Occupational accidents reported to WEA
If an occupational accident results in one day or more of unfitness for work in addition to the day on which it occurred, the employer is obliged to report it to the Danish Working Environment Authority (WEA). Accidents in the shipping, fishing, aviation and offshore industries do not have to be reported to the Danish Working Environment Authority, and therefore do not figure in its statistics.
Table 1 shows the number of reported occupational accidents in the period 1998-2003, broken down by their seriousness and the year in which they occurred. The figures include reports received up to 17 January 2004. By that date, 38,970 occupational accidents that had occurred in 2003 had been reported. This figure is somewhat lower than in the preceding years. However, experience indicates that approximately 3,000 further reports of occupational accidents that occurred in 2003 will be received after 17 January 2004.
It should be noted that the extent of under-reporting of occupational accidents is estimated to be approximately 50 per cent. In other words, only half the accidents that should be reported are in fact reported to the Danish Wording Environment Authority.
Over the period 1998-2002 there has been a significant fall in the absolute numbers of reported occupational accidents, from 50,148 in 1998 to 43,930 in 2002.
Table 1: Reported occupational accidents 1998-2003, by type (seriousness) and year. Source: The Danish Working Environment Authority
| Type (seriousness) |
Year |
Total |
| |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
|
|
Fatal |
80 |
69 |
68 |
50 |
57 |
51 |
375 |
| Other serious accidents |
5,563 |
5,586 |
5,339 |
5,101 |
4,821 |
4,569 |
30,979 |
| Other |
44,505 |
44,389 |
42,813 |
41,798 |
39,052 |
34,350 |
246,907 |
| Total |
50,148 |
50,044 |
48,220 |
46,949 |
43,930 |
38,970 |
278,261 |
The incidence of reported occupational accidents in the period 1998-2003 has been calculated by comparing the number of occupational accidents in a given year with the number of people in employment in that year. The incidence is stated as the number of occupational accidents per 10,000 employed persons in the year in question.
The incidence of reported occupational accidents fell from 186 to 158 during the period 1998-2002, corresponding to a reduction of 15 per cent. According to “Overvågningsrapport 2002” (“Surveillance Report 2002”), the fall in the period 1993-2002 is statistically significant.
Occupational diseases reported to WEA
Doctors and dentists are obliged to report suspected and confirmed cases of occupational diseases. The figures for cases of occupational diseases are compiled according to the registration year, i.e., the year in which they were reported.
Table 2 shows the number of reported cases of occupational diseases in the period 1998-2003, broken down by category of main diagnosis. The number of cases of occupational diseases reported in 2003 was 11,413, which is somewhat lower than the level of the preceding five years. The figure fell from 14,456 in 1998 to 11,413 in 2003.
The extent of under-reporting of occupational diseases is not known, but studies indicate that it is considerable.
Table 2: Reported occupational diseases 1998-2003, by category of main diagnosis and year. Source: The Danish Working Environment Authority
| Main diagnosis |
Registration year |
Total |
| |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
|
| Infectious diseases |
181 |
167 |
181 |
188 |
163 |
115 |
995 |
| Cancer and pre-cancerous conditions |
204 |
194 |
207 |
177 |
183 |
238 |
1,203 |
| Blood and metabolic disorders |
6 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
21 |
| Mental disorders |
679 |
745 |
870 |
1,213 |
1,423 |
1,551 |
6,481 |
| CNS dysfunction* |
95 |
77 |
61 |
88 |
51 |
35 |
407 |
| Other nervous system disorders |
130 |
88 |
98 |
26 |
20 |
21 |
383 |
| Hearing impairment |
2,025 |
1,724 |
1,447 |
1,578 |
1,606 |
1,380 |
9,760 |
| Other sensory organ disorders |
312 |
288 |
474 |
343 |
392 |
308 |
2,117 |
| Circulatory disorders |
154 |
153 |
149 |
153 |
182 |
166 |
957 |
| Non-allergic respiratory disorders |
485 |
378 |
412 |
354 |
259 |
231 |
2,119 |
| Allergic respiratory disorders |
378 |
326 |
338 |
298 |
263 |
243 |
1,846 |
| Disorders of the digestive system |
79 |
47 |
76 |
72 |
56 |
47 |
377 |
| Skin diseases |
1,561 |
1,371 |
1,366 |
1,545 |
1,418 |
1,268 |
8,529 |
| Musculoskeletal disorders |
7,800 |
6,765 |
6,851 |
7,340 |
6,309 |
5,511 |
40,576 |
| Genito-urinary disorders |
5 |
3 |
7 |
7 |
8 |
5 |
35 |
| Disorders of preg-nancy and child-birth |
- |
3 |
8 |
6 |
2 |
7 |
26 |
| Inadequately defined conditions |
113 |
73 |
99 |
104 |
96 |
108 |
593 |
Suddenly occurring injury
(non-accidents) |
249 |
229 |
209 |
95 |
133 |
176 |
1,091 |
| Total |
14,456 |
12,635 |
12,856 |
13,590 |
12,566 |
11,413 |
77,516 |
* CNS dysfunction includes various forms of impairment of the central nervous system.
The incidence of reported occupational diseases fell considerably during the period 1998-2003. However, incidence rates of occupational diseases must not be over-interpreted, as they are subject to considerable uncertainty.
Nordic statistics for reported occupational injuries
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