New HSE fatality figures underline why safety can never stand still

New figures published by the Health and Safety Executive show that 126 workers lost their lives in work-related incidents in Great Britain in 2025/26, provisionally the lowest number recorded in a single year outside of the pandemic period. It is a figure that reflects real progress, but not one that allows complacency.

Construction recorded 25 fatalities in the year, and falls from height remain the single most common cause of fatal injury in the workplace, accounting for 31 deaths; roughly a quarter of all worker fatalities in 2025/26.

Alongside the annual statistics, the HSE has for the first time published an international comparison of work-related fatal injury rates across 36 countries. Of all the countries included, only the Netherlands had a lower rate than Great Britain. Countries including the United States, Argentina and South Korea had rates estimated to be more than four times higher. Work-related fatal injury rates in Great Britain have also been decreasing by an estimated 1.9% per year over the study period a trend the industry must work hard to sustain.

For the scaffolding and access sector, the falls from height figure is the one that matters most. Scaffolding operatives work at height every single day and these statistics are a reminder that the work NASC and its members do on safety is not a bureaucratic exercise. It is the reason people go home.

Mark Collinson, Head of Technical at NASC, said: "These figures are a sobering reminder that safety must remain at the heart of everything we do.

“Falls from height continue to be the leading cause of workplace fatalities year after year, and that should shape every decision we make about how work at height is planned, managed, supervised and carried out. The scaffolding sector has made real progress, but there is no room for complacency.”

The HSE figures sit alongside the NASC 2026 Safety Report, available to download from the NASC website here.

The full HSE statistics are at: hse.gov.uk/statistics