The health and social work industry has been revealed as the UK’s ‘riskiest’ industry, with the most stressed and depressed employees of any profession.
The research comes from the experts at money.co.uk business insurance, who looked at injury and illness rates for workers across UK industries from the last 3 years.
The top 10 riskiest UK industries:
| Rank | Industry | workplace non-fatal injury* | workplace illness* | musculoskeletal disorders* | stress, depression or anxiety* | Risky industry score |
| 1 | Human health and social work activities | 1,780 | 6,860 | 1,350 | 3,530 | 8.22 |
| 2 | Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 3,730 | 3,450 | * | * | 7.31 |
| 3 | Public administration and defence; compulsory social security | 1,440 | 5,350 | 910 | 3,260 | 6.00 |
| 4 | Administrative and support service activities | 1,780 | 4,100 | 1,830 | 1,160 | 5.99 |
| 5 | Other service activities | 1,170 | 4,000 | 1,530 | 1,750 | 5.45 |
| 6 | Education | 1,080 | 4,930 | 950 | 2,720 | 5.22 |
| 7 | Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 1,960 | 3,410 | 1,160 | 1,530 | 5.18 |
| 8 | Construction | 2,640 | 3,340 | 1,790 | 790 | 4.99 |
| 9 | Transportation and storage | 1,860 | 3,350 | 1,210 | 1,010 | 4.17 |
| 10 | Manufacturing | 1,740 | 3,270 | 1,300 | 1,340 | 3.64 |
| All industries (current/most recent job) | 1,520 | 4,150 | 1,090 | 2,070 | 5.60 |
* Estimated annual incidence rates of injury and illness caused or made worse by work in the last 3 years (November 2020 – November 2023), averaged rate per 100,000 workers
Human health and social work activities ranks as the riskiest industry in the UK, reaching a combined score of 8.22/10 for risk. This sector has the highest rate of workplace illness of all industries, at an average of 6,860 incidents per 100,000 workers each year over the last 3 years. The industry also has the highest rate of incidences of illness from stress, depression or anxiety, at a shocking rate of 3,530 per 100,000 workers over the last 3 years.
Agriculture, forestry and fishingranked as the second riskiest industry. While sample numbers were too small to provide reliable estimates for certain illness prevalence in this industry, the sector had by far the highest rate of workplace non-fatal injuries. Over the last 3 years, there was an annual average of 3,730 non-fatal injuries per 100,000 workers.
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security has the third-highest combined risk score of UK industries at 6/10. This industry has the second-highest prevalence of workplace illness at 5,350 per 100,000 workers and the second-highest prevalence of stress, depression and anxiety at 3,260 per 100,000 workers.
Further findings:
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing not only has the highest prevalence of non-fatal injury but it also has the highest prevalence of deadly injuries. In the last 3 years, there have been 7.87 deaths per 100,000 workers in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry – a total of 21 deaths.
- The industry most hit by crime in 2022 was wholesale and retail, where more than two in every five companies (42%) reported being victims of crime.
Kyle Eaton, money.co.uk business insurance expert, comments: “For most industries in the UK, their workplace environments are safe and secure. However, in other industries, burnout, stress, and anxiety can be more common.
“The human health and social work industry was revealed as the most risky industry in our analysis, resulting from the severe rates of illness caused or made worse by stress, depression or anxiety resulting from these jobs.
“Business insurance is super important in risky industries. Business insurance will protect employees and businesses from financial losses resulting from unexpected events such as workplace injuries or illnesses.
“It’s worth finding policies that offer comprehensive cover at the lowest cost. You’ll be able to do this by shopping around and comparing offers tailored to your business by cost, level of protection and any extras available.”