Work related accidents: Increase by 6% in the EU in 2021 – Greece +12%

Almost 2.88 million non-fatal accidents at work were recorded in the EU in 2021 and resulted in workers being absent from work for four or more days, according to figures published on Thursday by Eurostat.

This is a 6% increase compared to 2020 (150,941 more accidents). This increase is likely linked to the economic recovery that followed the general recession of 2020 related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 3,347 occupational accidents were fatal (0.1% of the total number of accidents), a number reduced by only 11 accidents compared to 2020.

Greece recorded a significant increase in occupational accidents to 4,498 in 2021 compared to 3,997 in 2020, an increase of 12.1%.

First in absolute numbers was Germany with 810,562 accidents, followed by France with 655,698 and Spain with 457,611 accidents.

Information on occupational accidents is often broken down by severity, meaning the number of full calendar days the victim is unfit for work due to an occupational accident.

The most common type of accident

In 2021, as in 2020, accidents resulting in 7–13 days of absence from work were the most frequent type of accident, totaling 761,988 (26% of the total).

Accidents resulting in 1-3 months of absence from work were the second most frequent type in 2021 (543,076, 19% of the total number of accidents). Less serious types of accidents (4-6 days absence from work) were the third most common (487,049, 17% of the total).

Fatal accidents were the least frequent type by severity. Excluding accidents of “undetermined” severity, accidents resulting in permanent incapacity for work were the second least frequent type of accident, 136,290 (5% of the total) in 2021.