Eurostat disseminates for the moment two data collections on Health and Safety at Work:
- Accidents at work (ESAW – European Statistics on Accidents at Work): accidents at the workplace or in the course of an occupational activity from declarations to the insurance (public insurance, social security scheme, or private insurance scheme) or to another competent authority (usually the labour inspectorate).
ESAW statistics cover non-fatal accidents at work with more than 3 days of absence as well as fatal accidents at work. Data are available at national level for total number and incidence rates (per 100 000 employed workers), broken down by age groups, sex and economic activity of the employer. Some EU aggregate level tables are also disseminated broken down by part of the body injured, type of injury, severity, professional status and size of the enterprise.
The Phase 3 of ESAW data collection collects information describing the causes and circumstances of the accidents at work. The implementation of this phase is not yet finished by all countries. Some EU aggregate level tables are available with 2005 data.
- Work-related accidents and health problems, as reported by respondents in periodic surveys (Labour Force Survey ad-hoc modules 1999 and 2007). To complement the administrative data, ad hoc modules on health and safety at work outcomes are carried out. These aim to cover groups that are not comprehensively included in the administrative statistics (e.g. self-employed, the public sector), less severe accidents (less than 4 days of absence), and work-related diseases not recognised by the national authorities. An ad hoc module on accidents at work and work-related diseases was included in the 1999 Labour Force Survey (LFS) and was repeated in the 2007 LFS. These surveys are based on subjective information from the respondents. See also the Statistics in Focus on the 2007 results.
Eurostat and its partners within the European statistical are also working on a third data collection concerning
Occupational Diseases (EODS – European Occupational Diseases Statistics) which collects recognised cases from national authorities. Matching quality criteria on coverage and comparability to allow dissemination on the web is not yet attained.
