At 920, the number of non-fatal accidents at work in the first quarter of this year decreased by 12 per cent when compared to the same quarter in the preceding year, the National Statistics Office reported yesterday. There were two fatal accidents at work during the period under review.

Non-fatal accidents

The administrative records for the injury benefit of the DSS for the January to March period indicate that 920 persons had an accident in the course of their work. Accordingly, the number of accidents in the first quarter of this year decreased by 126 (-12.0 per cent) over the same period in the preceding year.

Many of these accidents at work occurred in the economic sectors of manufacturing (31.3 per cent); construction (16.9 per cent); and transport, storage, and communications (11.1 per cent). In comparison to the first quarter of 2007, the number of accidents in these three sectors decreased in January-March 2008.

The occupational categories that are mostly affected by accidents are the elementary and trades occupations. In this way, the given statistics indicate that 475 cases (51.6 per cent) concerned people in elementary occupations, while 176 cases (19.1 per cent) affected people in craft / trades work.

In the period under review, 44.6 per cent of the accidents at work occurred to persons who were under 35 years of age. As a result, the data in hand indicate that 410 of these accidents occurred to this age cohort.

People at work are mostly affected by injuries in the upper extremities of their body.

Accordingly, 41.4 per cent of accidents at work concerned the upper extremities of the body, including hands and fingers. Wounds and superficial injuries are the most common types of injuries. Actually, wounds and superficial injuries featured in 374 (40.7 per cent) of these mishaps.

Fatal accidents

The Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) reported that in January to March 2008 there were two fatalities at work. During the same period in the preceding year, there were none. Throughout 2007, there were seven fatal accidents at work.