Tackle ‘unacceptable’ work-related ill health levels, urges IOSH

The figures reveal that 1.9 million people were suffering from a new or long-standing work-related illness in 2024-25, up from 1.7 million in the previous year.

About half of these cases – 964,000 of them – related to work-related stress, depression or anxiety, with 409,000 workers suffering from a new case. The annual total is up from 776,000 in 2023-24. Meanwhile, while 511,000 people suffered from a musculoskeletal disorder caused by work, with 173,000 of these being new cases.

Ruth Wilkinson, head of policy and public affairs at IOSH, said: “Britain prides itself on being one of the safest and healthiest places to work, yet these statistics tell a different story.

“These figures are unacceptable. They are not just numbers – they represent people, and the human cost of workplace harm which will impact their work and home life and how they contribute to society. Most worrying of all is that these could have been prevented by good occupational health and safety management.”

The data has been published by the Health and Safety Executive. These cases of work-related ill health meant 35.7 million working days were missed during the year, with the cost to the economy set at £16.4 billion.

Ruth added: “It is clear from the figures what harm work-related ill health is causing the economy, and where we need to focus our efforts to prevent harm and protect workers. We need swift, strong and decisive action from both the Government and employers to tackle this issue.

“There needs to be significant investment in prevention. As we said following the recent publication of the Keep Britain Working Review, led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, we need major surgery, not simply a sticking plaster.”

“We need to have a focus on prevention of harm at work – rather than just dealing with the after-effects – and protecting and inspiring people through better working conditions and improved health and safety standards. Let’s drive change now.”