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Time to widen definition of work-related deaths

Date Released: 01 Apr 2008

SIPTU’s General Secretary, Joe O’Flynn has welcomed the call for a widening of the definition of work-related deaths by Dr. Jukka Takala, head of the European Agency for Safety and Health.

 “As far back as 2003, SIPTU has been questioning the real figure of work related deaths in Ireland.

“In the nineteen years between 1989 and 2007, according to official statistics 1,115 workers were killed in work related accidents in Ireland – an average of 58 workers per year over that period.  In 2002 alone, 61 people were killed.  But what is the real figure for work related deaths in Ireland each year?  For example, those killed in road traffic accidents who are driving as part of their normal work, are not included in occupational fatality statistics.  It is also estimated that between four and eight per cent of cancer deaths are due to work related causes.  In Ireland an average of seven and a half thousand people die each year due to cancer. That would mean that 300 of these can be related to conditions in the workplace.

“In Ireland we have the highest death rate from respiratory diseases in Western Europe and the lowest life expectancy within the EU Community.  Here again some of those who died from heart and respiratory diseases also had the root cause in the workplace.

“It is therefore safe to assume that the true level of work related deaths in Ireland could well be closer to several hundred each year. It is now becoming increasingly evident – with the weight of international studies, that SIPTU’s claim that Ireland’s official statistics in relation to work-related deaths are only the tip of the iceberg.  The European Agency estimates that Ireland’s true work-related deaths in 2003 was around 1,400 – a far cry from our official statistics of 66 for that year.

“We are calling on the Government to ensure a new system is put in place that highlights an awareness of the true extent of work related fatalities and seeks to address the issue of protecting workers’ health and safety by making available the necessary resources to ensure that regulations are strictly adhered to by all employers in all workplaces.

“Any work-related illness or disease which causes more than three days absence from work should be reported as a legal requirement,” he concluded.



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