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EUROGIP released updated estimates (2019-2021) of its analysis on the under-reporting of workplace accidents in Europe that result in more than three days of absence from work. The report was initially published in French, and the English version is now available.
The analysis reveals significant disparities in reporting levels in Europe, with figures ranging from under 10% to nearly 100%. These discrepancies in incidence rates – measured as the number of accidents per 100,000 workers – highlight concerns about the under-reporting of accidents at work. For instance, in 2019, the number of reported non-fatal accidents varied dramatically between 62 and 3,425 cases.
EUROGIP conducted this analysis by comparing data from the European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW) with data from the European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS), both published by Eurostat. It employed two methods that it had previously developed in its 2017 study:
- The ‘ratios’ method, which estimates a theoretical number of non-fatal accidents based on the number of fatal accidents, assumes that fatal accident rates remain relatively stable and are less susceptible to under-reporting.
- The ‘survey’ approach, which estimates incidence rates based on responses to the 2020 EU Labour Force Survey.
EUROGIP cautions that these empirical studies should be interpreted carefully, as their findings depend on the accuracy of the collected data and the statistical methods used. The primary aim of these studies is to provide a broader context for understanding workplace accident data.
