The construction industry remains the UK’s deadliest, according to new research from Astutis, with the same number of fatalities as in 2015
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 construction industry reported 35 deaths in 2015 and 2025(with a peak of 42 in 2020), leading to concerns about the lack of progress in making construction safer.
Other sectors have seen reduced fatalities over the same period, with 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.
The top five most fatal accidents in the workplace as of 2025 are:
- Falls from a height: 35 accidents
- Struck by moving, including flying/falling, objects: 18 accidents
- Trapped by something collapsing/overturning: 17 accidents
- Struck by a moving vehicle: 14 accidents
- Contact with moving machinery: 13 accidents
Across the board, the majority of accidents covered have reduced in frequency compared to the past decade.
Only three accident types have increased since 2014/15:
- Contact with electricity or electrical discharge: 75% increase
- Slips, trips or falls on the same level: 50% increase
- Trapped by something collapsing/overturning: 21% increase
Brenig Moore, technical director and HSE expert at Astutis, commented:
“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.”
Regional breakdowns show Scotland suffers the most workplace-related deaths
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.
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