Decrease in number of occupational accidents and illnesses

2003 saw a fall of 2% in the total number of occupational accidents in Finland. Recent figures show that the incidence of occupational accidents and illnesses also decreased slightly in 2003.

According to preliminary estimates from the Finnish Federation of Accident Insurance Institutions, the total number of occupational accidents fell by 2% in 2003 in comparison with the previous year. The frequency of occupational accidents and illnesses (the number of occurrences per million hours worked) decreased by 1% in 2003.

Manufacturing

Preliminary data indicate that there were about 7% fewer occupational accidents in manufacturing in 2003: 28,400 compared with 30,462 in 2002. These figures should be seen in the light of the employment situation in the sector during the same period: there was a considerable reduction in the numbers employed and the volume of work dropped by 5%. The frequency of accidents appears to have decreased by about 2% compared with the previous year, now standing at around 39 occupational accidents per million hours worked.

Construction

In construction, the number and frequency of occupational accidents are also noticeably lower. According to the Federation’s data, the number of accidents at work fell in this sector by 3%, showing a figure of 15,800 for 2003, compared with 16,249 in 2002. At the same time, the volume of work in construction rose by 1%. The frequency of accidents at work within the construction industry was 67, nearly 4% lower than in 2002.

Public services/utilities (Municipality sector)

The number of occupational accidents in the municipality sector fell by about 3% last year, from 14,575 cases in 2002 to 14,200 cases in 2003. The volume of work remained more or less unchanged. The occupational accident frequency in this sector was about 16.

Fatalities

According to the recent figures, 50 occupational accidents proved fatal in 2003, compared with the previous year’s figure of 33. These statistics include accidents while driving as part of work and acts of violence. The number of fatal accidents at the workplace ranged from 33 to 50 between 1999 and 2003. Because the total numbers are low, they tend to vary widely per year.

In Finland, deaths due to an occupational illness are more common than those caused by accidents at work. Insurance companies and the State Treasury compensated some 90 cases of the former in 2003. In 2002, the number of deaths due to occupational illness was 106. The majority of fatalities were caused by asbestos: in 2003, around 80 of the compensated occupational deaths were asbestos-related, though the number of deaths due to asbestos has declined slightly since the 1990s.

Around 25 fatal accidents on the way to or from work were compensated in 2003, compared with 27 in 2002.

Sources

The preliminary data of work accidents and illnesses derive from the Federation of Accident Insurance Institutions. Statistics Finland publishes Finland’s official statistics on work accidents and deaths each year. The Institute of Occupational Health publishes statistics on occupational illnesses.