An ad hoc module on "Work-related health problems and accidental injuries" was included in the 1999 Labour Force Survey (LFS), in order to act as a complementary data source to ESAW (European Statistics on accidents at Work) and EODS (European Occupational Diseases Statistics) and give a broader view on Health and Safety at Work..

This module provided complementary information on accidents occurring at work and resulting in less than 4 days' absence from work, on return to work after the accident at work and on health problems caused or made worse by work.

The data refer to self-reported accidental injuries at work during a 12 month period before the survey and to self-reported non-accidental health problems caused or made worse by work and from which the respondent had suffered during a 12 month period before the survey.

The indicators used for accidental injuries are the percentage distributions of accidents and the relative incidence rate of accidents (relative to the rate in the total of all participating countries, which is marked with 100). The incidence rate is the number of accidents at work per 100 000 employed workers.

The indicators used for non-accidental health problems are the percentage distribution, number, prevalence rate and relative prevalence rate of health problems (relative to the rate in the total of all participating countries, which is marked with 100). The prevalence rate is the number of people suffering from the health problem during the last 12 months per 100 000 employed workers (see the link to summary methodology at the bottom of the page).

Statistical adjustments:

Because the frequency of work accidents is higher in some branches (high-risk sectors), an adjustment is performed to get more standardised incidence rates. Similarly, the prevalence rates for non-accidental health problems are standardised for economic activity and for age, as age influences importantly the prevalence of health problems. For more details, please see the link to the summary methodology at the bottom of the page.

Geographical coverage:

Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom.

Sector coverage:

All sectors of economic activity are covered. The specification of sectors is given according to the NACE classification (NACE = Nomenclature statistique des activités économiques dans la Communauté européenne).

The incidence and prevalence rates are calculated for the total of all branches.

The following standard classifications were used:

• NACE Rev.1:economic activities in the European Community
• ISCO-88: international standard classification of occupation
• NUTS: nomenclature of territorial units for statistics
• ICSE: international classification of status in employment
• ISCED: international standard classification of education

For full details on these classifications, please see our nomenclature server Ramon

All sectors of economic activity are covered. The incidence and prevalence rates are calculated for the total of all branches.

Work related health problems and accidental injuries statistics are based on a survey performed as an ad hoc module in connection with the second quarter of the 1999 Labour Force Survey.

The accidental injury at work concept follows the one used for the compilation of the ESAW (European Statistics on Accidents at Work) data ("a discrete occurrence in the course of work which leads to physical or mental harm"). The same inclusions of specific types of accidents [accidents in the course of work outside the premises of one's business, even if caused by a third party (on clients' premises, on another company's premises, in a public place or during transport, including road traffic accidents) and cases of acute poisoning] and the same exclusions [accidents on the way to or from work (commuting accidents), occurrences having only a medical origin (such as a heart attack at work) and non-accidental health problems] are adopted. The two main differences from the ESAW data are:

• While accidents with less than 4 days' absence from work are included, fatal accidents at work are not included.
• The reference period of this ad hoc module covers accidents that occurred during the last 12 months before the interview, in comparison to accidents reported during a calendar year in ESAW.

A work-related health problem covers all diseases, disabilities and other physical or psychological health problems, apart from accidental injuries, suffered by the person during the last 12 months, and caused or made worse by the work. This is a broad concept that covers much more than the recognised occupational diseases covered by the EODS (European Occupational Diseases Statistics) data. The main differences between the ad hoc module and EODS Phase 1 definitions for incident occupational diseases are:

• The concept of the work-related health problem is based on a self-assessment of survey respondents in regard with their work-related state of health.
• The ad hoc module includes complaints irrespective of their severity.
• It includes not only health problems caused by work but also those made worse by work.
• It includes health problems where the onset was more than one year prior to the survey, in the case that the respondent had suffered from the health problem during the last 12 months.

In regard with the indicators presented in this domain:

• The indicator showing the risk of accidental injuries at work is the incidence rate = (number of accidental injuries at work that occurred during the year / number of persons in employment in the reference population) X 100 000. On this basis, the relative incidence rate is calculated by dividing the incidence rate in the studied group by the incidence rate in all the participating countries and multiplying by 100.
• For non-accidental health problems the indicator showing the risk is the prevalence rate = (number of people suffering from a work-related health problem / number of persons in employment in the reference population) X 100 000. On this basis, the relative prevalence rate is calculated by dividing the prevalence rate in the studied group by the prevalence rate in all the participating countries and multiplying by 100.

