The key UK statistics on hazardous substances at work — deaths, ill health, enforcement and cost — drawn from the Health and Safety Executive’s annual releases and fully sourced.
HSE estimates around 11,000 annual lung-disease deaths in Great Britain linked to past exposures at work. Other measures cover cancer, self-reported illness, specialist diagnoses and enforcement, each with different definitions. This page brings the evidence together with its period and scope; broad work-related totals are not COSHH-only counts, and overlapping disease estimates must not be added together.
This is the umbrella page for the numbers behind the COSHH Regulations 2002. Two companion pages go deeper into the individual diseases: silica dust statistics and occupational dermatitis statistics.
Key facts and figures
- ~11,000 annual lung-disease deaths in Great Britain are estimated to be linked to past exposures at work (HSE respiratory statistics, 2025).
- ~8,410 occupational-cancer deaths a year are modelled for Great Britain using 2020–24 mortality averages. This overlaps with lung-disease deaths and must not be added to them.
- 1.9 million workers were suffering from work-related ill health, new or long-standing, in 2024/25.
- ~22,000 new breathing or lung problems caused or made worse by work a year, averaged over 2022/23–2024/25 in the Labour Force Survey.
- 52 new occupational asthma diagnoses were estimated from specialist reports to THOR in Great Britain in 2024; surveillance does not capture every case.
- £22.9 billion — the estimated annual cost of workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill health (2023/24).
- 246 criminal prosecutions were completed by HSE in 2024/25, with a 96% conviction rate and over £33 million in fines, across its enforcement remit rather than COSHH alone.
- 4,400+ enforcement notices were issued by HSE in 2024/25 across health and safety legislation, rather than solely for hazardous substances.
Checked on 15 October 2026. HSE’s latest full annual illness and enforcement sources cover 2024/25, while mortality, cancer models and survey averages have their own periods. Each figure below retains those dates; a publication year is not necessarily the year when the harm occurred.
How many people die from hazardous substances at work in the UK?
HSE’s current respiratory summary estimates around 11,000 lung-disease deaths annually in Great Britain linked to past work exposure. Many chronic diseases develop after a long latency, so current deaths can reflect exposure decades earlier. This estimate includes asbestos-related diseases and is not a count of deaths arising only from substances currently regulated under COSHH.
The 2025 respiratory report’s rounded composition is 35% COPD, 23% non-asbestos lung cancer, 20% asbestos-related lung cancer, 20% mesothelioma and 3% other lung diseases. Rounded percentages sum to 101%. HSE’s separate occupational-cancer model estimates about 8,410 annual deaths using 2020–24 mortality averages; cancers included in both models mean these totals overlap.
Mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer each account for about one fifth of the respiratory estimate. The recorded mesothelioma count was 2,146 deaths in Great Britain in 2024. HSE’s current cancer model estimates approximately 2,220 annual asbestos-related lung-cancer deaths averaged over 2020–24, using its assumption of one such lung-cancer death per mesothelioma death. This is a model, not a separately observed case count.
HSE’s updated cancer model attributes about 700 annual lung-cancer deaths to silica using 2020–24 mortality averages. Its construction guidance also cites more than 500 deaths from silica-related lung cancer in a historical 2005 estimate. Neither should be presented as a measured count of this year’s workers, and the evidence does not establish silica as the single deadliest COSHH exposure across every disease.
How many workers are made ill by hazardous substances?
The Labour Force Survey estimated 1.9 million workers with new or long-standing work-related ill health in Great Britain in 2024/25. That includes every reported cause, such as stress and musculoskeletal disorders, and is not a hazardous-substance illness total. Respiratory and skin measures provide more relevant context but still use different populations and definitions.
The respiratory estimate of 22,000 new cases a year is a three-year average for 2022/23–2024/25 of self-reported breathing or lung problems caused or made worse by work. Separately, specialist THOR surveillance estimated 52 new occupational asthma diagnoses in 2024. THOR counts are affected by incomplete reporting and participation, so they do not estimate the full national incidence of asthma.
For skin disease, the latest LFS estimate is 18,000 people with new or long-standing work-related skin problems who had worked in the previous year, averaged over 2022/23–2024/25 (95% confidence interval 9,000–26,000). The estimated annual number of new cases was 6,000 over 2020/21–2024/25 (interval 3,000–9,000). These survey estimates differ from specialist-reported dermatitis diagnoses.
