2023 HSE Statistics Revealed

Every year, the HSE publishes a report on the health and safety statistics of work-related ill health and workplace injury cases reported within the last 12 months. In this article, we reveal the most recently reported data which was published in November 2023.

Headline health & safety statistics across all industry sectors:

Other concerning statistics revealed by HSE:

• 672,000 workers suffering from a new case of work-related ill health.
• 31.5 million working days lost due to work-related ill health.
• 13,000 deaths each year estimated to be linked to past exposure at work, primarily to chemicals or dust.
• 132,000 workers suffering from a new case of a work-related musculoskeletal disorder.

Health and safety in the construction industry

In recent years, there has been a vast reduction in the number of injuries experienced by construction workers, but what is less recognised is the number of occupational health issues that are still prevalent across the sector.

To put this into perspective, for every death caused by an accident at work, 90 people die from a disease caused or made worse by their work. - HSE Statistics 2022/23

With construction being one of the highest contributing industry sectors to the above statistics, it begs the question, what could the construction industry be doing to reduce occupational ill health?

Let’s take a look at how construction workers are being affected and what actions we can take to improve their occupational health.

Respiratory Health

Key stats:

• An estimated 4,000 construction workers are suffering from a work-related breathing or lung problem (this includes new and long-standing cases).
• Dust, fume, and other VOCs are the most common hazardous airborne substances found on a construction site. Activities that could be contributing towards ill health include demolition work, exhaust fume from plant machinery, welding fume, concrete breaking, groundworks, and more.
• The most common health conditions being reported include:
  - Occupational asthma (0.7 people per 100,000 workers).
  - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
  - Occupational cancer: Out of the 8,000 cancer deaths reported to be linked to occupational health in 2005, 3,700 were attributed to past work in construction industries – that’s over 46%.

Please see below, a table showing self-reported work-related breathing or lung problems in the construction industry, compared with all industry sectors per 100,000 workers. Construction is significantly higher.

Being exposed to harmful dust, fumes, and chemicals at work can contribute or cause the health conditions mentioned above, and the most important takeaway from this article is that you should know that exposure can and should be avoided by installing effective engineering controls.

Actions to consider:

• Capture contaminants at source: Use an LEV system with an appropriate capture hood to extract dust, welding fume, exhaust fume and other VOCs.
• Ensure good air quality at all times: General ventilation is often required (in addition to extractors & filtration kit), especially if people are working in an enclosed or confined space. Forced ventilation will ensure that any residual contaminants are diluted to a safe level.

Solutions in action:

Free Resources

• Don't Gamble with Your Health Poster
• Best Practice Whitepaper: A Guide to Effective Ventilation
• Cancer in the Construction Industry Poster

Hearing loss

Key facts revealed:

• There were 85 new cases of occupational deafness in 2022 (across all industries).
• 11,000 Estimated number of workers with work-related hearing problems, 2020/21 to 2022/23.
• Site machinery such as breakers, pneumatic tools, generators, and demolition equipment can easily breach the maximum noise levels defined by HSE.

Actions to consider:

• Block the line of sight: Install noise barriers and enclosures around noisy site activities to mitigate noise and help protect the hearing of those nearly.
• Use acoustic enclosures to reduce the noise pollution created by works that involve cutting, grinding, and ground-breaking.
• Use a generator enclosure to attenuate the low-frequency noise associated with generators.

Solutions in action:

Free Resources

• The Impact of Noise On Site - Understanding Tinnitus Whitepaper
• How To Manage Noise On Site Whitepaper
• Video Guide to Noise Control and Soundex® Solutions

Stress, depression, and anxiety

The facts and figures:

• There are an estimated 16,000 construction workers suffering from work-related stress, depression, or anxiety (new and long-standing cases).
• Severe or ongoing work-related stress can lead to a person developing a mental health illness, or it could trigger an existing mental health problem.

Construction work can pose many different pressures for those working on site, such as:

• Meeting tight deadlines and working long hours.
• Physically demanding work, and potentially high-risk working environments.
• Job security and money worries for self-employed workers.
• It can be isolating if a project involves working away from home for long periods.

Actions to consider:

• Avoid overloading employees with long working hours and setting unrealistic deadlines.
• Reduce the stigma surrounding mental health challenges and improve the support available for construction workers. Below we have linked to some great charities that are dedicated to providing mental health support for the construction industry. Make those on site aware of where to seek help and support.

Free resources:

• The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity
• Mates in Mind

What other actions could reduce occupational illness?

Create a health-conscious culture on site

Occupational ill-health and the behaviour of construction workers are closely linked, because poor behaviour can increase risk, see below a couple of examples.

Download this free whitepaper which explores how to influence behaviour in order to minimise hazard exposure. It covers how to encourage and embed positive behaviour on site through motivation, instigation and maintenance on site, and actions to take to create a positive culture change.

RVT Group can support you

If you feel passionate about reducing these statistics, and really want to make change to protect those on site, take action today to help reduce the health and safety statistics of the future. RVT can work with you to ensure you have the correct hazard control solutions for your potentially harmful site activities. Together, we can protect the quality of life of those on site.

Claim a free site visit today

We can visit your site, free of charge, to get a full understanding of your site activities and upcoming projects. We will then recommend a fully compliant health hazard control solution and best practice advice which is in line with relevant health and safety legislation.

All you need to do is complete this short online form and a qualified consultant will be in touch.

More information

To learn more about health hazard control or to find the perfect solution for your site, click here.

Download work-related ill health poster here.

HSE statistics can be found in the HSE’s Health and safety at work summary statistics for Great Britain 2023 here, and HSE information specifically relating to the construction industry can be found here.

Call RVT Group on 0808 178 3286 to receive free best practice advice from a qualified consultant.

All statistics were taken from the HSE website and was accurate at the time of publishing.