Eurostat: 2.4% of EU workers suffered at least one work accident in 2020. Italy below EU average for reported accidents

2.4% of EU workers reported at least one work accident in 2020. The figure, published by the statistical office Eurostat today, represents a decrease from 2.8% in 2013 (which may be due to the lockdowns). The data, that comes from the EU Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS), shows that, at EU level, it was the craft workers who reported the highest number of accidents at work (4.4%), followed by the plant and machine operators and assemblers and the skilled agricultural and fishery workers (both 3.4%). People with elementary occupations also reported a high number of accidents (3.3%). Among EU countries, Finland ranks first with the highest number of reported accident (9.6%), followed by Sweden (5%), Austria, France and Luxembourg. Italy ranks 15th with 1.5% of reported accidents, below the European average. The countries with the lowest number of reported accidents are Malta, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Lithuania. The health risk factors that are most frequently indicated by workers are tiring or painful positions at work (13.2%); visual fatigue (10.0%); the handling of heavy loads (9.1%); and repetitive hand or arm movements (8.7%). 44.6% of employed people aged 15 to 64 reported facing risk factors for their mental well-being at work. In 11 Member States out of 27, the share of people reporting work-related mental risks exceeded 50% of all employed people. Sweden (76.4%), Greece (69.1%) and Luxembourg (67.4%) held the highest values, while Czechia (33.8%), Lithuania (26.7%) and Germany (25.8%) held the lowest shares. 

Sarah Numico