HSE Statistics: Work Related Fatalities
123 workers killed in work-related accidents in 2021/22
Almost a quarter of fatal injuries to workers in 2021/22 were in the Construction sector (30 deaths), with a further 18% in each of the Agriculture, forestry and fishing sector and in the Manufacturing sector (22 deaths in each). In both 2020/21 and 2021/22 the number of annual deaths remains broadly in line with pre-pandemic levels.
Injuries by Accident
Falls from a height, being struck by a moving vehicle and being struck by a moving, including flying or falling, object continue to be the three main causes of fatal injury, between them accounting for over half of all fatal injuries each year since at least 2001/02.
In 2021/22, 29 fatal injuries were due to falls from a height accounting for 24% of all worker deaths over the year.
Struck by a moving vehicle accounted for 23 fatal injuries to workers in 2021/22, representing 19% of the total number of deaths over the year.
15% (18) of the fatal injuries in 2021/22 were caused by being struck by moving objects, including a flying/falling, object.
Injuries by Gender and Age
Fatal injuries to workers are predominately to male workers. In 2021/22, 116 (94%) of all worker fatalities were to male workers, a similar proportion to earlier years.
In terms of age, 24% of fatal injuries in 2021/22 were to workers aged 60 and over, even though such workers made up only 11% of the workforce.
Injuries by Industry
The number of injuries in Construction in 2021/22 was 30, a decrease of 10 from the previous year's total (40). The five-year average for fatal injuries in this sector is 36.
In Agriculture, forestry and fishing there were 22 fatal injuries in 2021/22, a decrease of 12 from the previous year's total (34). The five-year average for fatal injuries in this sector is 28.
The Manufacturing sector saw 22 fatal injuries in 2021/22, an increase of 3 from the previous year's total (19). The five-year average for fatal injuries in this sector is 19.
In the Transportation and storage sector, the total number of fatal injuries in 2021/22 was 16, an increase of 5 from the previous year's total (11). The five-year average for fatal injuries in this sector is 14.
The full report is available here: Workplace Fatal Injuries in Great Britain, 2022