As the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) releases the latest work-related fatal injuries statistics for Great Britain, the No Falls Foundation has renewed its call on industry to commit to stop falls from height and reduce the number of avoidable deaths and injuries.
The latest issue of the HSE’s Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain published this week, reveals that, in the past year alone, 35 people have died following a fall from height at work1.
Although this is a significant reduction from the shockingly high 49 deaths in 2023/242, and some might say a step in the right direction, the charity stresses that the worryingly high previous year should not be the benchmark for ‘success’ this year. 35 people left for work last year and did not return home – that’s 35 too many.
To coincide with the release of the statistics, the No Falls Foundation, the first and only UK-based charity dedicated exclusively to the work at height sector, has called on industry to make a firm commitment to reducing falls from height at work and ensure every worker goes home safely at the end of each day.
Despite advances in height safety, ongoing campaigning and increasing awareness of the risks of working at height, the charity is also disappointed to see that falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace fatalities in Great Britain, accounting for almost one third of the 124 fatalities last year3. This is almost twice as many as the second most common kind of accident, ‘Struck by a moving vehicle’. This latest figure may represent an 8% reduction from 2023/24, however, prior to that, the proportion of falls from height continued to rise, reaching an unacceptable 36% last year4.
In 2024/25, fatalities to employees almost halved from the previous year (from 23 deaths to 12) and fatalities to the self-employed decreased by 11% from 26 deaths to 23)5. However, the balance has shifted over the years to a point that self-employed deaths now account for the majority of fall from height deaths – this year, two thirds of the total, and a figure that’s been rising by around 10% each year since 2021/22 when the proportion was 33%6.
As awful as the fatality statistics are, there are an even greater number of non-fatal injuries resulting from a fall from height, with almost 5,000 people in Great Britain having been reported injured at work in 2024/257. However, the No Falls Foundation know there is substantial underreporting of non-fatal falls from height for all workers, particularly the self-employed, who were found to report just 12% of workplace incidents8. According to the self-reported accidents from their preferred source, the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the HSE estimates the number of workplace falls from height over the last 10 years may be up to 425,000 (between 2014 – 2024)9.
Hannah Williams, Charity Manager of the No Falls Foundation, said: “Too many people are still being killed falling from height. In the last five years, 188 people have been killed because of a fall from height. Over the last 10 years, that number rises to 361, enough to fill a jumbo jet10. Something needs to be done to stop this.
“These deaths are not just statistics. Behind every number is a devastated family, group of friends, colleagues and employers who are left to face the long-term consequences these accidents can have. The statistics might show some improvement from last year, but it’s still not good enough.
“So today, the No Falls Foundation has renewed our call to industry to sit up and take immediate action by placing a focus on height safety. In May 2024, we launched No Falls Week, the charity’s annual safe work at height campaign. After our second-year success in 2025, we’re urging organisations across all sectors to shine a spotlight on height safety every week of the year, not only during No Falls Week.
“Organisations can sign up at any time to support the campaign and get instant access to a huge range of practical resources they can use right now to raise awareness of safe work at height. Everyone who needs to work at height should be able to work safely and return home unharmed at the end of every shift. If we work together, we can prevent avoidable deaths and injuries.”
Sources:
1/2 RIDFATAL – RIDDOR reported fatal injuries in Great Britain
3 Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain, 2025
5 /6 RIDFATAL – RIDDOR reported fatal injuries in Great Britain
8 Health & Safety Executive Research Report RR528 An investigation of reporting of workplace accidents under RIDDOR using the Merseyside Accident Information Model, 2007
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For more information, please contact:
Hannah Williams
Charity Manager
The No Falls Foundation
