According to a research study from Jason Rowley LTD, the construction sector is responsible for the most fatal workplace injuries in Britain in 2021/22.
Based on annual statistics from HSE on work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain, a total of 123 workers were killed in work-related accidents in Great Britain in 2021/22, a decrease of 22 fatalities from 2020/21.
30 of these workers died in construction in 2021/22, followed by 22 fatal injuries in agriculture and manufacturing. Between 2017 and 2022, the average workplace death in construction was 36 a year.
However, if you consider the rate of fatal injuries in terms of the number of fatalities per 100,000 workers employed between 2017 and 2022, agriculture is the worst sector for workplace deaths.
The rate of fatal injury to workers in the agriculture sector is 21 times higher than the other industries.
Although there has been only one death in 2021/22 in the waste and recycling sector, they are also the second-highest sector for fatal injury rate, 11 times higher than the other industries.
In contrast, the rate of fatal injury in construction is considerably less than that of the agriculture industry between 2017 and 2022.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of annual fatalities each year had been broadly similar to one another, as seen below.
| Year | Fatal injuries to workers in Great Britain |
| 2016/17 | 135 |
| 2017/18 | 141 |
| 2018/19 | 149 |
| 2019/20 | 113 |
| 2020/21 | 145 |
| 2021/22 | 123 |
For information about health and safety, or to report inconsistencies or inaccuracies in this guidance, visit the HSE website.
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