Non-fatal injuries at work in Great Britain

Self-reported non-fatal injuries by length of absence from work

(LFS estimate, 2018/19)

Non-fatal injuries to employees by most common accident kinds

(Non-fatal injuries reported under RIDDOR 2018/19, includes those accident kinds that account for 5% or more of the total)

Rate of self-reported workplace non-fatal injury

(LFS: Estimated rate per 100,000 workers)

Rate of employer-reported non-fatal injury

(RIDDOR: Rate per 100,000 employees)

Notes

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides the most complete estimate of non-fatal injuries to workers, providing an estimate of all injuries sustained (based on self-reports by workers).

This data is supplemented with reports by employers of workplace injuries under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR).  RIDDOR requires employers to report certain workplace non-fatal injuries, generally the more serious (those that result in more than 7 days absence from work or specified on a pre-defined list of injuries). It is known that employers substantially under-report these non-fatal injuries: current levels of overall employer reporting of RIDDOR defined non-fatal injuries to employees is estimated at around a half; and the reporting of injuries to the self-employed a much lower proportion. Any comparisons between different subsets within RIDDOR data (e.g. comparisons between one industrial sector and another) need to take account of the possibility of there being markedly different reporting levels in the subsets being compared.

LFS data has several advantages over RIDDOR including: data are available for all workplace injuries, irrespective of time off work; they are not subject to the substantial under-reporting that affects RIDDOR; and they are not affected by changes in legislation.  However, RIDDOR provides greater richness in terms of details about the injury sustained.