The number of accidents at the workplace dropped drastically in 2020 when compared to 2019, statistics issued by the National Statistics Office show.

In 2020, 2,328 non-fatal accidents were reported, which is significantly lower than the 3,258 reported in 2019 and the 3,252 in 2018. This could possibly be due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as a number of workplaces had shifted working practices, among other things, due to the outbreak of the virus.

In terms of fatal accidents at work, there were three registered in the first half of last year and four between July and December. In all of 2019, three people had died in workplace accidents.

The majority of workplace accidents took place in construction (406) and manufacturing (391) jobs.

Of the 2,328 non-fatal accidents, the largest number of injuries were categorised as wounds and superficial (1,394), while 522 injuries were dislocations, sprains and strains. Of the more serious injuries registered, two were traumatic amputations, 35 were concussions and internal injuries.

The workplace incidence rate for the whole year was 889 non-fatal accidents per 100,000 employed persons. The highest standardised incidence rate of non-fatal accidents at work was recorded in construction followed by manufacturing and transportation and storage.