Work-related cancer kills more people in the UK than road traffic accidents, a study presented at the Society of Occupational Medicine’s annual scientific meeting in June has concluded.
The study has, for the first time, quantified in detail the burden of occupational cancer in the UK, including the industries and workers who are most at risk, said the society.
It estimated that more than 8,000 people die from work-related cancer in the UK each year, compared with more than 3,000 who lose their lives in road traffic accidents or 180 who die from accidents at work.
Those most at risk included workers in construction, metal working, personal and household services, mining, land transport, publishing, retail and catering, farming and some manufacturing sectors.
