According to a report issued by the German Ministry of Labour in January 2002, the number of work-related injuries declined in 2000, as did the number of occupational diseases. Workers' risk of suffering from a work-related injury was the lowest since the Ministry started to publish data on this issue.
In a report on occupational safety and health (Bericht über den Stand von Sicherheit und Gesundheit bei der Arbeit und über das Unfall- und Berufskrankheitengeschehen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland im Jahr 2000) issued in January 2002, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs presented comprehensive data on work-related accidents and occupational diseases in 2000. According to a statement by Walter Riester, the Minister of Labour, 2000 proved to be very successful in terms of health and safety at work, because the risk of being injured or suffering from occupational diseases had never been lower since the ministry started to publish data on this issue. Mr Riester also emphasised that, by following the EU social policy agenda (EU0007266F) as agreed upon at the June 2000 Nice European Council summit (EU0012288F), his ministry would continue to improve the quality of working conditions.
While about 10 years ago, an average of 54 out of 1,000 employees suffered from work-related accidents in a year, in 2000 this ratio was reduced to 40 out of 1,000. A similar positive development could also be observed in the area of occupational diseases; in comparison with 1999 data, the number of reported cases of occupational diseases decreased by 2.6% to 81,542 case in 2000. The most frequently reported diseases concerned serious skin conditions (20,931), disc and spinal conditions (13,022), and hearing problems caused by loud noise (12,728). Continuing a development which had been observed in the previous year, the fall in the number of compensation claims which were ultimately accepted by the Occupational Safety and Health Agencies (Berufsgenossenschaften) outpaced the decline in the number of original claims and fell by 3.7%.
In contrast to the 1999 data (DE0101203N), the ministry's 2000 report also reveals a positive development in the category of fatal accidents and occupational diseases. While both had increased in 1999, the table below indicates that in 2000 fatal occupational diseases (53% of which were caused by asbestos) decreased by 7.7%, and fatal work-related accidents by 10.8%.
Development of occupational diseases and work-related accidents 1999-2000.
| . | 2000 | 1999 | Change in % |
| Total workforce | 38,532,000 | 37,942,000 | 1.6 |
| Work-related accidents | 1,513,723 | 1,560,063 | -3.0 |
| Fatal work-related accidents | 1,153 | 1,293 | -10.8 |
| Total traffic accidents while commuting | 235,117 | 248,324 | -5.3 |
| Fatal traffic accidents while commuting | 820 | 855 | -4.1 |
| Reported occupational diseases | 81,542 | 83,738 | -2.6 |
| Occupational disease claims accepted | 18,689 | 19,402 | -3.7 |
| Fatal occupational diseases | 1,886 | 2,043 | -7.7 |
| Costs of statutory insurance against work-related accidents | DEM 23.667 billion | DEM 23.364 billion | 1.3 |
| Costs of first aid and accident prevention | DEM 1.486 billion | DEM 1.416 billion | 4.9 |
Source: Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
In 2000, the Occupational Safety and Health Agencies spent DEM 1.486 billion on first aid and accident prevention programmes to improve safety and health at the workplace, which was an increase of 4.9% compared with the previous year.