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Work-related ill health and occupational disease in Great Britain

12,000

Lung disease deaths each year estimated to be linked to past exposures at work

1.7 million

Workers suffering from work-related ill health (new or long-standing) in 2023/24 (LFS)

Occupational lung diseases contributing to estimated annual current deaths

12,000 deaths
Pie chart with 5 slices.
End of interactive chart.

New and long-standing cases of work-related ill health by type, 2023/24

1.7 million workers
Pie chart with 3 slices.
End of interactive chart.

Change over time

  • In the recent years prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the rate of self-reported work-related ill health had been broadly flat. The current rate (4,940 per 100,000 workers) is higher than the 2018/19 pre-coronavirus level.
  • A chart showing how the ill health rates have changed over time can be found in the Historical picture statistics in Great Britain report (PDF) [26]

Notes

  • Occupational lung diseases typically have a long latency (they take a long time to develop following exposure to the agent that caused them). Therefore, current deaths reflect the effect of past working conditions.
  • Estimates of work-related ill health are based on self-reports from the Labour Force Survey (LFS)[27].

More information on Ill health

Occupational lung disease

Asbestos-related disease

Musculoskeletal disorders

Stress, depression or anxiety

Other ill health conditions

Information on HSE Statistics

Link URLs in this page

  1. Statisticshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/index.htm
  2. Statistics A - Zhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/a-z.htm
  3. Index of data tableshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htm
  4. Ill healthhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/index.htm
  5. Overview - COVID-19https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/coronavirus/index.htm
  6. Management informationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/coronavirus/management-information.htm
  7. Overview - Fatal injurieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm
  8. Latest quarterly fatal injury figureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatalquarterly.htm
  9. Overview - Non-fatal injuryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/index.htm
  10. Violence at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/violence/index.htm
  11. Costs to Britainhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/cost.htm
  12. Industrieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/industry/index.htm
  13. Countries and regions of Britainhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/regions/index.htm
  14. Comparisons with other countrieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/european/index.htm
  15. Historical picturehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/history/index.htm
  16. Overview - About HSE Statisticshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about.htm
  17. Data sourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm
  18. Overview - National statistics policieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/index.htm
  19. Revisionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/revisions/index.htm
  20. Confidentiality policyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/confidentiality.htm
  21. Overview - User engagementhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/engagement/index.htm
  22. Reports from previous user consultationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/engagement/previous-consultations.htm
  23. Quality guidelineshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/quality-guidelines.htm
  24. Statement of administrative sourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/administrative-sources.htm
  25. Research and ad hoc analysishttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/resources.htm
  26. Historical picture statistics in Great Britain reporthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/historical-picture.pdf
  27. Labour Force Survey (LFS)https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/technicalnote.htm
  28. Occupational lung diseasehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/respiratory-diseases.pdf
  29. Work-related asthmahttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/asthma.pdf
  30. Work-related Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseasehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/copd.pdf
  31. Silicosis and coal workers pneumoconiosishttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/pneumoconiosis-and-silicosis.pdf
  32. Other occupational lung diseasehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/other-respiratory-diseases.pdf
  33. All asbestos-related diseaseshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/asbestos-related-disease.pdf
  34. Mesotheliomahttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/mesothelioma.pdf
  35. Mesothelioma deaths by geographical areahttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/mesoarea.pdf
  36. Mesothelioma deaths by last occupationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/mesothelioma-mortality-by-occupation.pdf
  37. Mesothelioma deaths by geographical area interactive story maphttps://arcg.is/1qO0G40
  38. Asbestosis deaths by geographical area interactive story maphttps://arcg.is/1mS5aj
  39. Work-related musculoskeletal disordershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/msd.pdf
  40. Work-related stress, depression or anxietyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/stress.pdf
  41. Occupational cancerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/cancer.pdf
  42. Work-related skin diseasehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/skin.pdf
  43. Hand-arm vibrationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/vibration/index.htm
  44. Noise induced hearing losshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/deafness/index.htm
  45. Data Sourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm
  46. Index of tableshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htm

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Updated 2025-02-18