Coronavirus pandemic and work-related ill-health in Great Britain, 2020/21
93,000
Workers suffering COVID-19 in 2020/21 which they believe may have been from exposure to coronavirus at work (new or long-standing) (LFS).
645,000
Workers suffering from a work-related illness caused or made worse by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic (new or long-standing) in 2020/21 (LFS) [Excludes 93,000 suffering COVID-19]
32,110
COVID-19 cases reported to Enforcing Authorities in 2020/21 which employer believed may be caused by exposure at work (RIDDOR)
Case type | Percentage of all COVID-19 cases |
---|---|
Worker from health and social work sector [Note A] | 56 |
COVID-19 confirmed by a test [Note B] | 80 |
The rate of self-reported COVID-19 believed to have been caused by exposure to coronavirus at work is around 4 times higher in workers in health and social work compared to the average rate in workers across all industries.
New and long-standing cases of work-related ill health caused or made worse by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic by type, 2020/21
Category | Cases |
---|---|
Stress, depression or anxiety | 70 |
Musculoskeletal disorders | 13 |
Other | 17 |
Industries with higher than average rates of new and long-standing work-related ill health caused or made worse by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020/21
Industry | Rate | Lower CI | Upper CI |
---|---|---|---|
Human health/social work | 3110 | 2545 | 3675 |
Public administration/defence | 2750 | 1860 | 3640 |
Education | 2450 | 1855 | 3045 |
All Industries | 1780 | 1595 | 1965 |
Around 20% of all those suffering from a work-related illness caused or made worse by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic were in human health and social work activities.
Notes
These estimates of the number of workers who suffered work-related ill health as a result of the coronavirus pandemic should not be subtracted from the overall estimate of work-related ill health presented elsewhere. It cannot be assumed that those individuals would not have otherwise suffered a work-related illness in the absence of coronavirus. This includes both those suffering COVID-19 they believe may have been from exposure to coronavirus at work and those suffering from another work-related illness caused or made worse by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Workers suffering COVID-19 they believe may have been from exposure to coronavirus at work in 2020/21 (LFS)
- This estimate was derived only from those reporting either a work-related infection or a breathing or lung problem as their most serious work-related illness in 2020/21. For more details see Technical Report: The Impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the interpretation of Health and Safety Statistics 2020/21
- Reliably identifying the source of exposure for a disease that is widely prevalent in the community at large is difficult and these self-reports may under-or overestimate the true scale.
Workers suffering from a work-related illness caused or made worse by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic (LFS)
- As well as COVID-19 due to exposure at work, the coronavirus pandemic could also have caused or made worse other work-related conditions. Rapid changes in how and where people were working, changes in work intensity and perceived job insecurity (even if working conditions did not markedly change) all have the potential to effect workers health. For more details see our technical report.
- This estimate does not include the number of workers suffering COVID-19 which they believe may have been from exposure to coronavirus at work. This estimate is presented separately.
More information on HSE’s work-related coronavirus pandemic statistics
- LFS - Coronavirus pandemic tables
- Technical Report: The Impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the interpretation of Health and Safety Statistics 2020/21
- Reported cases of COVID-19 to Enforcing Authorities (RIDDOR)