Finland Times

 

 

A total of 61 persons were killed in 139,000 accidents at work during 2012 in Finland. Around 128,000 of these accidents occurred with wage and salary earners and some 11,200 with self-employed persons including farmers.

 

According to the Statistics Finland, the majority or almost 116,000 of all accidents at work occurred at places of work or while in work traffic, whereas nearly 23,000 of them occurred while commuting.

 

These numbers also include minor accidents at work that led to disability lasting less than four days, and on which insurance companies paid compensation only for medical treatment expenses.

 

The number of accidents at work decreased slightly in 2012. In 2011, there were 142,000 accidents at work and in 2010 the figure was 135,000. Wage and salary earners' accidents at work increased in 2008 compared to 2005, but in 2009 the total number of accidents at work fell to the level where it was ten years ago.

 

The economic downturn in Finland in 2009 and changes in the number of hours worked explain the reason for the change. It is not meaningful to make detailed comparisons of the time series prior and subsequent to 2005 with relation to total numbers including cases resulting in disability of under four days as the full-cost renewal entered into force in 2005.

 

Of the 61 persons who died at work or commuting in 2012,  some 32 of the fatal accidents occurred with wage and salary earners, seven to own-account workers in agriculture and four to other self-employed persons. In addition, 18 fatal accidents took place while commuting, of which 16 occurred to wage and salary earners and two to other self-employed persons.

 

The number of fatal accidents at work rose clearly from the year before, as in 2011 a total of 55 persons died at work or while commuting. The victims of all fatal accidents at work included 48 wage and salary earners, seven farmers and four other self-employed persons.