What’s driving the rise in UK workplace injuries?

The UK has a relatively low fatality rate in the workplace, largely due to extensive guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and a well-informed health and safety community that takes its responsibilities seriously. However, a HSE Labour Force Survey (2023/24) reported that:

• 604,000 UK workers sustained a non-fatal injury — an increase of 43,000 compared with the previous year.
• 61,663 injuries were reported by employers under the UK’s RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations).
• 1.7 million workers experienced a work-related illness.
  – 776,000 suffered work-related stress, depression or anxiety
  – 543,000 experienced musculoskeletal disorders
  – 12,000 had occupational lung disease

Experts point to several overlapping factors:

1. Heatwaves are raising accident rates

Extreme heat impairs cognition, slows reaction time, and increases fatigue—directly raising the risk of slips, trips, falls, and machinery-related accidents.

2. Staff shortages + inexperienced workers

High turnover in construction, warehousing, agriculture, and logistics leads to:

• Less experienced workers
• Reduced supervision
• Pressure to keep productivity high despite unsafe conditions

3. Increased production pressures

Post-pandemic demand has pushed companies to run longer shifts and tighter deadlines, increasing fatigue and strain.

4. More accurate reporting and awareness

As UK industries adopt digital reporting systems and safety leadership initiatives, more incidents are being recorded.

5. Indoor heat exposure is rising

Factories, warehouses, food processing plants, and foundries are reporting higher ambient temperatures—even without outdoor heatwaves—partly due to energy efficiency retrofits reducing airflow.

Is climate change intensifying heat-related workplace injuries?

Heat stress is no longer a Southern European issue, but is now a major occupational hazard in the UK and across other parts of the world. The number of workers suffering the consequences of excessive heat is alarming, and occupational safety and health protections have struggled to keep up.

Heat stress: Global and EU-wide trends

• Excessive heat currently affects more than 2.4 billion workers worldwide, or 71% of the global workforce.
• The EU has seen a 42% increase in heat-related workplace fatalities since 2000. 
• Countries with the highest increases include Switzerland, Denmark, Slovakia and even as far south as New Zealand.
• The International Trade Union Confederation estimates that 22.87 million occupational injuries are linked to excessive heat.
• Across Europe, several countries have reported a higher number of heat-related work accidents in the past two years than in the previous five combined.
• Workers exposed to excessive heat are at a significantly higher risk of both workplace injuries and chronic illnesses.
• High-risk sectors include construction, agriculture and fisheries, waste management, logistics and transportation, manufacturing and foundries, and cold-chain environments (experiencing thermal stress extremes). 

Work-related injuries: Categories and wearable safety solutions

1. Heat stress & thermal overload

Environmental factors such as rising temperatures, long shifts, dehydration, and fatigue can lead to a range of injuries, from heat rash and cramps to severe and potentially fatal heatstroke. These illnesses are caused by the body’s inability to regulate its own temperature, and can also lead to accidents due to impaired concentration, coordination, and physical symptoms such as sweaty palms or slipping on sweat. 

The UK recorded five heat-health alerts in 2023 alone, and indoor workplaces are increasingly exceeding safe temperature thresholds even outside official heatwaves.

Excessive heat wearable technology: 

Wearing certain types of personal protective equipment (PPE) and clothing ensembles can decrease the risk of heat-related illnesses.

• Personal cooling and protective gear such as cooling vests (designed with materials that use evaporative cooling or pockets for ice packs), wetted overgarments (garments soaked with water to provide cooling through evaporation), wearable fans, heat reflective clothing, and water-cooled garments (advanced systems that circulate water through tubes in the garment to provide active cooling). However, cooling garments must be tested for compatibility with mandatory PPE requirements (e.g., arc flash protection, chemical-resistant suits, head protection)
• Biometric monitoring: Wearable devices (e.g., wristbands, patches, smart clothing) that monitor environmental conditions and the worker’s physiological response, as well as real-time tracking devices such as chest straps that track metrics (e.g., heart rate and core temperature) and send alerts if signs of stress appear. 

