Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
3.3.2. Additional comments on coverage of Economic sectors (NACE Rev.2)
With the exception of the agricultural sector self-employed persons are not covered; NACE-Sectors 84.22, 84.23, 84.24 are not included.”
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
3.4.1. Coverage of ESAW variables – annual update expected
Please check the Annex 1, table 3.4.1.
3.4.2. Coverage of ESAW variables - day lost- annual update expected
Please check the Annex 1, table 3.4.2.
3.4.3. Coverage of ESAW variables- weight - annual update expected
Please check the Annex 1, table 3.4.3.
3.4.4. Additional comments on coverage of ESAW variables
None.
3.5. Statistical unit
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
3.6. Statistical population
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
3.6.1. Coverage of Employment status - annual update expected
Please check the Annex 1, table 3.6.1.
3.6.2. Additional comments on coverage of professional status
1: Self-employed persons are only partly represented. Data for self-employed persons and family workers only included for accidents of the NACE Group A 01 "Crop and animal production, hunting and related service activities" (included due to the statutory insurance coverage)
2: Students only covered if they are subject to social insurance contributions, e.g. working part-time in parallel to their studies.
3.6.3. Coverage of Accidents outside premises - annual update expected
3.6.5. Additional comments on coverage of accidents outside premises
None.
3.7. Reference area
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
3.8. Coverage - Time
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Number of accidents.
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
1. DGUV
The agreement over the reporting of Statistics on Accidents at Work between the BMAS - Federal Ministry of Labour and Sovial Affairs (formerly BMWA) and the German Social Accident Insurance Institution (DGUV) is published in: Bundesarbeitsblatt 7 August 2003 Amtlicher Teil p. 30-31.
2. SVLFG
The data transfer obligation is based on Regulation (EC) No. 1338/2008
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
1. and 2.: Relevant German legislation regarding the confidentiality of social security data is found in § 35 of the SGB (Social Code) I in conjunction with §§ 67ff. of SGB X.
Data collection, data handling and data processing by the German social accident insurance institutions is regulated in §§ 199ff of the SGB VII.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
8.1. Release calendar
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
8.2. Release calendar access
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
8.3. Release policy - user access
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
1. and 2.:Annual.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
The Statutory accident insurance cover in Germany goes beyond the insurance of ‘genuine’ accidents at work: children in care, volunteers, rehabilitants and other status groups are also insured alongside employers and employees and they are reflected in DGUV/SVLFG published data. Nonetheless, these categories are out of scope of ESAW data, therefore differences in figures between the data published by DGUV, SVLFG and the data published by Eurostat can be attributed to this out-of-scope categories.
1. DGUV
See DGUV website for facts and figures on work-related and commuting accidents, e.g. DGUV facts and figures
12.3.1.4. Additional comments on reporting levels by Economic sector (NACE Rev.2)
None.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
13.2. Sampling error
1. and 2.: Sampling occurs as stated in 18.5 Data compilation. There is no sampling error regarding the full German reference group because the weighted case sum corresponds with the total of all cases. Nevertheless, a sampling error occurs when interpreting case groups, depending on the size of the analyzed group.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
13.3.1. Coverage error
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
13.3.2. Measurement error
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
13.3.3. Non response error
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
13.3.4. Processing error
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
14.1. Timeliness
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
14.2. Punctuality
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Data on civil servants are only included and available from 2017 onwards. Between 2017 and 2019, the data are partially included (shown in detail in the respective national metadata of the individual year). From 2020, the data are fully included in the ESAW dataset.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
15.4. Coherence - internal
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
17.1. Data revision - policy
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
17.2. Data revision - practice
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
18.1. Source data
A Information on the source of the data
1. DGUV
Original Data Sources are the employers' reports of accidents at work to their respective Social Accident Insurance Institution for trade and industry, Social Accident Insurance Institutions for the public sector or the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture. These data are collected and compiled on a yearly basis by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
2. SVLFG
The source data are derived from reports on industrial accident events (excluding commuting accidents) of persons insured with SVLFG who are employers, employers’ wives or employees aged between 15 and 69 and the duration of the inability to work exceeds 3 days.
