HSE’s chief executive, Sarah Albon, said: “Stress and poor mental health is the number one cause of work-related ill health. The effects of stress, depression, and anxiety can have a significant impact on an employee’s life and on their ability to perform their best at work.

“Britain is one of the safest places in the world to work but we need all employers to do more and take seriously their responsibilities to support good mental health at work. That’s why improving mental health in the workplace is a key priority in our 10-year strategy ‘Protecting People and Places’, and why we’re developing new partnerships across industry to help employers support their employees.”

Headline Figures

• 914,000 existing and new cases of workplace stress, depression and anxiety which has led to 17 million working days lost.
• 565,000 workers suffered an injury in the workplace – a rise in comparison with the two previous years but similar to pre-pandemic levels.
• 8m working days were lost due to work-related ill health and non-fatal workplace injuries in 2021/22 costing the economy of £18.8 billion.
• 477,000 cases of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD).
• 12,000 lung disease deaths linked to past occupational exposures which include over 2,500 mesothelioma deaths.
• 123 workplace fatalities – though deaths linked to both COVID-19 and occupational lung disease are excluded.