GLOUCESTERSHIRE County Council paid out nearly £200k in compensation to workplace accident claims since 2022, according to a recent report.

Figures obtained by JF Law found that since 2022, Gloucestershire County Council had to pay out nearly £200k to workplace accident claims made by council employees.

The council paid a total of £173,959.59, with the highest amount coming in 2024/25 at £102,632.89.

According to the report, in 2022, six workplace accident claims were made against the council, the lowest number of claims over the past three years. A year later, this number increased to 14 claims. The council has experienced a drop in claims over the past year, with a total of seven.

Lucy Parker, Solicitor for JF Law said: “Councils, like all employers, have a legal obligation and owe a significant duty of care to safeguard their workforce and prevent them from harm.

"Unfortunately, council workers can often be involved in workplace accidents ranging from seemingly minor issues like slips on wet floors and trips on uneven surfaces to more serious incidents involving manual handling and defective equipment.”

Gloucestershire County Council also revealed the most common causes of accident claims were slips and trips, with nine claims submitted, followed by assault, which council employees lodged six times each.

Workplace injuries and illnesses in Britain cost around £21.6 billion annually, impacting over a million workers.

The rate of self-reported non-fatal injuries in Great Britain is currently around 1,890 per 100,000 workers, similar to the pre-coronavirus level of 2018/19.

Councils and local authorities are responsible for work activities across some of the industry sectors reporting the highest rates of injuries, reflecting the real risks these activities present.

Falls from a height, being struck by a moving vehicle, and being struck by a moving object account for around 70 per cent of fatal injuries.