Astutis has analysed ten years’ worth of HSE data to look at which industries have made the biggest improvements when it comes to health and safety in the UK.
The research revealed that while construction is the industry that ranks most dangerous, the sector hasn’t made any improvements since 2015, research finds.
In 2015, a decade ago, the construction industry had 35 fatalities in the workplace. However, the construction industry also had 35 in the year 2025, showing there has been no improvement in the number of fatal injuries despite best efforts.
However, some sectors have made big improvements such as Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing going from 32 to 23 and Manufacturing going from 18 to 11 fatalities, and the Water Supply industry also reducing fatalities from 5 in 2015, to 4 in 2025.
Brenig Moore, Technical Director and HSE Expert at Astutis, comments on the research, particularly around the worrying stabilisation in the construction industry:
“The construction industry has always come with a massive risk, but what we’re seeing ten years on is a huge shift in where those particular risks sit, and also how they manifest on site.
Traditional hazards such as moving vehicles, working at height and structural instability remain the biggest causes of fatalities in the UK.
However, construction is becoming more complex, which therefore means more serious risks. Modern sites now have technology that is much more advanced and tighter deadlines and stricter outputs, meaning many people are becoming over-worked, suffering from burnout or making mistakes from feeling fatigued.
The data does show a small decrease in fatalities in the construction industry since five years ago, but what we’re really looking for is health and safety awareness to improve in the sector, and get that number as low as it possibly can go, which just hasn’t happened over the last decade unfortunately.”
The same research also highlighted regional data, where there were significant disparities in workplace safety outcomes.
England recorded the highest number of fatalities at 88 in 2024/25, but when adjusted for population, Scotland emerges as the most dangerous place to work, with 4.69 deaths per million people.
Scotland has seen a 136% increase in fatalities since 2019/20, while the North West of England has experienced a 50% rise over the same period.
In contrast, regions including Yorkshire and The Humber and the West Midlands have seen substantial reductions, down 60% and 54% respectively over the past decade.
For the full research piece, please visit the page here: https://www.astutis.com/astutis-hub/blog/work-fatalities-10-year-comparison
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