Filenews 20 October 2022
Nearly 2.7 million non-fatal accidents at work were recorded in 2020 in the European Union, while 3,355 fatalities were recorded in the workplace, according to data released by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office.
Eurostat counts as non-fatal accidents at work those which result in absence from work for four or more days.
A total of 1,527 occupational accidents were recorded in Cyprus in 2020, compared to 2,168 in 2019, and 16 fatal accidents, compared to 10 in 2019. There is no data on the severity of almost half of non-fatal accidents in Cyprus, which is much lower in the EU.
In 2020, fewer accidents at work were recorded in the EU than in 2019 in all sectors, with the exception of the health sector. As mentioned, this trend can be explained by the decrease or interruption of operations in specific sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The health sector, on the other hand, recorded a significant increase in occupational accidents (an increase of 17% compared to 2019). The share of occupational accidents in the health sector in total accidents at work also increased from 11% in 2019 to 15% in 2020.
Eurostat data also record the severity of accidents on the basis of the number of days on which the worker could not return to work.
In 2020, 25% of occupational accidents (676,781 in absolute numbers) resulted in absence from work between seven and 13 days, and were the first category in number of accidents in both 2020 and 2019.
The category with the second highest number of accidents in 2020 was the one that resulted in one to three months' absence from work, as it accounted for 19% of the total, or 519,695 accidents in absolute numbers.
In 2019 the second most frequent type of accidents was less serious as it led to a four- to six-day absence from work. This category was the third most common in 2020 (17% of the total, or 455,924 accidents in absolute numbers).
The least common type of occupational accidents in 2020 was fatalities (3,355 or 0.1% of the total) compared to 3,408 fatal accidents in 2019.
The second least common category after fatal accidents was accidents that resulted in permanent incapacity for work or absence of 183 days or more (117,700 or 4% of the total) in 2020, a number that in 2019 had risen to 117,700 accidents.
However, in the case of Cyprus, it is not exactly determined how many days of absence a significant number of occupational accidents led (710 out of a total of 1,527 in 2020), making this category the first in number in both 2020 and 2019.
By comparison, in 2020 in the EU the severity of accidents was not recorded for a total of 142,415 cases out of a total of 2.7 million (and was the third smallest category), while in 2019 the severity of 110,535 out of a total of 3.1 million cases (second smallest category) was not recorded.
The second most frequent category of accidents in Cyprus in 2020 concerned those leading to an absence of seven to 13 days (259 accidents, 409 in 2019). This was followed by the category of one to three months (196 accidents, 230 in 2019).
The two least common categories in Cyprus were those of fatal accidents (16, up from 10 in 2019) and permanent incapacity for work or absence of 183 days or more (5, up from 11 in 2019).
CNA