The data relating to the number of persons in employment (the reference population) are provided by the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The reference population was based on LFS numbers of workers during the second quarter of the same year as the survey. For the LFS ad hoc module no groups of employed workers (e.g. self-employed) were excluded from the reference population as the survey covered all employed workers. This reference population was used for the accidental injuries.

For the work-related health problems the concept of the reference population is more complicated as health problems may have arisen from previous employment and the person may at the moment of the survey have been already in another job, unemployed or on retirement. For the calculation of the prevalence rates only health problems linked to the current employment were taken into account and the reference population was the LFS numbers of workers during the second quarter of the same year as the survey. However, in the tables reporting the absolute numbers of health problems, the data cover both the active population (people in employment and unemployed) and the inactive population (the rest of the population). As the survey was focused on work-related health problems, only those unemployed and inactive persons who had previously worked were covered.

Breakdowns are available by age, sex, occupation (ISCO-COM 1-digit) and employment status (from ICSE 1993) of the victim, by economic activity (NACE 1-digit), size of the local unit of the enterprise, by type and part of body of the injury, and by education level (from ISCED 1997).

The statistical unit is the accidental injury or the work-related health problem of one person. If the same person had reported having several accidental injuries (or several work-related health problems) during the last 12 months, each injury (or health problem) was counted. However, in the case of several injuries (or several health problems) the characteristics of the injury (part of body, type of injury, etc.) or of the health problem refer only to the most severe one.

The survey focused on accidental injuries at work during the last 12 months and work-related health problems suffered during the last 12 months. For accidental injuries the target population was those having worked during the 12 months preceding the survey. As some work-related health problems may develop over a long time (e.g. noise-induced problems, pneumoconiosis, some musculoskeletal problems) the target population for work-related health problems was those being employed or self-employed at least at some point during their lives. All groups (employees, self-employed, family workers) or sectors (economic activity) were covered by the survey.

Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, and United Kingdom.

The data cover accidental injuries occurring, as well as non-accidental health problems of which the respondent had suffered, during 12 months before the survey, which was carried out during the second quarter of 1999.

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The period to which the data refer to is the 12 months before the survey.

• 88/C 28/01 Council Resolution on safety, hygiene and health at work.
• Framework Directive 89/391/EEC on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work.
• Commission Communication COM (2002) 118 Final and Council resolution 2002/C 161/01 on a new Community strategy for safety and health at work 2002-2006.
• Commission Regulation (EC) No 1571/98 of 20.07.1998 implementing the Council Regulation N°577/98 on the organisation of a labour force sample survey in the Community.
• Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 on Community Statistics.

Council Decision 1999/126/EC on the Community statistical programme 1998-2002.

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Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

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There is no official release calendar.

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In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.

Only 1999 data are available.

• Work and health in the European Union: a statistical portrait
• European social statistics -Accidents at work and work-related health problems, Data 1994-2000. Detailed tables, 2002 edition.
• Eurostat statistics in focus - Population and social conditions - n° 17/2001.

See: http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/dsis/hasaw/library: publications.

Please consult free data on-line or refer to contact details.

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• European social statistics -Accidents at work and work-related health problems, Data 1994-2000. Detailed tables, 2002 edition. Eurostat.
• Eurostat statistics in focus - Population and social conditions - n° 17/2001.
• Eurostat statistics in focus - Population and social conditions - n° 16/2001.
• Eurostat statistics in focus - Population and social conditions - n° 4/2002.

See also: http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/dsis/hasaw/library: publications.

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Survey data; The statistics are based on a survey methodology defined by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1571/98 of 20.07.1998 implementing the Council Regulation N°577/98 on the organisation of a labour force sample survey in the Community. About 544 000 persons were interviewed for the occurrence of accidental injuries and about 650 000 persons for the occurrence of work-related health problems.

The data relating to persons in employment are provided by the Labour Force Survey.

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National LFS ad hoc data were collected in accordance with the methodology provided in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1571/98 of 20.07.1998 implementing the Council Regulation N°577/98 on the organisation of a labour force sample survey in the Community.

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For accidental injuries data are given as percentage distributions, incidence rates and relative incidence rates. For work-related health problems data are given as absolute numbers, percentage distributions, prevalence rates and relative prevalence rates.

Sectorial adjustments:

As in ESAW methodology, since the activity structure of a country influences the value of its total incidence rate, the incidence rate of accidental injuries is standardised by giving each of the branches the same weight at both the national and the EU level.

As for accidental injuries, since the activity structure and the age structure of the working population of a country influence the value of its total frequency, the standardised prevalence rate gives each of the crossed groups of branches and age groups the same weight at both the national and the EU level.

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