High cost of work accidents and ill health

The cost of work-related accidents and ill health could be over £30 billion each year.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures suggest that, in 2001-02, health and safety failures cost employers alone between £3.9 and £7.8 billion. The cost to individuals was considerably higher, at between £10.1 and £14.7 billion. The economy pays between £13.1 and £22.2 billion for work-related accidents and ill health.

The HSE says the figures should be used to impress upon employers the need to make workplaces safer and healthier. The figures are also used in "regulatory impact assessments", the cost-benefit calculations required by the government whenever new regulations are considered.