B Information on the source of the reference population
Compiled using:
Distribution of employees subject to social insurance contributions and marginally employed persons. Data from the Federal Employment Agency
Dependent employees Insurance relationships according to the business and accounting results of the DGUV
Summary of the labour force according to SVLFG economic groups (agriculture, forestry, horticulture and landscaping)
Population data on civil servants as reported by the federal states
18.2. Frequency of data collection
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
18.3. Data collection
1. DGUV
Data is collected by the Social Accident Insurance Institution concerned via a standardized accident report form (annexed). A sample of all reports of one year is transmitted to the German Social Accident Insurance Institution (DGUV).
The data are collected in a comprehensive survey by regional offices using standardised accident report forms (accident notice or doctor’s report) and are made available to the administrative headquarters of the SVLFG on a regular basis at the end of the 1st quarter of the respective following year.
18.4. Data validation
1. DGUV
Various automatic and manual checks are performed on the accident data transmitted to the German Social Accident Insurance Institution (DGUV) from its members.
Validation checks include:
completeness
comparing data with preceding year data for plausibilty in changes and outliers
correctness of key-use
consistency of totals and sample size.
2. SVLFG
No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
18.5. Data compilation
1. DGUV
Weights for non-fatal accidents are calculated as follows: For the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) data are collected based on a day of birth sampling method. All injured persons with a day of birth on the 10th or 11th of a month are selected for the sample for every accident insured by one of the accident insurance institutions for trade and industry (BGen). The sample size for this particular group is therefore approx. 6.7%. For persons insured by one of the accident insurance institutions in the public sector (UVTöH), in addition every injured person with a day of birth on a 12th of a month is included in the sample. The sample size for this group is therefore approx. 9.9%. Each case is weighted according to the overall number of reported accidents of its accident insurance institution. As a result the sum of the weighted cases matches the overall number of cases reported to the DGUV.
2. SVLFG
Accidents reported to the SVLFG are examined to determine whether the SVLFG is responsible and the event that has occurred is insured.
18.5.1. Imputation - rate
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
18.6. Adjustment
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
18.6.1. Seasonal adjustment
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
1. and 2.:The national ESAW source are the declarations of accidents at work to the responsible German accident insurance institution by the employers
29 April 2025
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
Number of accidents.
1. DGUV
Weights for non-fatal accidents are calculated as follows: For the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) data are collected based on a day of birth sampling method. All injured persons with a day of birth on the 10th or 11th of a month are selected for the sample for every accident insured by one of the accident insurance institutions for trade and industry (BGen). The sample size for this particular group is therefore approx. 6.7%. For persons insured by one of the accident insurance institutions in the public sector (UVTöH), in addition every injured person with a day of birth on a 12th of a month is included in the sample. The sample size for this group is therefore approx. 9.9%. Each case is weighted according to the overall number of reported accidents of its accident insurance institution. As a result the sum of the weighted cases matches the overall number of cases reported to the DGUV.
2. SVLFG
Accidents reported to the SVLFG are examined to determine whether the SVLFG is responsible and the event that has occurred is insured.
A Information on the source of the data
1. DGUV
Original Data Sources are the employers' reports of accidents at work to their respective Social Accident Insurance Institution for trade and industry, Social Accident Insurance Institutions for the public sector or the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture. These data are collected and compiled on a yearly basis by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
2. SVLFG
The source data are derived from reports on industrial accident events (excluding commuting accidents) of persons insured with SVLFG who are employers, employers’ wives or employees aged between 15 and 69 and the duration of the inability to work exceeds 3 days.
B Information on the source of the reference population
Compiled using:
Distribution of employees subject to social insurance contributions and marginally employed persons. Data from the Federal Employment Agency
Dependent employees Insurance relationships according to the business and accounting results of the DGUV
Summary of the labour force according to SVLFG economic groups (agriculture, forestry, horticulture and landscaping)
Population data on civil servants as reported by the federal states
1. and 2.:Annual.
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
1. and 2.: No additional information to the metadata on EU level available. Information corresponds to the EU metadata.
Data on civil servants are only included and available from 2017 onwards. Between 2017 and 2019, the data are partially included (shown in detail in the respective national metadata of the individual year). From 2020, the data are fully included in the ESAW dataset.
