CWU's BT Union's H&S Co-ord Secretary Highlights Latest Research In Liverpool Into Dangerous Dogs
John Southwell, Secretary of the CWU's NW BT Unions Health and Safety Co-ordinators Committee, highlights the latest scientific paper pub;ished on 14th January 2026, on a project by researchers at the
Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool entitled:
'Using civil claim enquiry data to understand the context and impact of dog-related injuries in England and Wales between 2017 and 2024'
The research also involved Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, School of Law and Social Justice, University of Liverpool, and Slee Blackwell Solicitors LLP, Taunton.
The report highlights:
What Is Already Known On This Topic
Dog- related injuries, particularly bites, are recognised as a growing public health concern.
Contextual information critical for prevention strategies is limited, with a focus on injuries within the home. This study proposes a new methodology of analysing legal claims data to
identify contextual injury information.
What This Study Adds
We now know that many personal injury claims involving dogs arise when the animal is unrestrained in a public space. Dog strike- related injuries are likely to be more severe than previously thought. For the first time, we show the degree of psychological trauma resultant of
these injuries.
How Might This Study Affect Research, Practice, Or Policy
This study supports an exploration of legislative change to mandate lead usage in certain public spaces, reducing off-lead incidents and improving public safety. More research is needed into the psychological consequences of dog-related trauma and what patient support
is needed.
The report provides important data, including a background to the reasons for the study of civil injury claims by victims of dangerous dog attacks:
Dog-related injuries, particularly bites, are a growing public health concern, yet context for effective prevention remains limited. This study takes a novel approach by analysing civil claims enquiry data to describe the context and impact of dog bite and non-bite incidents in England and Wales.
Methods
Descriptive analysis of anonymised civil claims enquiry data from 2017 to 2024. Demographic and injury consequences were compared between bite and non-bite incidents using Chi- squared and Mann-Whitney U tests.
Results of the analysis of 816 incidents;
* 91.3% were dog bites, 6.7% dog strikes.
* Bites (n=745) occurred at private residential properties (52.8%) or on public highways
or pavements (22.8%).
* Non-bite incidents (n=70) were in public spaces (48.6%) or public highways
or pavements (25.7%).
* Delivery workers accounted for 28.1% of victims.
* Most dogs were off lead at the time of injury (78.8% bites, 85.7% non-bites).
* Fractures occurred in 72.7% (40/55) of non-bite incidents.
* Mental illness followed in 15.1% of bite cases and 10.0% of non-bites;
* 6.5% of individuals were clinically diagnosed with specific phobias,
* 4.1% with post-traumatic stress disorder.
* Work absence was reported in 59.5% of bites, while
* 54.3% reported lost earnings.
Discussion
Civil claims data offer valuable insights into the burden and context of dog-related injuries. Dog strikes, although less common, often result in severe injury.
Most public incidents involved unrestrained dogs.
This work provides emerging evidence of the psychological impact of dog-related injuries.
Conclusions
We present a novel methodology for contextual injury research and highlight the need to assess enforceable dog lead use on highways and public spaces.
The document is available under an 'open access' licence, from the Unionsafety E-Library, by clicking on the image to the right, or by using the search term Dangerous Dogs in the search function at the E-Library page here
The University is a UK leader into the health and safety issues which affects not just workers, but pet owners, and also the wider public.
The report and the awful statistics around injuries and deaths from dangerous dogs, highlights the endemic lack of understanding of what it means to own a dog, whatever the breed; amongst owners in the UK.
Editors Note:
The CWU's Jamie McGovern has for several years been working with the University's Merseyside Dog Partnership both as an Area Safety Rep and now as a National H&S Policy Adviser to both the Postal and T&FS Constituencies of the Union.
He and the Dog's Trust worked for the introduction of service level agreements with Merseyside Police on tackling dangerous dog attack incidents, prosecuting bad owners and working on prevention of dog attacks by educating owners and potential victims of which too many are children.
