Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain

138 workers killed in work-related accidents in 2023/24 (RIDDOR)

Fatal injuries to workers by main industry, 2023/24

A bar chart showing amount of fatal injuries to workers divided by industry sector

Main industry Number of fatal injuries
Construction 51
Agriculture, forestry and fishing 23
Manufacturing 16
Admin and support services 12
Transportation and storage 11
Wholesale, retail, motor repair; Accommodation and food 9
Waste and recycling 4
Other 12

Fatal injuries to workers by gender and age, 2023/24

A pie chart showing amount of fatal injuries to workers divided by age

Category 2023/24
Aged 16-59 89
Aged 60 plus 45
Age not known 4

Main kinds of fatal accident for workers, 2023/24

Number of fatal injury to workers separated by types of incident

Type of incident Number of fatal injuries
Falls from a height 50
Struck by moving vehicle 25
Struck by moving object 20
Trapped by something collapsing/ overturning 15
Contact with moving machinery 8

Change over time

  • When considering change over time it is preferable to consider the rate of injury (per 100,000 workers) as this accounts for changes in the numbers in employment between years.
  • Over the long-term, the rate of fatal injury to workers showed a downward trend, though in the recent years prior to the coronavirus pandemic the rate had been broadly flat. The current rate is similar to pre-coronavirus levels.
  • A chart showing how the fatal injury rate has changed over time can be found in the report on work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain.

87 members of the public were killed in work-related accidents in 2023/24

(Excludes deaths due to work-related accidents to ‘patients and service users’ in the healthcare and adult social care sectors in England reportable under RIDDOR).

Data source: RIDDOR: Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations. Figures for 2023/24 are published as provisional at this stage and will be finalised July 2025.

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Updated 2024-07-02