Essex Police Branch

The true picture of health and safety at work is that between 8,000 and 15,000 deaths are caused each year by occupational cancers. In addition there are around 4,000 deaths from other lung disorders such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema caused by breathing in fumes, chemicals, and dusts. More than 1,000 people are killed while driving on the roads as part of their work. There are also all those who die as a result of cardiovascular disease caused by the nature of their work. This can either be stress (which can more than double your risk), or exposure to certain fumes and chemicals. The lowest estimates for this are 7,500. Using the most conservative estimates at least 20,000 people die prematurely every year because of occupational injury or disease, but the real figure could be closer to 50,000.

In addition, last year there were almost 29,000 reported major injuries to workers and over 105,000 reported injuries causing at least three days off work. However, there is huge underreporting by the employer, so the HSE estimates that the true number for these injuries is almost 250,000. These figures do not include injuries that develop over time or work related diseases. The HSE estimates that there were 551,000 new cases of illness caused by work last year. Many of these become long-term and can remain with the person all their life. In total, 2.1 million people say they suffered from ill-health that they thought was work-related.