Retail has been named one of the riskiest industries to work in the UK, according to a new workplace risk index analysing accident rates, enforcement action and employee wellbeing.
The study from iHasco found that retail and construction jointly ranked as the UK’s riskiest sectors to work in for 2026, each scoring 85 out of 90 on its ‘Risk Index’.
The ranking analysed the latest workplace safety data from the Health and Safety Executive alongside a survey of UK businesses, assessing industries across several indicators including workplace accident rates, fatal injuries, mental health-related absences and enforcement action.
Manufacturing ranked third in the index with a score of 81, followed by the care sector on 76. Office-based roles, which are often perceived as lower risk environments, recorded a mid-table score of 57.
Retail among sectors with highest workplace accident levels
The report highlighted the scale of workplace incidents in retail, with the sector recording 75,000 workplace accidents in 2025.
Only health and social care reported a higher number of incidents at 79,000, while construction recorded 47,000 accidents and manufacturing 51,000.
According to the analysis, this reflects how workplace risk is increasingly concentrated in customer-facing and labour-intensive environments, where employees regularly deal with manual handling tasks, fast-paced operations and public interaction.
Mental health emerging as a key safety priority
Alongside physical safety risks, the research suggests businesses are placing greater emphasis on employee wellbeing.
More than half of organisations surveyed (57 per cent) said improving mental health support and managing workplace stress were their top health and safety priorities for the year ahead.
Manual handling, lifting injuries and workplace wellbeing followed as the second most significant concern for 31 per cent of respondents.
Despite these challenges, businesses expressed strong confidence in their current health and safety processes, with respondents rating their organisation’s safety procedures an average of 7.94 out of 10.
UK’s riskiest industries for 2026
- Construction – 85
- Retail – 85
- Manufacturing – 81
- Care – 76
- Office – 57
- Public administration and defence – 53
- Education – 53
- Private sector – 35
- Accommodation and food service activities – 35
The findings shed light on the growing pressure on retailers to balance operational efficiency with employee safety as stores, warehouses and fulfilment operations continue to handle increasing volumes of work.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
