Trends in work accidents 2005–2008
Published: 11 March 2010
Each year, the Labour Inspection Office (Inspecţia Muncii, IM [1]) publishes a report on the findings of its inspections into how employers and employees comply with the legal provisions governing labour relationships, as well as health and safety [2] at work. The report follows the pattern required by the International Labour Organization (ILO [3]) Convention No. 81 (1947) [4] concerning labour inspection in industry and commerce and Convention No. 129 (1969) [5] concerning labour inspection in agriculture, ratified by Romania in 1973 and 1975, respectively. It also contains a section providing statistical data on the number of occupational accidents and their causes.[1] http://www.inspectmun.ro[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/health-and-safety[3] http://www.ilo.org[4] http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/convde.pl?C081[5] http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/convde.pl?C129
Annual reports from the Labour Inspection Office show that the total number of persons injured at work in Romania has decreased from 5,031 persons in 2005 to 4,592 persons in 2008, with the rate of 0.85 casualties per 1,000 employees declining to 0.8. Of all occupational accidents among the four major types of causes, accidents caused by the workers’ own fault top the list. The data also reveal a significant increase in accidents caused by the working environment and tasks assigned.
Each year, the Labour Inspection Office (Inspecţia Muncii, IM) publishes a report on the findings of its inspections into how employers and employees comply with the legal provisions governing labour relationships, as well as health and safety at work. The report follows the pattern required by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 81 (1947) concerning labour inspection in industry and commerce and Convention No. 129 (1969) concerning labour inspection in agriculture, ratified by Romania in 1973 and 1975, respectively. It also contains a section providing statistical data on the number of occupational accidents and their causes.
Main trends in occupational accidents
Between 2005 and 2008, the total number of work-related accidents decreased from 5,031 to 4,592 accidents, which diminished the frequency ratio from 0.85 to 0.8 accidents per 1,000 employees (Table 1).
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of casualties | 5,031 | 5,017 | 4,863 | 4,592 |
| Frequency ratio* | 0.85 | 0.85 | 0.84 | 0.80 |
| Number of fatalities | 531 | 422 | 472 | 331 |
| Frequency ratio* | 0.09 | 0.07 | 0.08 | 0.06 |
Note: * Calculated as the number of casualties per 1,000 employees.
Source: Annual reports of IM, 2006 and 2009
Fatalities at work also tended to decrease over the period, apart from 2007, with 531 fatalities in 2005, 422 in 2006, 472 in 2007 and 331 in 2008. This represents a decline in fatalities between 2005 and 2008 of almost 38%.
Causes of workplace accidents
IM statistics divide the total number of occupational accidents into four large groups of determinants:
determined by performer;
determined by a means of production;
determined by the task assigned;
determined by the working environment.
For the reference years 2005 and 2008, first in the classification by group are work accidents caused by workers’ themselves, which account for 87.4% and 90% of the total number of accidents in 2005 and 2008 respectively (Table 2). The data prove that the majority of occupational accidents are caused by at least two determinants. The number of accidents caused by the work environment and working conditions registered the highest rate of increase over the same period.
| 2005 | 2008 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total accidents | Of which fatal | Total accidents | Of which fatal | |||
| Number | % | Number | % | |||
| Total accidents, of which caused by: | . 5,031 | . 100.0 | . 531 | . 4,592 | . 100.0 | . 331 |
| a) performer | 4,399 | 87.4 | 393 | 4,131 | 90.0 | 278 |
| b) means of production | 2,613 | 51.9 | 225 | 3,026 | 65.9 | 216 |
| c) task | 2,121 | 42.1 | 198 | 2,837 | 61.8 | 206 |
| d) working environment | 709 | 14.1 | 77 | 2,066 | 45.0 | 154 |
Source: Annual reports of IM, 2006 and 2009
Workers themselves were the direct cause of their own occupational accidents in 4,399 cases in 2005 and in 4,131 cases in 2008. Most of these accidents were due to the workers’ failure to comply with work standards (over 35% of all accidents).
Accidents caused by means of production, tasks performed and working conditions increased in number in 2008, compared with 2005.
As noted, accidents caused by the working environment had the highest growth rate, from 709 to 2,066 accidents over the 2005–2008 period. This group of determinants includes physical factors such as: temperature, humidity and lighting; chemical factors like inhaling dangerous substances; specific working conditions like underground, airborne or underwater work; as well as the psychological and social environment. All of these factors are generically called ‘working conditions’. This group of determinants accounted for 14.1% of casualties of all work accidents in 2005 and for 45% in 2008.
Commentary
The data available from the IM reports highlight that there is an impending need for an improvement of working conditions in Romania.
This includes improving machinery, equipment and all types of facilities, some of which are listed as means of production, and the safety of which is imperative. It also includes improving the suitability of tasks assigned to workers’ vocational training and skills, generally to the workers’ professional background.
The reports are available in Romanian on IM’s website.
Constantin Ciutacu, Institute of National Economy, Romanian Academy
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2010), Trends in work accidents 2005–2008, article.
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