EU plan aims to cut deaths in workplace

FATAL accidents at work could be cut by a quarter inside five years under a strategy unveiled by the EU.

Last year there were about four million accidents at work in the union. About 100,000 people were killed, including 50 in Ireland.

But while fatal accidents dropped by 17% between 2002 and 2004 overall, the trend varied widely between countries.

Ireland’s record in 2005 was very poor with 74 people killed, a sharp increase on the previous year.

This was mainly due to accidents in construction. Following protests and a programme of spot inspections during the year, working conditions on building sites improved. The number of deaths at work fell by 32% in 2006.

But the EU’s Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla says there is a lot more room for improvement across the 27 member states.

His plan includes countries setting targets, organising more information campaigns and training, and identifying new hazards and their consequences, such as back pain and eyestrain.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are particularly exposed, accounting for 82% of all occupational injuries and 90% of all fatal accidents according to the latest figures.

In Ireland, the Health and Safety Authority said it is targeting farmers this year. Agriculture, with 18 deaths last year, is the most dangerous occupation, followed by construction.