UK Workplace Safety: Most Common Accidents and Deadliest Risks

Most of us don’t really expect things like workplace fires or Legionella outbreaks to happen. They feel rare, almost theoretical. It’s easy to assume serious incidents only happen somewhere else – another company, another industry. But UK data tells a different story. Official statistics show these risks occur across workplaces every year. Here’s a clear picture of the most frequent health & safety issues, the deadliest causes in recent years, and the hard numbers behind them. 

What the Latest Data Shows

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the most recent figures for Great Britain reveal the following trends in workplace harm (April 2024 – March 2025):

• 124 workers were killed in work-related accidents
• An estimated 680,000 people sustained non-fatal workplace injuries
• Around 1.9 million workers suffered from work-related ill health, including stress, anxiety, depression and musculoskeletal disorders
• These incidents and illnesses led to over 40 million working days lost

These figures show that, even in one of the world’s safest work environments, harm still affects large numbers of employees every year.

Do Workplace Fires Really Happen?

Yes – and they are more common than most businesses realise.

• Approximately 6,665 workplace fires were recorded in the UK in 2024/25
• Over the past decade, workplace fires have declined by almost 29%, but they still occur across many sectors

Where fires most commonly occur:

• Industrial premises
• Food and drink venues
• Retail premises

Together, these three categories account for over 60% of workplace fires.

What Causes Workplace Fires?

The leading identifiable cause, where data is available, is:

• Electrical faults – often linked to wiring, distribution systems or equipment

Even though many fires are small, they can lead to:

• Significant damage
• Injuries
• Business interruption

That is why fire safety compliance is not optional – it is essential.

What About Legionella – Does It Really Happen?

Legionella bacteria, responsible for Legionnaires’ disease, are not everyday office hazards like slips or trips, but they can occur and are taken seriously under UK law.

Legionella grows in:

• Hot and cold water systems
• Cooling towers
• Stagnant water environments

This is especially likely when temperatures sit between 20°C and 45°C. When contaminated droplets are inhaled, they can cause severe pneumonia-type illness.

Legionella outbreaks in the UK, while relatively rare, have happened historically. One of the most well-known cases is the Barrow-in-Furness outbreak, which caused multiple deaths and over 170 cases of illness.

Employer responsibilities include:

• Completing a legionella risk assessment
• Monitoring water systems
• Controlling bacterial growth

This applies to any workplace with water systems, including offices.

Most Frequent Types of Harm

Non-Fatal Injuries

Non-fatal injuries remain far more common than fatalities. According to self-reported surveys:

• Approximately 680,000 workers experienced injury at work in 2024/25
• Common causes include slips, trips and falls, and manual handling incidents

Although these injuries are classified as non-fatal, many result in:

• Days off work
• Long-term pain
• Lower productivity

That is why they remain a major focus for employers.

Other Real Workplace Risks

Electrical hazards
Electrical faults are not only fire risks. Faulty equipment, poor maintenance or overloaded sockets can lead to:

• Electric shocks
• Burns
• Equipment failure incidents

Electrical hazards are often linked to serious accidents and fires.

Slips, trips and falls
Although they rarely make headlines, slips, trips and falls are among the most frequent causes of non-fatal workplace injuries, often resulting in time off work.

Work-related road accidents
A significant proportion of workplace fatalities are linked to road traffic incidents, particularly in delivery, transport and logistics roles.

Occupational ill health
Many workers suffer long-term ill health related to:

• Stress, anxiety and depression
• Musculoskeletal disorders

These conditions often result in prolonged absence from work.

Deadliest Causes of Workplace Fatalities

When it comes to lives lost, certain patterns recur.

Falls from height
This remains the leading cause of fatal workplace accidents in Great Britain.

Being struck by moving objects
This includes collisions with vehicles or moving materials.

Entrapment and machinery contact
Workers trapped by equipment or struck by machinery also represent a significant proportion of fatal incidents.

In 2024/25:

• 35 fatalities involved falls from height
• 18 workers were struck by moving objects
• 17 fatalities involved being trapped by collapsing equipment
• 14 workers were struck by a moving vehicle
• 13 fatalities involved contact with moving machinery

Each of these reflects risk areas that employers must actively manage.

Sectors With Highest Fatalities

Certain industries are disproportionately represented in fatality figures:

• Construction: 35 fatalities
• Agriculture, forestry and fishing: 23 fatalities
• Transport and storage: 15 fatalities

Even though sectors like agriculture employ a relatively small percentage of the workforce, they account for a much higher share of deaths, showing that risk is not evenly distributed.

What These Insights Mean for UK Employers

The data shows that:

• Harm still affects hundreds of thousands of workers every year
• Fatalities, although lower than in the past, still claim over 100 lives annually
• Ill health caused by stress and MSDs affects millions and contributes to lost productivity

Key areas for action include:

• Improving fall prevention in high-risk sectors
• Ensuring safe vehicle and machinery operation
• Providing ergonomic support and mental health resources

Final Thought

Workplace safety is about understanding the real patterns behind accidents and ill health, and acting before incidents occur.

The UK’s health and safety framework has dramatically reduced harm over decades. Yet the numbers remind us that the job is not done. Every injury prevented and every life saved starts with knowing what the data really tells us and acting on it.