Statistics 2005-2006: Risk of accidents at work on the increase

Helsinki (27.07.2007 – Juhani Artto) New data, published in June of this year indicate that the risk of accident at work in Finland has been on the rise.

In 2006 the accident insurance institutions paid out compensation for about 139,000 accidents and occupational diseases. This was up by 3% on the 2005 figures. The upward trend was already noticeable in 2005. But, before that, the number of accidents had decreased over four consecutive years.

In the longer perspective this positive development – less accidents – was already on the wane by the mid 1990s. Since then the amount of work accidents per million working hours of wage and salary earners has approximately remained unchanged. Prior to that, from 1980 to 1996, the accident rate dropped by half.

The same pattern applies also to fatal work place accidents. Statistics show that the positive development stagnated in the mid 1990s. In 1996-2006 accidents at work claimed 47 lives per annum on average.

By international standards – and bearing in mind this only applies to states where statistics are made available – the risk of accidents at work in Finland remain high when compared with those countries which record the lowest rate of work accidents. According to SAK (the largest union confederation), Finland should cut its accident rate by half to reach the international top level.

“The occupational safety situation may have been influenced by structural change, hurry caused by the boom, subcontracting of work and more fragmented and longer chains of subcontracted work”, says Tapani Miettinen, the CEO of the Federation of Accident Insurance Institutions.

Occupational safety is high on the trade union movement’s agenda. In March, SAK published a comprehensive programme promoting efforts to improve occupational safety at work and initiating legislative reforms.