Men more prone to fatal and serious work accidents
Published: 5 October 2008
In 2004, the Labour Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia (Inšpektorat Republike Slovenije za delo, IRSD [1]) introduced some important changes in the field of inspecting health and safety [2] at work, primarily with regard to monitoring and providing high quality information. IRSD is an agency of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs (Ministrstvo za delo, družino in socialne zadeve, MDDSZ [3]); its area of work is regulated by Article 1 of the Labour Inspection Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, Nos. 38/94, 32/97 and 36/2000) and the Inspection Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 56/2002). In relation to the reporting of fatal occupational accidents and other work-related accidents that cause longer than three days of absence from work, the competence of the inspectorate includes the collection and presentation of data in accordance with the European statistics on accidents at work (ESAW) [4] methodology, as prescribed by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European communities.[1] http://www.id.gov.si/index.php?id=2592&L=1[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/health-and-safety[3] http://www.mddsz.gov.si/[4] http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/news/2002/apr/esaw_en.html
The Slovenian labour inspectorate monitors safety and health in the workplace. Its findings over an eight-year period show that the causes of occupational accidents with serious and very serious consequences are mainly poor work organisation, inadequate control measures, careless work and unreliable work methods. Men represented all of the victims of fatal work-related accidents as well as most of those experiencing serious accidents in the workplace.
Improved monitoring and reporting
In 2004, the Labour Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia (Inšpektorat Republike Slovenije za delo, IRSD) introduced some important changes in the field of inspecting health and safety at work, primarily with regard to monitoring and providing high quality information. IRSD is an agency of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs (Ministrstvo za delo, družino in socialne zadeve, MDDSZ); its area of work is regulated by Article 1 of the Labour Inspection Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, Nos. 38/94, 32/97 and 36/2000) and the Inspection Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 56/2002). In relation to the reporting of fatal occupational accidents and other work-related accidents that cause longer than three days of absence from work, the competence of the inspectorate includes the collection and presentation of data in accordance with the European statistics on accidents at work (ESAW) methodology, as prescribed by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European communities.
Accidents at work are among the so-called negative indicators of health. Control over safety and health at work in Slovenia is carried out by authorised public servants in accordance with legislation, implementing regulations on the basis of Article 65 of the Safety and Health at Work Act, and safety measures stipulated by employer acts and defined in collective agreements.
Fatal accidents at work
Over the eight-year period under study, the number of fatal occupational accidents has fluctuated considerably (see table). In 2000, the number of fatal accidents in the workplace declined to 16 deaths; however, the total started to increase again up to 2002, when 26 fatal occupational accidents were reported. This number decreased over subsequent years but rose sharply in 2006 and 2007, reaching 29 deaths in the latter year.
| Year | Number of fatal occupational accidents |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 20 |
| 2000 | 16 |
| 2001 | 18 |
| 2002 | 26 |
| 2003 | 20 |
| 2004 | 13 |
| 2005 | 17 |
| 2006 | 25 |
| 2007 | 29 |
Source: IRSD annual reports and website
Causes and risk factors
Inspectors find that the causes of occupational accidents with serious and very serious consequences are primarily poor work organisation and inappropriate control measures, careless work, and rushed and unreliable work methods. Falling was the most common cause of death among the fatalities investigated. The second most common cause was crushing or a falling object. Other causes of death include electric shock and drowning. Accidents involving tractors are a particular problem, leading to tens of fatalities every year.
Fatal work-related accidents often occur in small companies and all of the victims were men. Such accidents are most common in the construction sector. The daily distribution of accidents from 1999 to 2007 indicates that Mondays and Fridays are particularly hazardous days for serious workplace accidents. These days are likely to be problematic because they involve the beginning and end of the working week, when workers are readjusting to work or losing concentration.
Overall, two age groups are particularly at risk: the youngest group, aged 18–24 years, and the oldest group, comprising those aged 55 years and over. Most fatal occupational accidents occur in the morning. Statistical data indicate that the time periods of highest risk are between 8.00 and 10.00 and between 12.00 and 14.00. In the afternoon, most fatal work-related accidents occur at about 17.00. More generally, the periods of highest risk are between the second and third hour of morning work and the first hour of afternoon work.
A review of the period from 1999 to 2004 indicated that, according to the education level of the deceased employees, the victims of fatal accidents are most often skilled workers (32.4%), followed by semi-skilled workers (26.3%), unskilled workers (14.5%) and workers with secondary school education (17.4%).
Serious accidents at work
The most significant decrease in the number of workplace accidents causing serious injuries to employees was reported in 2003, when the total fell from 400 to 335 serious accidents. This positive trend continued, with the number of serious occupational accidents investigated in 2006 amounting to 305 cases.
Causes and risk factors
The most frequent causes of serious accidents at work are falls, workers’ presence within a machine operation danger zone and falling objects. As was the situation for fatal accidents, the construction sector recorded the highest number of serious injuries. Other high-risk sectors included the manufacture of metal products, wood products and machinery.
Once again, serious accidents at work mainly occurred in small companies and most of the injured employees were men. Serious injuries are also much more likely to occur at the beginning and end of the working week, with Monday and Friday being the days of highest risk. Two age groups are particularly vulnerable: 18–24 year-olds and those aged 55 years and over.
Common causes for irregularities leading to accidents include unsuitable work methods, poor work organisation, inadequate equipment, lack of attention, underestimating or lack of familiarity with hazards, poor or insufficient work safety for workers, and inadequate or non-existent supervision by superiors.
Mirko Mrcela, Organisational and Human Resources Research Centre (OHRRC), University of Ljubljana
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2008), Men more prone to fatal and serious work accidents, article.