Which substances cause the most harm?
Silica exposure can arise when stone, concrete or other silica-containing materials are cut or processed. HSE’s THOR data identified 24 engineered-stone silicosis diagnoses cumulatively by the end of 2024, including 17 newly diagnosed in 2024. In May 2026, HSE announced more than 1,000 planned fabricator inspections over twelve months. Its position is that dry cutting is unacceptable unless controls achieve exposure at least as low as effective water suppression.
Occupational asthma can be caused by flour, isocyanates, cleaning agents, wood dust and other sensitisers. HSE’s latest asthma report discusses variation by occupation and reporting limitations. Specialist reports cannot support a precise ranking of current exposure across the whole workforce, so the practical task is to identify the actual asthmagens and control work that releases them.
Wet work and contact with detergents, rubber chemicals, preservatives, resins and other irritants or allergens can cause dermatitis. HSE’s specialist data identify healthcare, cleaning and other exposed occupations, but a reported agent can occur in several jobs and more than one agent can be named for a case. The skin-disease guide explains these denominators.
Harm can arise during routine tasks as well as spills or emergencies. A suitable assessment should identify both, considering the substance, route, level and duration of exposure, people affected and effectiveness of controls. A statistical total cannot establish whether any particular employer failed to assess or control a risk.
The key numbers at a glance
Eight measures give useful context for hazardous substances at work. Some are disease-specific and others cover all work-related illness or HSE enforcement. Their populations overlap and the values must not be summed into a COSHH total.
| Measure | Figure | Data period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual lung-disease deaths linked to past work | ~11,000 | HSE respiratory report, 2025 |
| Annual occupational-cancer deaths, modelled | ~8,410 | Mortality average 2020–24; overlaps lung total |
| Workers with work-related ill health (all causes) | 1.9 million | 2024/25 |
| New breathing or lung problems caused or made worse by work | ~22,000 a year | Annual average 2022/23–2024/25 |
| New occupational asthma diagnoses (THOR) | 52 estimated | Great Britain, 2024 |
| Cost of workplace injury and new work-related ill health | £22.9 billion | 2023/24 |
| HSE prosecutions completed (96% conviction rate) | 246 | 2024/25 |
| Enforcement notices issued by HSE | 4,400+ | 2024/25 |
How is COSHH enforced? Prosecutions, notices and fines
HSE’s 2024/25 annual report records 246 completed criminal prosecutions, a 96% conviction rate, fines exceeding £33 million and more than 4,400 enforcement notices. These are broad HSE activity measures, not a separate COSHH total. Individual cases may involve COSHH and other duties; case counts, offences and defendants are different measures and should not be conflated.
An improvement notice requires a breach to be remedied within a specified period. A prohibition notice addresses an activity involving a risk of serious personal injury and can take effect immediately or after a specified period. HSE’s Fee for Intervention scheme recovers relevant costs when it identifies a material breach within that scheme’s scope; it is not an automatic fee for every inspection.
In England and Wales, relevant health and safety offences can attract unlimited fines in either the magistrates’ court or Crown Court. Court structures and sentencing rules differ in Scotland. Directors or managers may be personally liable where the statutory requirements, including consent, connivance or neglect under section 37 where applicable, are met. Our COSHH responsibilities guide explains dutyholders in more detail.
What do hazardous substances cost the UK economy?
HSE’s 2023/24 cost model estimates £22.9 billion for workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill health, including financial costs and a valuation of human costs. Ill health accounts for £16.4 billion, about 72%. This covers all causes and is not a cost estimate for COSHH, chemical disease or all historic occupational cancers.
The model allocates approximately £13.4 billion to individuals, £4.3 billion to employers and £5.2 billion to government. These include different financial and human impacts; they are not simply bills paid to the NHS or cash lost by employers. Read the model’s new-case scope separately from long-latency disease mortality estimates.
NHS Resolution’s learning resource records 371 staff claims concerning incidents between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2023. At the analysis date, closed claims cost £5,989,451 in total, including legal costs; 165 claims had settled with damages of £2,471,880, while 58 remained open. This is a defined claims dataset with exclusions, not the cost of every hazardous-substance incident in the NHS.
Where do these figures come from?
