Great Britain remains one of the safest places in the world to work, according to new analysis published by the Health and Safety Executive.

A total of 126 workers were killed in work-related incidents across Great Britain in 2025-26. Excluding the coronavirus pandemic years between 2019-20 and 2021-22, this provisional figure is the lowest recorded in a single year, compared with 217 deaths in 2005-06 and 495 in 1981.

For the first time, the regulator compared fatal injury trends in Great Britain with 35 countries worldwide, providing further evidence of its safety record.

Construction and agriculture, forestry and fishing recorded the highest number of deaths, with 25 and 22 respectively. Agriculture, forestry and fishing also had the highest fatal injury rate at 8.09 per 100,000 workers, compared with an average of 0.37 across all industries. Falls from height remained the leading cause, accounting for 31 deaths.

Workers aged 60 and over made up around a third of fatalities, with 40 deaths, despite representing just 12% of the workforce. A further 104 members of the public were killed in incidents linked to work activity.

HSE chief executive Sarah Albon said: “Every one of these numbers represents a loved one lost; serving as a powerful reminder of the importance of the work we do.

“We can be proud that Great Britain remains one of the safest places in the world to work, and the new analysis we have developed this year, for the first time, allows us to compare our safety record with a wide range of other advanced economies.”

Separate figures show 2,146 deaths from mesothelioma in 2024, down by 109 year-on-year and below the 2011 to 2020 average of 2,508. Deaths are expected to continue declining, reflecting reduced asbestos exposure since before the 1980s.

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