Warning Over Rising Workplace Health Risks And Tougher HSE Enforcement

Make UK is advising manufacturers to take urgent action on workplace health or risk significant fines and even temporary shutdowns, as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) shifts its inspection focus to long-term health risks alongside traditional safety hazards.

The warning follows the launch of the HSE’s ten-year strategy to tackle rising work-related ill-health. New figures published last month show that 1.9 million workers experienced work-related ill-health in 2024/25, an increase of 200,000 in a year. The rise is largely attributed to stress, depression and anxiety, which climbed from 776,000 to 964,000 cases.

The impact on the economy is considerable. Workplace health issues now account for more than 30 million lost working days each year, costing the UK an estimated £14 billion. HSE enforcement activity is also intensifying: in 2024, the regulator completed 246 criminal prosecutions with fines totalling £33 million, half of which related to health failings rather than safety incidents.

Under the new strategy, HSE inspectors are prioritising six areas: manual handling, display screen equipment, COSHH, noise exposure, and mental health and stress. Make UK says inspectors are increasingly asking employers to demonstrate how they assess health risks, what controls are in place and how they monitor their effectiveness.

The organisation warns that health risks can be harder for employers to identify than safety hazards, as the effects are often cumulative and may not become apparent for years. This means businesses that fail to act now could still face legal consequences in the future.

Make UK says it is supporting members with guidance, templates and digital tools to help businesses assess and manage workplace health more effectively.

A spokesperson for Make UK said the HSE’s tougher stance reflects the scale of the challenge and urged companies to prepare:
“Workplace health is now firmly on the enforcement agenda. Employers must treat it with the same seriousness as safety, ensuring risks are assessed, controls are in place and processes are reviewed regularly. Without this, businesses face the very real risk of prosecution and, in the most serious cases, enforced shutdowns until issues are resolved.”