Personnel illness and injuries

When workers are absent it can be more difficult to work at the usual capacity and this may result in lost orders, customer dissatisfaction and a damaged reputation.

On top of productivity issues, additional costs can build up in the form of:

statutory/occupational sick pay (SSP/OSP), plus National Insurance;
work reorganisation;
temporary/permanent replacement staff;
administration; and
if applicable:

employers’ liability insurance premiums;
corporate private health insurance premiums; and/or
internal/legal expenses for HSE/LA investigations/prosecutions and the payment of related fines.

Some employers may believe that there’s little they can do to stop their employees getting ill, but work is a significant part of people’s lives and so the reason for their absence is often related to it. Similarly, while accidents do happen, a robust health and safety management system should tackle the risks that can cause injuries as much as is reasonably practicable.

Business impact assessments

Identify the key functions in your business and work out the damage that interruption could do.

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The statistics: Work-related illness and workplace injuries

Top five types of work-related illness based on estimated total days lost during 12 months over 2017/18:

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Type of illness	Est. total days lost	Avg. days lost per case	Est. prevalence
Stress, depression or anxiety	15.4m	25.8	595,000
Upper limb or neck MSD	2.6m	13.2	197,000
Back-related MSD	2.2m	11.9	186,000
Lower limb MSD	1.7m	20.1	86,000
Breathing or lung problems	645,000	14.5	44,000

MSD = musculoskeletal disorder

Source: 'Type of illness (LFSILLTYP)' [.xlsx] (last updated 11/18). Labour Force Survey, HSE.gov.uk

Working days lost due to non-fatal workplace injuries reported in a three year period from 2015 to 2018:

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Nature of injury	Est. total days lost	Avg. days lost per case	Est. prevalence
Fracture and broken bones	1.7m	21.6	77,000
Sprains and strains	1m	6.8	147,000
Dislocation of joints	396,000	17.2	23,000
Superficial	279,000	2.2	127,000
Lacerations and open wounds	189,000	2.3	82,000
Burns and scalds	43,700	1.9	23,000
Other	1.1m	9.3	115,000

Source: 'Type of illness (LFSILLTYP)' [.xlsx] (last updated 11/18). Labour Force Survey, HSE.gov.uk

Prevent the causation or aggravation of injuries and illnesses at work

Below you will find links to topic pages for physical risks that often get identified as the cause or aggravator of injuries and illnesses.

Accidents

Electrical and electronic equipment

Electrical installations

End-of-day checks and other routines

Lift trucks

Lifting equipment

Lightning and power surges

Machinery guarding and intervention

Personal protective equipment

Pressure systems and equipment

Storage racking

Vehicle suitability

Vehicles and parts (security)

Water damage

Workplace transport

Besides physical health and safety hazards, it’s vital that the issues that may cause or exacerbate mental health problems like stress, depression and anxiety – which are by far the most prevalent reason for sickness absence¹ – are considered, including workloads, violence, bullying and harassment, change management and support.

In addition to minding specific risks that can lead to personnel illness and injury:

keep all health and safety risk assessments up-to-date, making sure to re-do them when there are changes in the workplace as well as on a regular basis;
don’t delay reviews of, or updates to, your health and safety policy;
maintain, and regularly review, thorough accident records and investigation and reporting procedures;
keep detailed absence records and assess them periodically;
develop and implement a 'return to work' policy and procedures; and
consider health surveillance for workers who might be more vulnerable to illness or injury.