HSE Summary Statistics 2024/25

Why Occupational Health Remains One of the UK’s Biggest Workplace Challenges

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) annual statistics provide a comprehensive overview of work-related injury, illness and occupational disease across Great Britain.

The figures provide an important reminder that while workplace safety has improved significantly over recent decades, occupational ill health remains a major challenge.

According to the latest HSE statistics (2024/25):

Approximately 1.9 million workers were suffering from work-related ill health in 2024/25.
Around 11,000 deaths each year are estimated to be linked to past workplace exposures resulting in occupational lung disease.
2,218 mesothelioma deaths were recorded in 2023.
An estimated 22,000 new cases of breathing or lung problems caused or made worse by work occur each year.
More than 40 million working days are lost annually due to work-related ill health and injury.

The statistics demonstrate why occupational hygiene, Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV), exposure monitoring and health surveillance remain essential components of modern workplace risk management.

Source Document

View the HSE Statistics here:

View Original HSE Statistics

Source: Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Document Type: Current Official Statistics
Status: Current 2024/25
Last reviewed by LEVCentral: June 2026

LEVCentral Expert Commentary

Many discussions surrounding workplace health and safety focus on accidents and injuries.

However, the HSE statistics consistently show that occupational ill health has a far greater long-term impact on workers and society than traumatic workplace injuries.

Whilst workplace fatalities from accidents receive understandable attention, thousands of workers continue to die each year from diseases caused by historical workplace exposures. These diseases often develop many years or even decades after the original exposure occurred.

For LEV professionals, the statistics provide a powerful reminder of why engineering controls matter.

Every extraction hood, canopy, enclosure, filtration system and exposure assessment ultimately exists for one purpose:

To prevent workers becoming part of future occupational disease statistics

The figures relating to occupational lung disease are particularly relevant to LEVCentral users.

Occupational lung diseases continue to be associated with exposure to:

Asbestos
Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS)
Welding Fume
Wood Dust
Flour Dust
Metalworking Fluids
Isocyanates
Occupational Asthmagens

Many of these hazards are encountered daily in industries where LEV systems play a critical role in exposure control.

The statistics also highlight an important occupational hygiene principle:

The absence of immediate symptoms does not mean exposure is safe

Many occupational diseases develop gradually and may not become apparent until years after exposure has occurred.

Key Learning Points

Occupational Disease Causes More Deaths Than Workplace Accidents

The majority of work-related deaths are linked to occupational disease rather than traumatic workplace incidents.

Occupational Lung Disease Remains a Major Health Burden

Approximately 11,000 deaths each year are estimated to be linked to past workplace exposures resulting in occupational lung disease.

Asbestos Continues to Cause Significant Harm

Mesothelioma remains one of the most significant occupational diseases in Great Britain, with over 2,200 deaths recorded annually.

Exposure Control Delivers Long-Term Benefits

Many diseases associated with workplace exposure are preventable through effective engineering controls, occupational hygiene programmes and health surveillance.

LEV Is Part of a Bigger Occupational Health Strategy

LEV systems should be viewed not simply as engineering assets but as critical components of wider exposure-control and disease-prevention programmes.

What the Statistics Mean for LEV Professionals

The HSE statistics reinforce why exposure control remains central to occupational health management.

Many of the diseases highlighted within the statistics are directly associated with airborne contaminants that can often be controlled through:

Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV)
Process Enclosure
Containment Systems
Exposure Monitoring
Occupational Hygiene Assessment
Health Surveillance

For LEV designers, commissioners and TExT engineers, the statistics provide important context for the work undertaken every day.

A well-designed and properly maintained LEV system does more than achieve airflow targets.

It contributes directly to the prevention of occupational disease.

Further Resources

Recommended Learning

Thought Leadership

Build a Defensible Exposure Control Strategy
Defensible LEV Commissioning
LEV Governance and Duty Holder Assurance
Measuring Success in Occupational Health

LEVCentral Observation

The HSE statistics provide one of the strongest arguments for effective exposure control. Whilst accidents often attract immediate attention, occupational diseases frequently develop silently over many years.

The annual figures demonstrate that thousands of workers continue to suffer the consequences of historical workplace exposures.

For LEV professionals, occupational hygienists and duty holders, the statistics provide a powerful reminder that successful exposure control is not measured solely by airflow readings or compliance reports, but by the long-term protection of worker health.