Accidents at Work

Accidents at Work - a lack of security in enterprises

An accident at work, in most cases, occurs through the fault of companies that do not meet safety standards and do not act preemptively. Work accidents are a reality, and this year alone hundreds of people have died as a result.

The consequences of these deaths are so heavy for the family and the company, that any responsible entrepreneur would be better focusing on security. The price is too high for either the worker or to the company, which is obliged to pay compensation to the worker's family and see his reputation tarnished by unnecessary deaths.

Taking into account the number of deaths that occurred in recent years, it is necessary to ensure that employers comply with the law and choose to invest in security measures. The number of work accidents could be reduced if companies:

- Identified potential risk situations;

- Invested in security measures;

- Adopted prevention programs;

- Listened to awareness campaigns;


Still, in many European small and medium enterprises, it may be harder to identify risk situations and implement security measures, as these firms often lack the resources to do so.


To discourage companies from breaking the rules of safety, in the workplace, there are several measures that can be applied:

- Suspensions of work if there are serious security flaws;

- Notices for taking measures to improve security conditions;

- The application of sanctions;

- A high cost of accidents, which exceeds the premium paid by the insurance company, both in kind and in cash;

- Loss of services;

- Loss of reputation;

- Possible court proceedings;

- Delays in meeting commitments;

- Drop in productivity;

- Lack of motivation of workers;

- Employee absenteeism;


A good path to follow is aggravating the penalties for industrial accidents through the fault of the employer, charging him with the responsibility of covering property damage and personal injuries in relation to the employee and their families.

That's my opinion, at least.

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.