Quarter of short-term absence is stress related
Research and analysis by health plan and healthcare services provider, Simplyhealth, and the CIPD has found that a quarter (26%) of short-term workplace absences in the UK are caused by stress.
The 2025 findings have uncovered that 64% of HR professionals reported stress-related absence in their organisation over the last year, with heavy workloads cited as the most common cause of stress (41%), followed by personal health issues (37%) and family/relationships (34%).
Mental ill health remains a key topic of conversation, with the recently-published Keep Britain Working review identifying that the growth in 16-34 year-olds with a mental health condition who are economically inactive due to long-term sickness has risen by 76% between 2019 and 2024. In light of this, the government has highlighted the importance of supporting mental health at work.
Read more on the HSM website.
Film studio fined £6,000 after disturbance of asbestos during maintenance works
A film studio in Hertfordshire has been fined £6,000 after poor management of minor building works led to the disturbance of asbestos – putting employees at risk of exposure to asbestos fibres.
Maintenance staff at Elstree Film Studios in Borehamwood had been asked to remove acoustic wall panelling from one of the studio buildings in preparation for the replacement of the studio doors by an external contractor.
Employees were told that no asbestos was present and began dismantling the panels using claw hammers and crowbars on 22 July 2022.
Shortly after starting work, one employee identified a layer of insulation that he believed to be asbestos and immediately stopped. Subsequent testing confirmed the presence of asbestos – Amosite/Chrysotile and Crocidolite – which required licensed removal.
Learn more on the HSE website.
New IOSH president calls for team effort on farm safety
The new president of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the world’s largest professional body in the field, has called on its members, farm employers, wider business and UK rural communities to do everything possible to make farming a safer, and less stressful, way to make a living.
Speaking yesterday after being confirmed as the 59th IOSH president in its 80-year history, Richard Bate drew attention to agriculture’s prolonged poor performance on health and safety, with the worst record of any UK industry.
Having grown up in a farming community in North Wales, Richard rues the fact there’s become an ominous acceptance that farming will account for more workers’ deaths and serious injuries than any other industry sector.
Visit the HSM website to read more.
HSE publishes annual workplace health and safety statistics
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today (Thursday 20 November) published its annual statistics on work-related ill health and workplace injuries for 2024/25.
The figures show that an estimated 1.9 million workers suffered from work-related ill health during 2024/25, remaining broadly consistent with the levels seen in recent years.
While the recent rates of self-reported work-related ill health are similar, they continue to be higher than pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2018/19.
Mental health conditions remain the primary driver of work-related ill health, with 964,000 workers reporting stress, depression or anxiety caused or made worse by work in 2024/25. This is in line with the upward trend in recent years.
Read the full breakdown on the HSE website.
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