The report says that in 2021, 68,777 people were injured in accidents at work, 9.6% more than in 2020. The number of injured persons per 1000 employed also increased from 4.62 to 5.10, reports the Central Statistical Office (GUS). The most common cause of accidents at work was the employee’s incorrect behaviour.

On April 8, the Central Statistical Office published information “Accidents at work in 2021 – preliminary data” informing that the share of people injured in fatal accidents amounted to 0.3%. (equally as in 2020), in severe accidents – 0.5%. (decrease by 0.1%). The number of people injured in accidents with different effects increased by 9.7%.

The highest accident rate (the number of injured persons per 1,000 employees) was recorded in the following voivodeships: Podlaskie (6.53), Opolskie (6.32) and Warmińsko-Mazurskie (6.13), and the lowest in Mazowieckie (3.67) and Malopolskie (3.91).

Due to the type of business activity, the highest accident rate was recorded in the following sections: mining and quarrying (14.17), water supply; sewage and waste management; reclamation (13.23) and industrial processing (8.27), while the lowest rate in the sections: information and communication (0.74), financial and insurance activities (1.17) and other service activities (1.22).

The most common cause of accidents at work was the employee’s incorrect behaviour (60.8%); as much as 79.4% of people injured in accidents at work suffered limb injuries.

Adrian Andrzejewski order