Work Accident Claim

Recovering some data that is still relevant.

Construction is still the sector responsible for most victims of fatal accidents. Let's take an example from the European Union: In Portugal, last year, the construction sector accounted for more than half of fatal accidents at work. Of the 280 accidents, 156 occurred in the construction industry.

The Labour Inspection points out, concerning the causes for this increase in accidents in 2001, that "many high-risk projects, especially bridges and overpasses, resort to the use of inadequate and / or in poor condition equipments, and projects are developed without the necessary quality using, in some cases, inadequate building techniques".

Already in 2002, there were 124 fatalities in industrial accidents, of which 58 occured in construction.

The major causes of death in this sector are:

- crushing;

- falls from height;

- burial;

But the high level of presented claims is not limited to construction. The branches of industry and transport are also causing many fatalities.

Now, you may be thinking, that's in Portugal. Well, it appears that despite the high rate of occupational accidents, Portugal is in the European average, with a "tax claims of around 93 injured workers for every hundred thousand". According to the study "The Social situation in the European Union 2002", the European average is of 90 accidents per hundred thousand workers.

Firms should not forget those who die from accidents at work, and those who do not. Even the ones who escape are often partially or totally disabled for life in the wake of accidents at work.