Waste and recycling had one of the highest fatal injury rates of any industry in 2025/26, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics show.
The latest statistics released by HSE show six people died while working in the waste and recycling sector in 2025/26.
The rate of fatal injury per 100,000 workers in the sector was 5.47. This compares with an average of 0.37 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers across all industries combined.
Of all main industry sectors, agriculture, forestry and fishing continues to have the highest rate of fatal injury per 100,000 workers (8.09).
The industries with the highest number of deaths continue to be construction (25) and agriculture, forestry and fishing (22).
The most common cause of fatal injuries continues to be falls from a height, representing around a quarter of worker deaths in 2025/26.
Workers aged 60 and over accounted for around a third of all fatalities during the year, despite that age group accounting for just 12% of the workforce.
This year, HSE has developed a new analysis to compare the level and trend of fatal injuries to workers in the UK with those in a selection of 35 other countries around the world.
The HSE said this analysis shows the UK is ‘one of the safest places in the world to work’.
Commenting on the statistics, HSE’s Chief Executive Sarah Albon said: “Every one of these numbers represents a loved one lost, serving as a powerful reminder of the importance of the work we do.”
“We can be proud that Great Britain remains one of the safest places in the world to work, and the new analysis we have developed this year, for the first time, allows us to compare our safety record with a wide range of other advanced economies.”