A Statistical Portrait of H&S at work in Europe from 1999 to 2008

A Statistical Portrait of H&S at work in Europe from 1999 to 2007

This report gives a statistical portrait of health and safety at work in Europe from 1999 to 2007, focusing on accidents at work, workrelated health problems, occupational diseases and exposure to risk factors at work. Data from different European surveys and register based statistical systems are presented in this report, including the Labour Force Survey (LFS) (more specifically the ad-hoc modules on safety and health at work), European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW), European Occupational Diseases Statistics (EODS), the European Survey on Working Conditions (EWCS), and the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER).

The report opens with a description of several key features of the workforce in Europe to facilitate the interpretation of the data on health and safety. Subsequently, the occurrence of accidents is described, followed by work-related health problems and occupational diseases, and exposure to risk factors. In the final chapter, methodological aspects of the surveys presented are described.

Some of the points raised in the report include the following:

• 3.2% of the workers aged 15 to 64 had an accident at work in the past 12 months in the EU27
• 2.9% of the workers had an accident at work with more than three days of sickness absence in 2007
• 5,580 workers died in a fatal accident in 2007
• Highly skilled manual workers and workers in the sectors ‘construction’, ‘manufacturing’, and ‘agriculture, hunting and forestry’ more often reported an accident
• 70% of the non-fatal accidents resulted from loss of control, a fall, or body movement under stress
• Wounds and superficial injuries and dislocations, sprains and strains were the most common type of injury. In fatal accidents, multiple injuries were most often registered
• It was estimated that accidents at work resulted in minimally 83 million calendar days of sick leave in 2007. This does not yet include those workers that expect never to work again and workers that were still on sick leave
• 8.6% of the persons aged 15 to 64 that work or worked previously reported a work-related health problem in the past 12 months according to the LFS ad hoc module 2007
• Musculoskeletal problems were most often reported as the main work-related health problem (60%), followed by stress, depression or anxiety (14%)
• About 80% of the managers responsible for the health and safety at work in the establishment indicated that musculoskeletal problems and work-related stress were of some or major concern. Because of the important role of musculoskeletal problems and stress, depression or anxiety, these health problems are described in more detail in the report
• Work-related health problems often occurred in the sectors ‘agriculture, hunting and forestry’, and ‘mining and quarrying’
• In the EU27, 41% of the workers reported exposure to factors that affect physical health according to the LFS ad hoc module 2007
• Most workers identified difficult work postures, work movements and handling of heavy loads as the main factor affecting physical health. Less often mentioned were risks of an accident, exposure to chemicals, dusts, fumes, smoke or gases, and noise or vibration.

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
August 2010