Non-fatal accidents at work down by 12.5%

Administrative records indicate that 754 persons had an accident in the course of their work in the period under review. Accordingly, the number of accidents in the second quarter decreased by 108 (-12.5%) over the corresponding period in 2010.

On a gender basis, 644 men suffered an accident at work during the second quarter, whereas the number of females who had an accident during the same period amounted to 110. When comparing these figures to those recorded in 2010, there was a drop in the number of accidents involving both men and women.

The majority of accidents at work occurred in manufacturing (25.3%); construction (16.1%); and transport, storage and communication (12.6%). However, the number of accidents decreased in these sectors when compared to the corresponding period last year.

In the three months to the end of June 2011, 296 accidents, or 39.3%, involved persons in elementary occupations, while 127 accidents, or 16.8%, concerned crafts and related trades workers.

Persons aged between 25 and 34 were the most likely to have an accident while at work. In this regard, one in three of the recorded accidents occurred within this category during the second quarter of 2011.

Wounds and superficial injuries and dislocations, strains and sprains were the most common types of injuries, amounting to 298, or 39.5%, and 244, or 32.4%, respectively. In terms of part of body injured, accidents involving upper and lower extremities were the most common during the quarter under review.

Between April and June, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) reported that there was one fatal accident at work. During the corresponding period last year there were no fatalities at work.