At 1,038, the non-fatal claim of accidents at work decreased by 12.6% when compared to the same
quarter in the preceding year. There was one fatal accident at work during the period under review. These figures were published by the National Statistics Office on Friday morning.

Records indicate that 1,038 persons had an accident in the course of their work in the period under review. Accordingly, the number of accidents in the third quarter of this year decreased by 149 (-12.6 per cent) over the same period in the preceding year.

Many of these accidents at work occurred in the economic sectors of manufacturing (28.5 per cent);
construction (15.6 per cent); and transport, storage, and communications (13.0 per cent).

The occupational categories that are mostly affected by accidents are the elementary and trades occupations.

In this way, the given statistics indicate that 538 cases (51.8 per cent) concerned people in elementary occupations, while 175 cases (16.9 per cent) affected people in craft / trades work.
In the period under review, 47.0 per cent of the accidents at work occurred to persons who were under 35 years of age. As a result, the data on hand indicate that 488 of these accidents occurred to this age cohort.

People at work are mostly affected by injuries in the upper extremities of their body. Accordingly, 42.5 per cent of accidents at work concerned the upper extremities of the body, including hands and fingers. Wounds and superficial injuries are the most common types of injuries. In this respect, wounds and superficial injuries featured in 439 (42.3 per cent) of these mishaps.

The Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) reported that between July and September 2008 there was one fatality at work. During the same period in the preceding year, there was also one fatality at work.