Mental Health Primary Driver of Work-Related Illness

Mental Health Conditions Remain Primary Driver of Work-Related Illness

25 November 2025

The Health and Safety Executive has published its annual statistics on work-related ill health and workplace injuries for 2024/25.

Mental health conditions remain the top driver of work-related ill health, with 964,000 workers reporting stress, depression, or anxiety caused or made worse by work in the 2024/25 date range.

409,000 employees reported suffering from a new case of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in this period. These rates are higher than the 2018/19 pre-COVID level.

511,000 employees reported suffering from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder, with 173,000 workers reporting a new case.

In general, an estimated 1.9 million workers suffered from work-related ill health during 2024/25, remaining consistent with the levels seen in recent years. Work-related illness and injuries resulted in an estimated 40.1 million working days lost in 2024/25.

Picture: a photograph of some Scrabble tiles spelling out the word "health" Image Credit: Unsplash

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 25 November 2025

Related Tags

Mental Health Awareness Week – Combatting Loneliness

The Mental Health Foundation started Mental Health Awareness Week 21 years ago, and it has grown to become one of the biggest awareness weeks across the UK and...

Read Full Article

HSE Launches Free Workplace Stress Measurement Tool

The Health and Safety Executive’s new Stress Indicator Tool 2.0 allows employees to anonymously report work-related stress. Employers can therefore use this data...

Read Full Article

Staff Miss Out on £4,785 a Year From Extra Hours Worked From Home

New data has revealed that UK employees could be missing out on £4,785.30 a year due to working extra hours at home. According to a survey carried out by...

Read Full Article

More Than Half of UK’s Lost Working Days Due to Mental Ill-Health

Statistics released by the HSE show that more than half of Britain’s lost working days in 2019/20 were due to mental ill-health. The report’s release...

Read Full Article

Shell Fined £560,000 After Failing to Maintain Pipework

Shell has been fined after pipework at its Brent Charlie platform in the North Sea deteriorated to such an extent that contained hydrocarbon fluids escaped. This could...

Read Full Article

BSI Publishes UK’s First Workplace Suicide Risk Standard

New guidance to help employers support people affected by suicide and those with thoughts of suicide in the workplace has been published by The British Standards...

Read Full Article

TradeHive Launches Trial to Connect Construction Workers with Mental Health Support

A new digital learning and wellbeing platform to connect construction workers with tailored mental health support will be piloted over the next year. Two construction...

Read Full Article

Company Fined £165,000 for ‘Blatant Disregard’ for Fire Safety in Preston Redevelopment

A construction firm has been fined for repeatedly ignoring fire safety precautions during the conversion of a Preston warehouse into residential apartments. Lancashire...

Read Full Article

124 People Killed in Work-Related Incidents in 2024-25

The Health and Safety Executive has published its annual workplace fatality statistics for 2024-2025, revealing that 124 people died in work-related incidents. The...

Read Full Article