Health and safety

Written by Sally Lord

Key developments in 2025

AI and predictive analytics are increasingly being used to shift workplace health and safety from a reactive incident management approach to proactive risk prevention by turning real-time operational data into early warnings.

Applications include predictive maintenance (flagging equipment faults or service intervals), wearables that identify fatigue and unsafe behaviours, and the integration of environmental data (e.g., weather) to adjust controls. HSE data continues to identify falls from height as a leading cause of fatal injury, and technologies that reduce exposure, through better equipment maintenance and earlier risk detection, may help mitigate this.

However, the benefits must be evidenced, and the risks managed. Consideration should be given to the issues surrounding privacy and proportionality in wearable monitoring, including potential algorithmic bias, reliability issues and false positives, as well as the danger of over-reliance on any automated alerts. Where the risk assessment shows a clear safety benefit, it can be used with appropriate safeguards and clear boundaries to ward against performance micro-management.

Another key development for 2025 is the Sentencing Council’s clarification of the guidance for sentencing very large organisations (VLOs). The guidance confirms there is no fixed turnover or profit threshold that makes an organisation “very large”, and that for VLOs the appropriate sentence cannot be derived by simply applying the starting points and ranges for large organisations. Whilst Courts have already been increasing starting points for fines where a Defendant is considered to be a VLO, the clarification from the Sentencing Council makes clear the need for fines to be proportionate to the means of the Defendant which is considered to mean that VLO's a likely to be exposed to higher fines.

When setting sentences, the courts should consider: (i) the seriousness of the offence, including culpability and harm; (ii) relevant aggravating and mitigating factors; (iii) the purposes of sentencing, including punishment and deterrence; and (iv) the offending organisation’s financial position. Fines must be sufficiently substantial to punish and be effective in impressing the need for regulatory compliance on the management and shareholders.

What to look out for in 2026

Increased focus on mental health

As we set out in last year's Annual Insurance Review, whilst there has been a reduction in work-related ill health across Great Britain, non-fatal injuries in the workplace have increased. The latest HSE figures show that 1.9 million workers experienced work related stress in 2024/25. Of those reported, 964,000 workers reported that stress, depression or anxiety was worsened by their work environment. The need to improve mental health support in the work place is therefore clear.

Employers are being encouraged to take action to ensure their workforce is adequately supported and using health surveillance to assist in mitigating the risks of workplace ill health, including active health promotion and better workplace practices. The Health and Safety Executive has updated its work related stress resources page and is encouraging businesses to use it to work out the best ways for them to prevent ill health in their workplace.

The HSE's commitment is in line with the Government's 10 Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, which includes a number of initiative to improve mental health services including expanding the mental health workforce and a shift in the focus from dealing with sickness to early intervention and prevention.