2025 to 2026 corporate and directorate accident data and trends
This section provides a summary of our accident and incident data and trends for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.
In total, 2189 accidents, incidents and near misses were reported during this year. We have continued to promote:
- the importance of incident reporting
- improving data quality in respect of accidents, incidents and near misses
We are seeing a steady rise in reporting and quality of data over the last three years
Numbers of reported accidents, incidents and near misses reported (council services and maintained schools)
Incident data (accidents, incidents and near misses) is submitted in a variety of ways. This is due to different legacy council and school reporting systems.
Staff enter incidents:
- directly, using our ‘Safety Cloud’ or ‘E-Safety’ electronic systems
- by completing electronic forms, for those services or settings that do not have direct access to the ICT systems
| Year | Number of accidents, incidents and near misses |
|---|---|
| Year one (2023 to 2024) | 1,845 |
| Year two (2024 to 2025) | 2,047 |
| Year three (2025 to 2026) | 2,189 |
2025 to 2025 annual summary – RIDDOR reportable accidents
From 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, we reported 33 incidents to the Health and Safety Executive under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). This is a slight rise from the previous year where we reported 24.
| Year | Number of RIDDOR reportable incidents |
|---|---|
| Year one (2023 to 2025) | 26 |
| Year two (2024 to 2025) | 24 |
| Year three (2025 to 2026) | 33 |
Number of RIDDOR reportable incidents in each quarter by directorate, RIDDOR category, council or schools
Quarter one (April to June 2025)
| RIDDOR category | Non-employee | Employee | Local authority schools | Total in quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injured non-employee taken directly to hospital | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Over seven-day injury to a person at work | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Specified Dangerous Occurance | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Specified Injury to a person at work | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Totals | 1 | 5 | 2 | 8 |
Quarter two (July to September 2025)
| RIDDOR category | Non-Employee | Employee | Local authority schools | Total in quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injured non-employee taken directly to hospital | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Over seven-day injury to a person at work | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Specified Injury to a person at work | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Totals | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
Quarter three (October to December 2025)
| RIDDOR CATEGORY | Non-employee | Employee | Local authority shools | Total in quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injured non-employee taken directly to hospital | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Over 7-day injury to a person at work | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Specified Dangerous Occurrence | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
Quarter four (January to March 2026)
| RIDDOR category | Non-employee | Employee | Local authority schools | Total in quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injured non-employee taken directly to hospital | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Over seven-day injury to a person at work | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Specified Injury to a person at work | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
RIDDOR reportable incidents by directorate
Quarter one (April to June 2025)
| Directorate | Number of RIDDOR incidents |
|---|---|
| Adult Social Care | 3 |
| Schools (local authority maintained) | 2 |
| Thriving Communities | 1 |
| Thriving Places | 2 |
| Total | 8 |
Quarter two (July to September 2025)
| Directorate | Number of RIDDOR incidents |
|---|---|
| Schools (local authority maintained) | 4 |
| Thriving Places | 3 |
| Total | 7 |
Quarter three (October to December 2025)
| Directorate | Number of RIDDOR incidents |
|---|---|
| Children's Services | 1 |
| Resources | 1 |
| Schools (local authority maintained) | 3 |
| Thriving Places | 3 |
| Total | 8 |
Quarter four (January to March 2026)
| Directorate | Number of RIDDOR incidents |
|---|---|
| Adult Social Care | 1 |
| Schools (local authority maintained) | 5 |
| Resources | 1 |
| Total | 8 |
The grand total for RIDDORs in quarter one to quarter four in 2025 to 2026 was 33.
RIDDOR incidents by type
The 33 RIDDOR reportable incidents were categorised into the following types.
| RIDDOR Incident Type | Number of RIDDOR Incidents |
|---|---|
| Slip, trip and fall same level | 8 |
| Lifting and handling | 7 |
| Another kind of accident | 4 |
| Entrapment | 2 |
| Fall from height | 2 |
| Injured while handling, lifting, or carrying | 2 |
| Physical assault | 2 |
| Struck by moving vehicle | 2 |
| Damage to property | 1 |
| Exposed to harmful hubstance | 1 |
| Scald or burn (not from fire) | 1 |
| Struck Against | 1 |
| Total | 33 |
Near miss reporting
This year, 434 near misses were reported, compared with 541 the previous year. We can explain this fall, by:
- staff now have a better understanding of the difference between a near miss, where no harm occurs, and an incident that causes harm or damage
- us actively encouraging staff to report near misses
However, feedback from our Health and Safety Committees, trade unions and employees suggest that some near misses are still not being reported. For 2026 to 2027, we will continue to promote the importance of reporting near misses.
Near misses reported by directorate
| Directorate | 2023 to 2024 | 2024 to 2025 | 2025 to 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Social Care | 178 | 391 | 228 |
| Children’s Services | 0 | 5 | 21 |
| Enabler Services | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Thriving Places | 48 | 85 | 108 |
| Schools | 11 | 10 | 12 |
| Thriving Communities | 4 | 35 | 12 |
| Resources | 1 | 13 | 51 |
| Grand Total | 242 | 541 | 434 |
As in previous years, slips, trips and falls were the most common cause of incidents involving both employees and non-employees.
The Corporate Health and Safety Team provides Health and Safety Committees with detailed reports and statistics about these incidents.
