European comparisons - Tables
Note that all 2006 figures are provisional and may be subject to change.
- Table 1: Fatal accidents at work in Europe by member state, 2006
- Table 2: Over 3 day accidents at work in Europe by member state, 2006
- Table 3: Rates of fatal and of over-3-day injury (a) in Europe per 100,000 workers or employees, 2006
- Table 4: Industry Sectors for the EU average and Great Britain 2006. Rates of fatal and over 3 day injury per 100 000 workers
- Table 5: Rates of fatal injury in Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and EU average 2002 - 2006
- Table 6: Rates of over 3 day injury in Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and EU average 2002 - 2006
Table 1: Fatal accidents at work in Europe by member state, 2006
| Member State | Fatal Accidents at Work (a) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total excluding RTTA (b) | Fatal RTTA (b) | Total including RTTA (b) | |||
| Number | Standardised Incidence Rate (c) |
Number | % of total deaths | Number | |
| Austria | 129 | 4.2 | 40 | 24% | 169 |
| Belgium | 50 | 2.6 | 27 | 35% | 77 |
| Denmark | 43 | 2.7 | 6 | 12% | 49 |
| Finland | 25 | 1.5 | 18 | 42% | 43 |
| France | 395 | 3.4 | 82 | 17% | 477 |
| Germany | 430 | 2.1 | 282 | 40% | 712 |
| Great Britain (c) | 169 | 1.3 | Not available | Not available | 169 |
| Greece | 58 | 3.8 | 5 | 8% | 63 |
| Ireland (c) | 35 | 2.2 | Not available | Not available | 35 |
| Italy | 455 | 2.9 | 441 | 49% | 896 |
| Luxembourg | 4 | 1.7 | 8 | 67% | 12 |
| Netherlands (d) | 56 | 1.7 | 30 | Not calculated | 86 |
| Portugal | 191 | 5.2 | 33 | 15% | 224 |
| Spain | 393 | 3.5 | 218 | 36% | 611 |
| Sweden | 35 | 1.5 | 23 | 40% | 58 |
| European Union | 2 469 | 2.5 | 1246 | 34% | 3715 |
Notes
- RTTAs (road traffic and transport accidents) at work are defined as accidents in the transport branch and traffic accidents or accidents on all means of transport at work in all other branches of economic activity.
- The profile of employment by industrial sector will vary between member states and will impact therefore on the comparison between member states. The standardised incidence rate of fatal injury for each member state is calculated on the basis of sectoral rates in the member state applying to the profile of employment at EU level. In effect, the rates for member states are standardised to the same basis of employment by industry - the EU profile.
- Data on road traffic and transport accidents are not available for Great Britain and Ireland, except for accidents in the transport branch other than traffic and means of transport (NACE I).
- Partial data are quoted for fatal RTTAs in the Netherlands.
Table 2: Over 3 day accidents at work in Europe by member state, 2006
| Member State |
Over 3 day Accidents at Work (a) | |
|---|---|---|
| Number (uprated) (a) | Standardised Incidence Rate (b) | |
| Austria (c) | 73 601 | 2 394 |
| Belgium | 62 117 | 3 077 |
| Denmark | 46 734 | 2 689 |
| Finland | 50 728 | 3 008 |
| France | 533 634 | 4 022 |
| Germany | 753 217 | 3 276 |
| Great Britain | 200 275 | 1 135 |
| Greece | 27 477 | 1 611 |
| Ireland | 18 683 | 1 289 |
| Italy (d) | 483 069 | 2 812 |
| Luxembourg | 8 421 | 3 685 |
| Netherlands (e) | Not available | 2 831 |
| Portugal | 156 214 | 4 183 |
| Spain | 663 182 | 5 533 |
| Sweden | 28 770 | 1 088 |
| European Union | 3 279 812 | 3 013 |
Notes
- The total number of accidents is uprated from the number declared for some countries, using knowledge of likely reporting rates in each country. For data from Great Britain, the reporting rate is estimated at 46%.
- The profile of employment by industrial sector will vary between member states and will impact therefore on the comparison between member states. The rate of injury for each member state is calculated on the basis of sectoral rates in the member state applying to the profile of employment at EU level. In effect, the rates for member states are standardised to the same basis of employment by industry - the EU profile.
- Austria: declarations/reporting complete excluding agriculture and public administration.
- Italy: declarations/reporting complete excluding self-employed crafts people.
- The Netherlands has changed its system of reporting, based on an accident module in the Labour Force Survey. This new system is not comparable with other member states.
