typically have a long latency (they take a long time to develop following exposure to the agent that caused them). Therefore, current deaths reflect the effect of past working conditions.
- Estimates of work-related ill health are based on self-reports from the Labour Force Survey (LFS)
- Disruption to the economy towards the end of 2019/20 due to the emergence of COVID-19 as a national health issue had the potential to have impacted on workplace injury and work-related ill health data for 2019/20. A paper setting out the issues in more detail along with results of analysis of the headline data from the Labour Force Survey and RIDDOR found that COVID-19 does not appear to be the main driver of changes seen in the latest year's data.
More information on Ill health
Occupational lung disease
- Occupational lung disease
- Work-related asthma
- Work-related Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
- Silicosis and coal workers pneumoconiosis
- Other occupational lung disease
Asbestos-related disease
- All asbestos-related diseases
- Mesothelioma
- Mesothelioma deaths by geographical area
- Mesothelioma deaths by last occupation
- Mesothelioma deaths by geographical area interactive story map
- Asbestosis deaths by geographical area interactive story map