Accidents at Work: Understanding Common Workplace Injuries and How to Prevent Them

Workplace accidents happen more often than many people realise. According to the latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics, around 680,000 workers sustained a workplace injury in 2024/25, with 124 fatal accidents reported during the same period. These figures tell us that accidents at work remain a significant concern across all industries in Great Britain.

Whether you work in an office, on a construction site, in manufacturing or any other sector, understanding the most common types of workplace accidents and how to prevent them can make a real difference to your safety and wellbeing at work.

What Are the Most Common Workplace Accidents?

The HSE's reporting data shows that certain types of accidents occur far more frequently than others. Understanding these patterns can help both employers and employees take preventative action.

Slips, Trips and Falls

Slips, trips and falls account for approximately 30% of all reported workplace injuries. These accidents might seem minor, but they can result in serious injuries including broken bones, head trauma and back injuries. Common causes include wet floors, uneven surfaces, poor lighting, trailing cables and cluttered walkways.

Manual Handling Injuries

Handling, lifting and carrying represent around 17% of workplace accidents. These injuries often affect the back, shoulders and upper limbs. Manual handling injuries can develop suddenly from lifting something incorrectly or gradually over time through repetitive tasks. Many workers in warehouses, retail, healthcare and construction face these risks daily.

Being Struck by Moving Objects

Approximately 10% of workplace injuries involve workers being struck by moving, flying or falling objects. This category includes everything from tools dropped from height to vehicles in warehouses and materials falling from racking systems. The construction and manufacturing sectors see higher rates of these accidents.

Workplace Violence

Acts of violence make up around 10% of workplace injuries. This includes both physical assaults and threatening behaviour. Certain sectors, particularly healthcare, social work and retail, experience higher rates of workplace violence.

Falls from Height

Falls from height account for 8% of reported injuries but often result in the most severe consequences. These accidents happen when working from ladders, scaffolding, roofs or any elevated platform. The construction industry sees the highest number of these incidents, but they can occur in many workplaces.

What Should I Do If I Have an Accident at Work?

This is one of the most common questions workers ask after sustaining an injury. Taking the right steps immediately after an accident can protect both your health and your legal rights.

Seek Medical Attention

Your health comes first. If you've been injured, get medical help straight away. For serious injuries, call 999 or have someone call for you. Even if the injury seems minor, it's worth getting checked by a medical professional, as some injuries worsen over time.

Report the Accident

UK law requires you to report workplace accidents to your employer promptly. Most companies have specific timeframes and procedures for reporting, so check your employee handbook or ask your supervisor. The report should include the date, time, location, what happened, and details of any witnesses.

Under RIDDOR regulations, certain types of workplace accidents must be reported to the HSE. These include accidents resulting in death, specified injuries (such as fractures, amputations or serious burns), injuries requiring more than seven days off work and dangerous occurrences that could have caused serious harm.

Document Everything

Take photos of the accident scene if possible, including any hazards that contributed to the incident. Write down what happened while the details are fresh in your mind. If there were witnesses, get their contact information and ask them to provide their account of events.

Keep Medical Records

Save all documentation related to your injury, including medical reports, prescriptions, treatment plans and bills. These records will be vital if you need to claim workers' compensation or prove the extent of your injuries.

How Can Workplace Accidents Be Prevented?

Prevention is always better than dealing with the aftermath of an accident. Most workplace injuries are preventable with the right controls and safety culture in place.

Risk Assessments

Every employer has a legal duty to carry out risk assessments for work activities. These assessments should identify potential hazards, evaluate who might be harmed and how and determine what measures should be in place to control the risks. Regular reviews keep risk assessments relevant as working conditions change.

Training and Competence

Workers need proper training before carrying out any task that could put them or others at risk. This includes training on equipment operation, manual handling techniques, emergency procedures and specific hazards in their work area. Competence comes from a combination of training, knowledge and experience.

Workplace Design and Housekeeping

Good workplace design prevents many accidents. This includes adequate lighting, clear walkways, properly maintained floors and appropriate storage systems. Regular housekeeping prevents the build-up of hazards like clutter, spillages, and damaged equipment.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

When risks can't be eliminated or controlled through other means, appropriate PPE becomes necessary. This might include safety footwear, hard hats, high-visibility clothing, gloves or eye protection. PPE should fit properly, be maintained in good condition and workers should be trained in its correct use.

Safety Culture

Creating a positive safety culture means everyone in the organisation values safety and takes responsibility for it. This starts with leadership demonstrating commitment to safety, encouraging workers to report hazards and near misses without fear and learning from incidents when they occur.

What Types of Injuries Do People Suffer at Work?

Work-related injuries vary widely depending on the type of accident and the work being carried out. The HSE data shows that workers suffered from various health conditions and injuries in 2024/25:

Musculoskeletal disorders affected around 511,000 workers, with 43% of these cases involving back problems, 41% affecting upper limbs or neck and 15% impacting lower limbs. These injuries often result from poor manual handling, repetitive tasks or awkward working positions.

Cuts and lacerations happen frequently across many industries, from kitchens to construction sites. These can range from minor cuts requiring first aid to severe injuries needing surgery.

Fractures and broken bones often result from slips, trips, falls or being struck by objects. Recovery time varies considerably depending on which bone is broken and the severity of the fracture.

Sprains and strains typically affect the back, shoulders, wrists and ankles. These soft tissue injuries can be surprisingly debilitating and may take weeks or months to heal fully.

Burns and scalds occur in various workplaces, from restaurants and factories to laboratories. The severity ranges from minor burns to life-changing injuries requiring extensive treatment.

Are Certain Industries More Dangerous?

According to HSE statistics, some sectors do experience higher rates of workplace injuries than others. Accommodation and food service activities, construction, transportation and storage and wholesale and retail trade all show statistically higher workplace injury rates compared to the average across all industries.

However, every workplace can present hazards and no industry is completely risk-free. Office workers might face risks from DSE work, slips on smooth floors or manual handling of equipment. The specific hazards vary, but the need for proper risk management applies universally.

What Are My Rights After a Workplace Accident?

If you're injured at work, you have several important rights. Your employer must investigate the accident, implement measures to prevent similar incidents and maintain accurate records. Workers have the right to refuse work they reasonably believe presents a serious danger to their health and safety.

You may be entitled to statutory sick pay if you're off work and depending on the circumstances, you might be able to claim workers' compensation. It's worth seeking advice if you're unsure about your entitlements or if you face any difficulties with your employer following an accident.

Moving Forward

The statistics paint a clear picture: workplace accidents remain far too common across British workplaces. However, the good news is that with adequate risk management, training and a commitment to safety, most of these incidents can be prevented.

Understanding the common types of workplace accidents, knowing what to do if something does go wrong and recognising how prevention measures work all contribute to creating safer working environments for everyone.

How DuoDynamic Safety Solutions Can Help

At DuoDynamic Safety Solutions, we specialise in helping organisations create safer workplaces. We can assist with comprehensive risk assessments, accident investigations, RIDDOR reporting, health and safety training, policy development and ongoing safety management support.

Our practical, relationship-focused approach means we work closely with you to understand your specific challenges and implement solutions that actually work in your workplace. Whether you need help with CDM consultancy, ISO 45001 implementation, fire safety or any other health and safety requirement, we're here to support you.

For more information about how we can help make your workplace safer, visit www.duodynamicsafety.co.uk or get in touch with our team today.