Today’s post certainly isn’t a fun one, but it is one of the most important ones we’ll ever put together. As working at height safety experts it’s our job to not only install and maintain fall protection and fall arrest systems at a business’ sites and buildings, but also to educate employers about the real danger their workers face when working at height.
We can sit here and tell you until we’re blue in the face that falls from height are a real and ever-present danger and your number one job as an employer working in a sector where working at height is necessary is to ensure your workers are protected. But we think the numbers do the talking better.
Below we’ll explore the impact falls from height has around the UK across a number of key industries such as:
- The construction industry
- Food and drink industry
- Manufacturing industry
- And more!
The statistics surrounding falls from height in UK workplaces will almost certainly shock you, but hopefully they’ll also drive you to take action and ensure increased safety at your workplace.
How Many Falls From Height Occur In UK Workplaces Each Year?
It’s a shame that the only data we have on this are those falls that result in death, as we’ll discuss below.
As it stands, there is no requirement by law for employers to report falls from height that don’t result in a fatality. That means far more individuals than we can even guess are falling from height each year, but aren’t dying as a result. This is a problematic reporting system and it’s our belief that the system needs to change to accurately reflect the number of injuries that take place after a fall from height in the UK.
If the current reporting focused on circumstances surrounding accidents that did not lead to workplace deaths, then the limited data collected currently could be expanded to give us a better idea about non-fatal worker injuries in the workplace. This could help us know more about workplace accidents and their leading cause. Whilst today’s simplified system provides ease, the more we know about falls from height away from the fatal injury rate, the better.
All we can say on this question is that we have over 20+ years in the working at height industry and we know, anecdotally, that too many workers are being put at risk by working at height in dangerous conditions and this can lead to falls.
How Many Fatalities In The Workplace Are Due To Falling From A Height?
Thankfully, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does collect data regarding fatalities in the workplace. These statistics are sourced by RIDDOR: Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations.
According to the latest statistics (which covers a one year period between 2023 and 2024), 138 workers were killed in the workplace in the UK. Of these, 50 were work related fatal injuries due to falls from height. That’s an astonishing 36%+ and makes falls from height the single largest contributor to fatalities in the workplace.
What Industries See The Most Fatal Falls From Height?
Although the statistics don’t actually look at falls from height by sector, of the 138 workers killed at work more broadly, the industries where most of these employees worked were:
- Construction – 51 total deaths
- Agriculture, forestry & fishing – 23 total deaths
Making these industries the most dangerous in the UK due to the higher risk of fatalities in the workplace. These sectors account for over 53% of all UK workplace fatalities.
Although not every one of these deaths will have been due to a fall from height, it’s not difficult to imagine how falls from height could occur in these industries, meaning appropriate protections need to be in place to protect workers.
Where Do Most Falls From Height Happen?
In order to better prepare employers, the HSE looked at 150 falls from height that occurred in the UK’s food and drink industry over 3 years to get a better idea of how these falls were happening.
Here are the results of that analysis showing where falls most commonly occurred of the 150 analysed:
- Ladders: 40%
- Vehicles/FLTs (see below): 17%
- Machinery/plant: 10%
- Platforms: 10%
- Stairs (see below): 8%
- Roof/false ceiling: 7%
- Scaffold/gantry: 4%
- Warehouse racking: 4%
Of course, these numbers will vary per industry, which makes the report here difficult to apply to a range of sectors, but it does provide a snapshot of where workers might face greater risk, helping employers react accordingly to protect workers.
Falls from height can have life changing consequences and lead to worker deaths. Taking preventative measures is the only way to protect workers.
How Does The HSE Recommend You Mitigate The Risk?
As an employer, it’s your responsibility to ensure the safety of everyone working at height at your site. HSE recommends two key points of action that you should take to protect workers.
Avoidance
The first step is avoidance. The safest way to work at height according to HSE, is to simply not work at height at all. That means if there’s another way that the task can be completed that will ensure workers aren’t being placed at unnecessary risk, then this ought to be done.
But the HSE also recognises that this isn’t possible for every task in every sector and so working at height will sometimes be necessary.
Mitigation
Where working at height is necessary, the HSE expresses the importance of mitigating those risks by installing appropriate systems:
- Edge protection systems – to prevent falls over the edge
- Fall protection systems – to prevent falls altogether
- Fall arrest systems – to slow a fall and lessen the impact of one to prevent injury
- Roof access solutions – to ensure proper and safe access to higher levels
With appropriate and robust measures such as these installed, you can greatly improve safety on site, and reduce the chances of a fall from height occurring in the first place.
Long Term Trends In Fall From Height Statistics
According to HSE historical figures, falls from height in the workplace, both fatal and non-fatal, have seen a significant downward trend in the last few decades. Yet there’s clearly more to be done.
Even in the 2022/23 reporting period, 40 workers died in the workplace due to a fall from height. That’s 10 less than the latest reporting period.
How Employers Can Protect Their Workers
After all that doom and gloom it’s good to hear that overall, falls from height in the workplace are falling, yet more workers died after falling from a height in the last reporting period than the one before that. More needs to be done.
Below are the essential steps you should take as an employer to protect your workers whilst working at height:
| Knowing The Risks | Appropriate risk assessments will help you identify the risks. |
| Installing Appropriate Height Safety Systems | Following those risk assessments, it’s your responsibility to find appropriate height safety systems to protect workers who work at height at your site. |
| Ensuring Full Compliance | Pick a reputable installer to carry out the installation – like Altus Safety – who ensure you remain fully compliant with all Work At Height regulations and British Standards. |
| Appropriate Training For Workers | Your safety systems are only as good as your workers. Make sure they have the appropriate training and knowledge to use them effectively. |
| Regular Maintenance | Regular maintenance, every 6-12 months depending on the system, is essential if you want to protect your team. |
Falls From Height Statistics UK – Round-Up
Falls from height in the UK are unfortunately a very real risk for workers. As height safety experts, our team at Altus Safety works tirelessly to try and bring those falls to 0. But we need your help.
Employers need to take responsibility for their workers safety and ensure they have the proper systems in place to protect them. Once these have been installed, their regular maintenance is also vital.
If you need working at height safety systems installed, or require our worker training or fall protection system maintenance services, reach out to our team today. Together we can greatly reduce the risk of falls from height at your workplace.