Work-related accidents decreased in 2004

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In December 2004, Italy's National Workplace Accident Insurance Institute issued preliminary figures indicating an overall reduction of 1.6% in work-related accidents over the year.

On 13 December 2004, the National Workplace Accident Insurance Institute (Istituto Nazionale Assicurazione Infortuni sul Lavoro, Inail), presented its latest figures on work-related accidents. The data confirm that a downward trend recorded in previous years (-1.7% in 2003 and -3.3% in 2002) continued in 2004. The first estimates for 2004 indicate an overall decrease in workplace accidents of 1.6%, with a reduction of 1.4% in industry and services (868,514 accidents in 2004, compared with 880,938 in 2003) and of 3.7% in agriculture (68,646 in 2004, compared with 71,284 in 2003).

This downward tendency seems more accentuated in the central regions of the country, where there was a reduction in accidents of 2.3% (industry and services 2.4%, agriculture 1.4%) in 2004, compared with falls of: 1.9% in the North-West regions (industry and services 1.7%, agriculture 6.5%); 1.6% in the South (industry and services 1.2%, agriculture 4.7%); and 2% in the North-East regions (industry and services 1.1%, agriculture 3.2%). In the Islands, there was a 0.8% overall increase in accidents, with the rise concentrated in industry and services (up 1.3%) rather than agriculture (down 2.2%). In general, the agriculture sector recorded a more sustained and generalised decrease in workplace accidents in all regions of the country.

The overall number of accidents, despite the downward tendency, remains high at about 950,000 cases in 2004 (15,062 fewer than 2003). The number of fatal accidents is expected to have fallen by 2% in 2004 from the figure of 1,418 in 2003. The total annual 'social cost' of workplace accidents is put at about EUR 28 billion.

'The data are significant if we take into account that the Central Statistics Office [Istituto Centrale di Statistica, Istat] estimates for 2004 that employment growth will be the same as 2003, about 1%,' stated Vincenzo Mungari, the president of Inail, adding: 'The positive element is the confirmation of the downward tendency despite the high incidence of in transit accidents, ie those accidents that take place on the way from home to work and vice versa' (about one third of the entire decrease in accidents in 2003 was due to a fall in such accidents). According to Maurizio Castro, the general director of Inail, the reason for the downturn in accidents 'should be sought in the profound restructuring processes that affect the world of production and result in important processes of innovation'.

As for comparisons between Italy and other EU Member States, Mr Castro stated that the only standard data useful for a European comparison are those issued by Eurostat, most recently for 2001, on the basis of which Italy's frequency of accidents and fatal accidents was in line with the EU average. In Italy, there were 3,779 workplace accidents and 3.1 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers, while the average for the 'old' EU 15 was 3,830 workplace accidents and 2.7 fatal accidents, and for the 'euro-zone' 4,416 workplace accidents and 3.1 fatal accidents.

Mr Castro also presented the findings of research promoted by Inail on the workplace safety needs raised by workers and employers. The number of accidents has decreased and, at the same time, social awareness of the phenomenon has increased, he stated. Safety has become a very important issue for workers, in particular, at the workplace. Thus, Inail's tasks have increased with citizens’ expectations. The public, according to a recent survey carried out by Professor Paolo Feltrin, express a highly positive judgment of Inail’s work. Some 70.2% of respondents rated the Institute highty and 72.3% said that they would prefer Inail to remain public.

In the light of the data presented, Mr Castro called for a future policy of 'good industrial relations', which he sees as promoting acccident-prevention policies. This means more dialogue, more participation and more good practices at workplace, company and local level.