Incidents involving damage to property, vehicles, equipment or environmental reasons (excluding near misses)
| Incident Type | Number of Incidents | Percentage of total |
|---|---|---|
| Road traffic accident and/or vehicle collision | 10 | 19% |
| Damage to vehicle | 9 | 17% |
| Another kind of accident | 7 | 13% |
| Damage to equipment | 5 | 9% |
| Damage to property | 4 | 8% |
| Moving Vehicle | 4 | 8% |
| Service Strike | 3 | 6% |
| Struck Against | 2 | 4% |
| Slip trip and fall same level | 2 | 4% |
| Moving, flying, or falling object | 2 | 4% |
| Exposed to fire | 2 | 4% |
| Contact with electricity | 1 | 2% |
| Machinery | 1 | 2% |
| Critical failure of equipment | 1 | 2% |
| Grand Total | 53 | 100% |
Employee incidents (excludes near misses)
| Employees – Incident Categories | Number of Incidents | Percentage of total |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Injury - employees Only | 181 | 45% |
| Injury - no absence from work (employees only) | 165 | 41% |
| Injury - absence from work (employees only) | 41 | 10% |
| Ill health | 12 | 3% |
| Grand Total | 399 | 100% |
Non-employee incidents
The table below shows accidents and incidents reported by Council directorates and local authority-maintained schools involving people who use our services. It does not include near misses.
Services and schools record these incidents because some information must be shared with organisations such as the Health and Safety Executive, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission.
| Non-employee incident types | Number of reported incidents | Percentage of grand total |
|---|---|---|
| Slip, trip and fall same level | 938 | 72.0% |
| Another kind of accident | 84 | 6.4% |
| Challenging behaviour | 81 | 6.2% |
| Physical assault | 61 | 4.7% |
| Struck against | 34 | 2.6% |
| Self-harm | 25 | 1.9% |
| Verbal abuse and/or threat | 22 | 1.7% |
| Fall from height | 14 | 1.1% |
| Sudden onset of Illness | 14 | 1.1% |
| Struck by moving object | 8 | 0.6% |
| Scald and/or burn (not from fire) | 6 | 0.5% |
| Entrapment | 5 | 0.4% |
| Road traffic accident and/or vehicle collision | 5 | 0.4% |
| Injured whilst driving/travelling | 2 | 0.2% |
| Damage to property | 1 | 0.1% |
| Damage to equipment | 1 | 0.1% |
| Exposed to fire | 1 | 0.1% |
| Lifting and handling | 1 | 0.1% |
| Grand Total | 1,302 | 100.0% |
Most incidents involving people who use our services were caused by slips, trips and falls. Of the 938 incidents reported, 748 did not result in injury or were not caused by the way the service was delivered.
We know that slips, trips and falls happen because of mobility problems, play activities or the frailty of people receiving care.
Ill health – absence data
We continue to monitor our ill-health absence data monthly.
Like previous years, we consistently see the following as our main absence types:
- non-work related stress
- mental health
- infections and viruses
- musculoskeletal issues
They can change in order from month to month.
In 2025 to 2026, there was an average of 13.76 working days lost. We based these working days on their full time equivalent (FTE).
The information below provides more details about these absences. We have broken this down into:
- the month
- the absence (working days lost)
- the top three reasons for absence for that month
April 2025
Absence: 1.13 working days.
Top three reasons for absence:
- stress (non-work related)
- mental health (excludes stress) such as depression, anxiety, low mood and bereavement
- infection and virus - for example flu, coughs and colds
May 2025
Absence: 1.03 working days.
Top three reasons for absence:
- mental health (excludes stress) such as depression, anxiety, low mood and bereavement
- stress (non-work related)
- infection and virus - for example flu, coughs and colds
June 2025
Absence: 0.98 working days.
Top three reasons for absence:
- stress (non-work related)
- musculoskeletal - neck, back and hip
- mental health (excludes stress) such as depression, anxiety, low mood and bereavement
July 2025
Absence: 1.18 working days.
Top three reasons for absence:
- musculoskeletal - neck, back and hip
- stress (non-work related)
- mental health (excludes stress) such as depression, anxiety, low mood and bereavement
August 2025
Absence: 1.11 working days.
Top three reasons for absence:
- mental health (excludes stress) such as depression, anxiety, low mood and bereavement
- stress (non-work related)
- musculoskeletal - neck, back and hip
September 2025
Absence: 1.31 working days.
Top three reasons for absence:
- mental health (excludes stress) such as depression, anxiety, low mood and bereavement
- stress (non-work related)
- musculoskeletal - neck, back and hip
October 2025
Absence: 1.20 working days.
Top three reasons for absence:
- infection and virus - for example flu, coughs and colds
- mental health (excludes stress) such as depression, anxiety, low mood and bereavement
- musculoskeletal - neck, back and hip
November 2025
Absence: 1.11 working days.
Top three reasons for absence:
- infection and virus - for example flu, coughs and colds
- mental health (excludes stress) such as depression, anxiety, low mood and bereavement
- musculoskeletal - neck, back and hip
December 2025
Absence: 1.34 working days.
Top three reasons for absence:
- infection and virus - for example flu, coughs and colds
- mental health (excludes stress) such as depression, anxiety, low mood and bereavement
- musculoskeletal - neck, back and hip
January 2026
Absence: 1.15 working days.
Top three reasons for absence:
- infection and virus - for example flu, coughs and colds
- mental health (excludes stress) such as depression, anxiety, low mood and bereavement
- stress (non-work related)
February 2026
Absence: 1.05 working days.
Top three reasons for absence:
- mental health (excludes stress) such as depression, anxiety, low mood and bereavement
- infection and virus - for example flu, coughs and colds
- stress (non-work related)
March 2026
Absence: 1.17 working days.
Top three reasons for absence:
- mental health (excludes stress) such as depression, anxiety, low mood and bereavement
- infection and virus - for example flu, coughs and colds
- stress (non-work related)