THE £ 22.9 BILLION REALITY CHECK: WHY POOR HAZARD CONTROL COSTS FAR MORE THAN PREVENTION
The cost of hazard control equipment is easy to see on a balance sheet. What is far harder to calculate- and drastically more expensive- is the price of getting hazard control wrong.
According to the latest Health and Safety Executive( HSE) data, workplace injury and new cases of workrelated ill health in Great Britain cost an estimated £ 22.9 billion in 2023 / 24.
While acute physical injuries often dominate site safety conversations, the true financial drain on UK business comes from long-term occupational ill health. RVT Group, hazard control specialists, have outlined exactly how much the wrong hazard control measures can cost construction companies.
The Industry’ s £ 16.4 Billion Blind Spot
Work-related ill health accounts for £ 16.4 billion( or 72 %) of the total £ 22.9 billion price tag. The contrast between physical accidents and health-related disruptions is starkly evident in workforce attendance: 35.7 million working days were lost specifically due to work-related ill health in 2024 / 25. 4.4 million working days were lost due to non-fatal workplace injuries over the same period.
Out of a total of 40.1 million lost working days across Great Britain, ill health accounts for nearly nine out of every ten days lost. Chronic respiratory issues from silica dust and toxic fumes, long-term hearing degradation from unmitigated noise, and cognitive fatigue from severe work-related stress create an ongoing operational leak that quietly erodes project timelines and margins.
The Direct Cost to Employers
Of the £ 22.9 billion total societal cost, HSE estimates that employers carry £ 4.3 billion directly in sick pay, project downtime, temporary replacement labour, legal fees, and increased insurance premiums.
48 MACHINERY, AUTOMATION, CONTROL & ENGINEERING