At 802, the non-fatal claims of accidents at work decreased by 3.8 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter in the preceding year. There were two fatal accidents at work during the period under review.

Non-Fatal Accidents

This news release looks into the claims of accidents at work that were reported to the Department of Social Security (DSS). These administrative records indicate that 802 persons had an accident in the course of their work in the period under review. Accordingly, the number of accidents in the fourth quarter last year decreased by 32 (-3.8 per cent) with respect to the corresponding period in the preceding year.

The accidents at work which affected men amounted to 692 (86.3 per cent), while those that involved women amounted to 110 (13.7 per cent). Overall, there was a drop in the number of accidents at work for both men and women.

Many of these accidents occurred in manufacturing (24.2 per cent); construction (16.5 per cent); and wholesale and retail trade (12.8 per cent). With regard to manufacturing and construction, there were decreases of 9.3 and 5.0 per cent respectively, while the accidents in wholesale and retail trade increased by 17.0 per cent.

In October-December 2009, persons employed in elementary occupations were mostly affected by accidents at work. Accordingly, 347 accidents (43.3 per cent) occurred to persons in elementary occupations. A decrease was recorded in this figure, from 441 accidents in the fourth quarter of 2008 to 347 in the comparative period last year. The occupational category which experienced the main increase in accidents comprised service workers and market and sales workers (+22 accidents).

In the period under review, just over one in three accidents at work affected persons aged 45 and over, totalling 272, or 33.9 per cent of the total number of accidents.

Wounds and superficial injuries are the most common types of injuries. In this respect, those injuries featured in 394 (49.1 per cent) of these mishaps. In comparison to the corresponding quarter of 2008, accidents at work involving wounds and superficial injuries increased by 43.

Fatal Accidents

The Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) reported that between October and December 2009, two men died at work. During the comparative period in the preceding year, there were no fatalities