HSE annual report shows slight drop in workplace deaths, proposes clearer reporting rules
Published on 07/27/2026 at 13:27 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its annual report for 2025/26, recording 126 worker fatalities — a decrease of two from the previous year — alongside a new proposal to tighten workplace incident reporting requirements. The regulator says the changes are designed to improve the quality of data collected on deaths and injuries, giving safety authorities a clearer picture of where risks remain highest.
Construction fatalities fall but enforcement stays high
The construction sector recorded 25 fatal injuries during the period, well below the five-year average of 37. Despite the improvement, the industry remains under close scrutiny. Over the last five years, the HSE has issued more than 8,000 enforcement notices to construction firms, though the number of immediate prohibition notices dropped to a five-year low of 573 in 2025.
Falls from height were the leading cause of workplace deaths across all industries, accounting for 31 fatalities.
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Public deaths rise
While worker fatalities edged down, deaths among members of the public linked to work activities rose to 104 — an increase of eight compared with the previous year.
Targeted action on health risks
Beyond immediate safety hazards, the HSE has taken enforcement action against firms failing to manage long-term health risks. The regulator issued prohibition notices to four companies ordering them to stop using engineered stone, citing failures to control silica dust. Exposure can cause silicosis, an incurable lung disease. The HSE stressed the need for low-silica stone, water suppression systems, and respiratory protective equipment (RPE).
In Carlisle, Story Contracting received two prohibition notices at the Burgh Road Industrial Estate over excavation dangers and fall-from-height risks. Meanwhile, skip manufacturer Samson Containers Ltd was fined £30,000 for exposing workers to carcinogenic welding fumes, after reportedly ignoring previous enforcement notices issued in 2024 and 2025.
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International developments
Workplace safety trends are shifting beyond the UK as well. In Michigan, workplace deaths reached 46 in 2025 — the highest since 2020 — with struck-by incidents as the primary cause. So far in 2026, the state has recorded 21 fatalities.
In Australia, South Australian authorities filed industrial manslaughter charges on 23 July 2026 against two companies and their directors following a 2024 milling machine accident. New South Wales has introduced the Work Health and Safety Amendment (Digital Work Systems) Act 2026 to address risks from automated monitoring and digital work pacing.
A Purdue University report for 2025 identified 48 cases involving agricultural confined spaces in the United States, including 22 fatalities. Indiana was ranked among the deadliest states in this category, tying for the highest number of grain entrapment incidents.
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