Here’s How Many People Were Involved In Work Accidents In Malta Last Year
Now that the National Statistics Office has published its findings on the number of accidents which happened on Maltese workplaces for the second half of 2017, we can confirm that last year saw 3,182 accidents happen at work.
While that might seem like a daunting number, it actually marks an improvement over the previous year. The first six months of 2017 saw a decrease of 1.2% in non-fatal accidents on the workplace (totalling 1,593), while the second six months saw a further 1.2% decrease, adding another 1,589 accidents.
Fatal accidents at work were also down by a considerable margin last year when compared to the previous year. Between January and June 2017, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSO) reported one fatal accident at work, with four fatalities being reported in the corresponding period of 2016. As for the July to December period, no fatal accident was reported at work, a significant improvement from 2016’s three reported fatalities.
The majority of the reported non-fatal accidents occurred on manufacturing (16.6% in the first half up to 17.3% in the second). Construction and transport / storage activities were next on the list, with an average of 15% for each sector and time period.
When compared to 2016, the number of accidents at work decreased across all occupations, except for persons working as technicians and associate professionals and in elementary occupations.
Almost half of the injuries which occurred between July and December 2017 (46.7%) affected the upper extremities of the body, such as the fingers and hands. That number was up from 43.8% in the first half of the year.
In the second half of 2017, nearly 35% of the accidents at work took place in enterprises with more than 500 employees. This was also up from the first half’s 26.3%.