Table 3: Rates of fatal and of over-3-day injury (a) in Europe per 100,000 workers or employees, 2006
| Country | Rate of fatal injury | Rate of over-3-day injury | Employed people covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain (b) | 1.3 | 1 135 | workers |
| Greece | 3.8 | 1 611 | employees |
| Netherlands (b) | 1.7 | 2 831 | employees |
| Sweden | 1.5 | 1 088 | workers |
| Germany | 2.1 | 3 276 | workers |
| Finland | 1.5 | 3 008 | employees |
| France | 3.4 | 4 022 | employees |
| Denmark (b) | 2.7 | 2 689 | workers |
| EU average | 2.5 | 3 013 | |
| Italy | 2.9 | 2 812 | workers |
| Belgium | 2.6 | 3 077 | employees |
| Luxembourg | 1.7 | 3 685 | workers |
| Ireland (b) | 2.2 | 1 289 | workers |
| Spain | 3.5 | 5 533 | employees |
| Austria | 4.2 | 2 394 | employees |
| Portugal | 5.2 | 4 183 | employees |
Notes
- Eurostat excludes commuting accidents. Eurostat excluded transport industry accidents and road traffic accidents from rates of fatal injury but included them in rates of non-fatal over 3 day injury where the effect of their inclusion is relatively small. All rates of injury are based on nine branches of industry: agriculture (including hunting and forestry), manufacturing, utilities, construction, retail and wholesale distribution, hotels and restaurants, transport, financial services and real estate activities.Deaths are "immediate" and exclude those that occur up to a year later.
- The over-3-day injury rate in these four member states are derived from the Labour Force Survey. Injury rates in other member states are based on claims made through insurance and/or other social security systems.
Table 4: Industry Sectors for the EU average and Great Britain 2006. Rates of fatal and over 3 day injury per 100 000 workers
| Industry (section in SIC 92) | EU average | Great Britain (2006/07) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatal | Over-3-day | Fatal | Non-fatal injury # | |
| Agriculture (A) | 8.9 | 3 879 | 8.6 | 2240 (1580, 2910) |
| Construction (F) | 9.5 | 5 974 | 3.8 | 1550 (1320, 1780) |
| Transport, storage & communication (I) | 7.7 | 3 674 | 1.1 | 1350 (1120, 1580) |
| Electricity, Gas and Water (E) | 4.2 | 1 577 | Not available | Not available |
| Manufacturing (D) | 2.6 | 3 463 | 1.2 | 1060 (910, 1200) |
| Wholesale and retail trade, and repairs (G) | 1.5 | 2 096 | 0.1 | 1040 (900, 1180) |
| Financial intermediation, real estate, renting and business activities (J&K) | 1.2 | 1 464 | 0.1 | 310 (240, 380) |
| Hotels & restaurants (H) | 0.9 | 2 909 | 0.2 | 920 (670, 1170) |
Notes
Eurostat included transport industry accidents and road traffic accidents in its rates of fatal injury in industry sectors, leading to an EU average rate of 8.3. This will affect the comparison between the EU and Great Britain for the transport category.
The coverage of accident notification in the transport industry varies slightly between member states. As a result, Eurostat’s rates of injury in transport and storage excludes: rail transport in France, Italy and Great Britain; sea transport in Denmark, Greece, France and Great Britain; and air transport in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Great Britain.
# Labour Force Survey (LFS) rate of non-fatal injury, per 100 000 employees: a three-year average e.g. 2004/05 - 2006/07 (centred on 2005/06). More details about the data sources are given on HSE’s website.
95% confidence intervals are given in brackets. They represent the range of uncertainty resulting from the estimate being derived from a sample of people, not from the entire population. They are calculated in such a way that the range has a 95% chance of including the true value in the absence of bias i.e. the value that would have been obtained if the entire population had been surveyed.
Some over 3 day injury rates in Great Britain are not available as the LFS results produce very small estimates and are therefore not reliable for publication.
Table 5: Rates of fatal injury in Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and EU average 2002 - 2006
| Year | Great Britain | Germany | France | Italy | Spain | EU average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 4.3 | 2.5 |
| 2003 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 2.5 |
| 2004 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 2.4 |
| 2005 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 2.3 |
| 2006 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 2.5 |
Notes
Rates of fatal injury are expressed per 100 000 employees in France, workers in Britain, workers in Italy, and insured workers in Germany.
Table 6: Rates of over 3 day injury in Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and EU average 2002 - 2006
| Year | Great Britain | Germany | France | Italy | Spain | EU average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1632 | 4082 | 4887 | 3387 | 6728 | 3528 |
| 2003 | 1614 | 3674 | 4689 | 3267 | 6520 | 3328 |
| 2004 | 1336 | 3618 | 4434 | 3098 | 6054 | 3172 |
| 2005 | 1271 | 3233 | 4448 | 2900 | 5715 | 3097 |
| 2006 | 1135 | 3276 | 4022 | 2812 | 5533 | 3014 |
Notes
Work related road traffic accidents are excluded from rates of non-fatal injury for Great Britain but are included for the other member states.