Four official data streams supply almost every number on this page. The Labour Force Survey provides the self-reported ill health estimates (the 1.9 million and ~22,000 figures). Death certificates provide the mortality counts for mesothelioma and other lung diseases. THOR — The Health and Occupation Research network — collects diagnoses from specialist physicians, through SWORD for respiratory disease and EPIDERM for skin disease. And the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme records state-benefit assessments for prescribed occupational diseases.
HSE combines these sources in its annual statistics suite, but their time periods differ: financial-year survey estimates, calendar-year mortality and diagnoses, multi-year averages and historical exposure models. The source date and population beside each figure matter more than a single “2026 statistics” label. Costs and enforcement have separate definitions and publication series.
Rounded occupational death estimates are modelled from disease totals and attributable fractions. Mesothelioma figures instead come from HSE’s death-certificate register. Not all occupational disease is observed directly, and current cancer models do not measure current exposure. Overlapping lung-disease and cancer estimates must not be added into a combined death toll.
Frequently asked questions
How many people die from workplace exposure to hazardous substances in the UK?
HSE estimates around 11,000 annual lung-disease deaths in Great Britain linked to past workplace exposure. Its occupational-cancer model separately estimates about 8,410 annual deaths using 2020–24 mortality averages. The estimates overlap and must not be added; neither is a COSHH-only total.
How many workers suffer ill health from hazardous substances at work?
The all-cause figure is 1.9 million workers with work-related ill health in Great Britain in 2024/25. More specific survey estimates include 22,000 new breathing or lung problems annually averaged over 2022/23–2024/25 and 18,000 people with new or long-standing skin problems who had worked in the previous year over the same period. They use different definitions and are not a combined hazardous-substance count.
How many COSHH prosecutions are there each year in the UK?
The 246 completed HSE prosecutions in 2024/25 cover its overall enforcement activity, not COSHH alone. HSE reported a 96% conviction rate and fines over £33 million. Individual prosecutions can involve multiple duties and offences, so those totals cannot be presented as COSHH case numbers.
What illnesses does chemical exposure at work cause most often?
Hazardous exposures can cause dermatitis, asthma, COPD, cancers and other disease, depending on the substance and exposure. THOR estimated 52 new occupational asthma diagnoses in 2024, but incomplete specialist reporting means that is not the total number developing asthma. Survey and surveillance measures should not be used as a simple ranking of every chemical harm.
What counts as a hazardous substance under COSHH?
COSHH covers substances hazardous to health within its definition, including chemicals, work-generated dust or fume and biological agents. Its exclusions are qualified: lead and asbestos are excluded to the extent their specific regulations apply, and solely radioactive or physical hazards are treated separately. A material with several hazards may require more than one assessment regime.
How often are these statistics updated?
HSE updates its statistical releases periodically, but data years differ between series. The sources checked on 15 October 2026 include the 2024/25 annual illness and enforcement releases, 2025 disease reports and current cancer tables using multi-year mortality and registration averages. Each number should retain its own period.
Related guides
- Silica Dust Statistics UK: Exposure, Silicosis & Deaths
- Occupational Dermatitis Statistics UK: Work-Related Skin Disease
- What is COSHH?
- COSHH Regulations 2002: A Plain-English Summary
- What Substances Are Covered by COSHH? (And What Isn’t)
- How to Carry Out a COSHH Risk Assessment
Sources & references
- HSE: current work-related ill-health overview
- HSE respiratory statistics, 2025
- HSE occupational asthma statistics, 2025
- HSE work-related skin statistics, 2025
- HSE asbestos-related disease statistics
- HSE CAN02: occupational-cancer deaths, 2020–24 model
- HSE Annual Report and Accounts 2024/25: enforcement
- HSE Costs to Britain, 2023/24
- HSE — Silicosis and coal workers’ pneumoconiosis statistics
- HSE engineered-stone announcement, May 2026
- NHS Resolution: staff hazardous-substance claims
- HSE — Enforcement Policy Statement
- HSE Fee for Intervention
- COSHH Regulations 2002
- Health and Safety at Work Act section 37
Behind every one of these numbers is an exposure that was never assessed or controlled — make sure your team can recognise and control hazardous substances.
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Mark writes about workplace health & safety, COSHH and accredited online training for COSHH Training, part of Online CPD Academy.