Evidence from controlled and field studies supports the use of devices with multi-metric detection (e.g., elevated heart rate, rising skin temperature, high temperature, and humidity). However, consumer devices may be unreliable in hot, sweaty, high-motion contexts — device validation in situ is essential. Battery life, ruggedness, and whether the device itself increases local heat must be managed carefully.

To discuss custom-made safety technology for your team with an expert on our team, please call us for a free and confidential consultation. 

2. Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)

In industries such as construction, care work or farming that involve repetitive lifting, poor posture, increased fatigue, and no ergonomic support, workers are at a higher risk of developing work-related MSDs. These are painful disorders of the muscles, nerves, and tendons caused by overuse, repetitive motions, or awkward positions. Examples include sprains and strains, tension neck syndrome, as well as conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome and herniated disks, which are often preventable with ergonomic principles and proper workplace safety. 

Wearable Solutions for MSDs:

• Exoskeletons: These can be passive (e.g., mechanical springs or systems that assist with heavy lifting by offloading weight), powered (motorised assistance for tasks like lifting or reaching overhead), or assistive (helping to reduce fatigue in the arms or legs during repetitive tool use or motions). 
• Monitoring and alert systems: Sensor based wearables such as smart vests, smart belts or clips that use sensors to monitor posture, movement, and physiological data like heart rate. 
• Real-time feedback: Systems that provide haptic feedback when a risky or potentially dangerous movement is detected, warn workers of approaching machinery, or alert supervisors to fall or other unsafe conditions. 
• Ergonomic assistive devices include devices such as lift tables, tools with ergonomic handles, and legless chairs (straps worn around the legs or ankles that allow workers to lock into a seated position, reducing fatigue when crouching/standing for long periods).

It’s important to note that exoskeletons reduce peak loads in lab and field trials, but can also increase heat burden; therefore, they might not be suitable for hot, confined environments. Rigorous task-specific evaluation and intrinsically safe design testing are critical. 

3. Work-related stress, fatigue & cognitive load

Jobs where the interconnected mental workload (MWL), high pressure, and long hours contribute to stress (e.g., emergency services, healthcare, shift work) have a resulting impact on people’s physiological responses (e.g., poor situational awareness and vigilance) and cognitive performance (e.g., impaired focus, memory loss, and poor decision-making).

Wearable solutions for work-related stress and fatigue monitoring

• Physiological monitoring: Wearables utilise sensors to collect data, including heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), skin conductance (also known as galvanic skin response), body temperature, and eye movements. 
• Cognitive load and stress detection: By analysing changes in these signals, especially HRV, these devices can identify high stress or cognitive load (CL). 
• Intervention and feedback: Once stress or fatigue is detected, the system can provide immediate, real-time interventions and feedback. For example, biofeedback devices such as the Muse headband offer haptic or auditory feedback to help users consciously regulate their physiological state through breathing exercises.
• Workload and break guidance. Systems that can indicate when a user needs a break to prevent burnout, and use the data collected to guide and inform workload adjustments. 
• Sleep quality trackers for shift optimisation

Reviews indicate that wearables can detect stress-related physiological changes, but accuracy varies in high-movement industrial settings, and algorithms require tuning to minimise false alarms. In addition, worker buy-in is essential, and it’s crucial that these devices are used as preventive safety measures, not productivity assessment tools. Lastly, pilot studies and bespoke algorithms outperform out-of-the-box consumer devices – book a free discovery call with one of our experts to learn more. 

4. Occupational lung disease & air quality risks

Air quality risks and inhaling hazardous substances in workplaces such as mining, waste processing, and agriculture are directly linked to serious respiratory conditions such as asthma, fibrosis, and cancer. Symptoms include chronic coughs, shortness of breath, chest pain, and increased phlegm and may not appear until years after exposure. 

