Injury and fatality rates at work show persistent downward trend - OHSA

Injury and fatality rates at work have been showing a persistent downward trend since 2002, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) has found.

According to statistics published in the OHSA annual report for 2017, there were 4,936 recorded injuries at work in 2012 (the largest figure since then) and four fatalities, while in 2017 there was one fatality and 3,182 injuries at work.

The average rate of fatal work accidents reported for the EU28 is 1.88 per 100,000 (between 20102014). In 2017, the fatal accident rate for Malta was 0.5 per 100,000 workers, the lowest since 2011.

2011 was the lowest recorded year in the period between 2002 and 2017, which saw 3,024 injuries and one fatality. The highest number of fatalities recorded is 12, in 2003 and 2004.

Between 2002 and 2008, the number of injuries at work consistently exceeded 4,000, However, since then, it has never been greater than 3,370.

For the past three years, the transport and storage sector, which incorporates land, air and water transport, warehousing and support activities for transportation and postal and courier activities is associated with the highest rate of claims (number of injuries per 100 workers) for injury benefits.

The figures were obtained from various government entities including the Occupational Health and Safety Authority, the National Statistics Office and the Department for Social Security. The OHSA was founded in 2002.

Statistics on work-related accidents, including injuries, fatalities and ill-health is an important tool to assess the current state of occupational health and safety, especially the effectiveness of current measures.