Ill health at work costs businesses £4.8bn a year

05/12/2007

Workplace injuries or time taken off sick from work costs UK businesses a total of £4.8bn annually, according to research.

The study, conducted by HR experts Croner, part of Wolters Kluwer UK, also estimated the total amount of time taken off as sick each year to be a staggering 36 million working days.

High on the list for reasons for taking time off work as sick were work-related stress and depression. Other main reasons were injuries that were incurred through slips, trips and falls.

Croner wishes to make clear that all businesses with more than five employees have a legal obligation to provide their employees with health and safety training.

However, many small businesses find this difficult to provide as it is a drain on both time and resources, the company says.

“An average of 1.3 working days are lost per employee each year due to workplace injury or ill-health,” said Claire Beresford, commercial manager at Croner.

“Employees need to be fully informed of such health and safety regulations to ensure that they are safe at work and have an improved working environment.

“For employers, it is essential that precautions are taken to avoid the potentially heavy financial impact that accidents cause,” she warned.