Wearable solutions for workplace-related respiratory illnesses: 

• Personal air quality monitors: Devices (e.g., clip-on sensors and belt-worn systems) with integrated sensors for particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other gases, along with built-in GPS and accelerometers to track location and activity. These devices collect real-time environmental exposure data and alert users to areas of high risk. 
• Respiratory monitoring devices: Devices such as hard hats, chest and abdominal belts, and plaster-like patches worn on the skin with integrated sensors that track breathing patterns and lung function. By monitoring breathing rate, HRV, chest and abdominal movement, these devices provide a comprehensive picture of a worker’s respiratory health and provide early warning signals of abnormalities. 
• Personal protective air cleaners: An active type of PPE with integrated filters that remove pollutants from the air before it’s inhaled. By creating a clean air environment around the user’s face, these devices strike a balance between protective efficiency and user comfort, providing personalised protection from airborne hazards without requiring a full respirator. 

While wearable monitors are excellent for screening, trend detection and behaviour change, sensor accuracy varies depending on particle type and humidity. These devices are not a regulatory replacement for validated occupational hygiene sampling without calibration. Use them to augment, not replace, established health and safety regulations.

Action points for product designers developing wearable safety devices

Wearable design & hardware

• Target-use first: design for the worst-case environment your device will face (temperature, humidity, dust, impact).
• Thermal comfort: choose low-profile, breathable housings and straps; simulate device thermal load on the body (especially for exoskeletons/smart garments). 
• Ruggedisation & IP rating: ensure ingress protection and mechanical robustness for industrial deployment.
• Battery strategy: powering wearables requires a flexible approach. Plan for 8–12+ hour shifts (low-power sensing, duty cycling, hot-swap batteries or easy charging procedures).
• Sensor fusion & edge processing: run basic analytics on the device to filter noise and send only flagged events to the network, saving energy and protecting privacy.

Software, algorithms & validation

• Contextual algorithms: combine HR/HRV + skin temp + motion + ambient WBGT for heat-strain triggers. Validate thresholds by task and population (age, fitness). 
• Field validation protocol: multi-site trials in representative tasks, compare against gold-standard measures (validated hygrometers, occupational hygiene sampling, clinical core temp where possible). 
• Minimise false positives: use time-windowed aggregation and escalation trees (worker alert → supervisor alert → stop work).

UX, privacy & deployment

• Worker co-design: involve frontline workers and safety reps from day one; test acceptability and make the wearable a tool for worker safety, not surveillance. 
• Transparent data governance: define retention, access, anonymisation, and use-cases (safety vs. disciplinary). Publish clear privacy policies and obtain informed consent.
• Actionable alerts & workflows: every alarm must map to a simple, trained action (e.g., cooling, hydration, rotation). Avoid stand-alone alerts with no operational pathway.

Business, health and safety integration

• Pilot to outcomes: run a 60–90 day pilot with clear KPIs (reduced high-risk exposures, fewer MSD events, reduced heat-related near misses, worker satisfaction).
• Combine with engineering controls: use wearable data to prioritise ventilation, local extraction, shade, or rota changes — don’t let wearables be the only control.
• Regulatory evidence: use aggregated, validated wearable data to inform risk assessments and demonstrate due diligence to HSE inspectors and insurers.

Final Thoughts

The rise in workplace accidents worldwide — driven by heat exposure, labour shortages, increased production pressure, and long-standing issues such as MSDs and stress —highlights the urgent need for new safety innovations. With climate change amplifying risks, particularly heat stress, industries must reassess their approaches to protecting workers.

Wearable safety devices provide a practical and scalable solution for detecting physiological strain, monitoring environmental hazards, and preventing injuries before they occur. For product designers, the challenge is to build devices that are accurate, rugged, low-power, and trusted by workers—while delivering meaningful, real-time safety insights that are actionable.

With the right engineering approach, wearables can become one of the most valuable tools in keeping industrial workers safe in a rapidly changing world. And this is where Ignitec excels: Our multi-disciplinary team has decades of experience in designing rigorously tested and quality-guaranteed devices that help to keep users safe while providing employers with peace of mind. Schedule your free and confidential consultation.