The European Trade Union Confederation launched a manifesto on Thursday 28 April, co-signed by several ministers and MEPs, with a view to eradicating fatal accidents at work by 2030 within the European Union (EU).
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Released on the occasion of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the document highlights that every working day in the EU, “
twelve workers do not come home
”.
"
The number of fatal work accidents has slowly decreased over the past decade, but it rose again in 2019, according to Eurostat data
", warns the Confederation (CES).
That year, 3,408 workers died at work in the 27 Member States.
A “concerted effort”
If the general downward trend in fatal accidents continues at the same rate as between 2010 and 2019, more than 27,000 workers should still lose their lives at work between 2020 and 2029, according to ETUC projections.
France is also a bad student, with nearly 8,000 projected deaths against 563 for Poland, 3,143 for Germany or 3,434 for Italy.
The number of fatal work accidents has jumped in France, from 537 deaths in 2010 to 803 in 2019. To achieve the goal of zero deaths by 2030, the ETUC calls for a "
concerted effort
" from the EU , national governments and employers to “
prevent occupational accidents and diseases
” and “
make the physical and mental health of workers the starting point for the organization of work
”.
European trade unions, joined by the Ministers of Labor of nine Member States, are also concerned about the increase in occupational diseases.
“
Some 100,000 workers die each year of cancers linked to exposure to dangerous substances at their workplace
”, regrets the ETUC.
This while “
new challenges
” are emerging for the health of assets, such as extreme temperatures linked to climate change or the generalization of telework.
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“
Dying in the workplace might seem like a reality from another century
”, but without action, “
these tragedies are about to continue in Europe for at least thirty more years
”, warns the vice- ETUC general secretary Claes-Mikael Stahl.
Globally, nearly 3 million people die each year from accidents at work or occupational diseases, according to figures from the International Labor Organization.
