Last year, 28 workers died at work on land in Norway. 25 of the dead were Norwegian citizens and all were men.
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The number of deaths caused by accidents at work is lower than in 2021, when 31 workers died at work, but at the same level as in the last five years.
– Although we see a decrease in the number of deaths due to work accidents in 2021-2022, the number of deaths due to work accidents in Norwegian working life on land is still too high. Every work-related death is one death too many, says Director Trude Vollheim of the Norwegian Occupational Safety and Health Authority.
The average for the previous five years (2017-2021) is, like last year, 28 deaths due to accidents at work. Over the ten-year period 2012-2021, the average is 33 deaths due to accidents at work per year.
Three industries stand out
There are three industries that stand out when looking at the number of work-related deaths in 2022. 21 of the 27 work-related deaths occurred in these three industries, which are:
- construction and construction activities (8 deaths caused by accidents at work)
- transport and storage (7 deaths caused by accidents at work)
- agriculture (6 deaths caused by accidents at work)
In the industrial sector in 2022, there was a large decrease in the number of deaths caused by accidents at work compared to the previous year. While in 2021 there were six deaths in the industry due to accidents at work, in 2022 one person died at work in the industry. There is no obvious, unambiguous reason for this decline. The figures for 2021 and 2022 are both above and below the average of the last ten years, which means four industrial accidents per year.
Majority of fatal accidents caused by accidents at work in the construction industry
Construction is the industry in which it occurs most fatal accidents caused by accidents at work. In 2022, eight workers died at work in this industry, the same level as in previous years, with nine deaths in 2021 and eight in 2020.
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Six accidents occurred on construction sites, one on a public road and one in a workshop. There is a wide variation in the type of work being done at the time of the accident. There were three accidents during the execution of transport orders, two of them during loading/unloading, and one as a result of a vehicle being run over by a train. Three accidents occurred during construction works, one during construction works and one during the repair of construction machinery.
Seven deaths caused by accidents at work in transport and storage
In 2022, there were a total of seven fatal accidents in the transport and warehouse industry caused by accidents at work. This is the same as in 2021 and 2020. Three of these accidents are traffic accidents. The other accidents differed in the type of accident.
Six deaths related to agricultural work
In 2022, 6 people died in agriculture. This is the same as in previous years, with five deaths in 2021 and six deaths in 2020. In all cases, the person who died was alone at the time of the accident, with no witnesses to the incident. Three accidents occurred in connection with the use of machinery or vehicles (round baler, rotary tiller and tractor), while the other three accidents occurred in connection with animal care, work in silos and falls while working in the field.
Clear potential for improvement
– We see clear potential for improvement when it comes to systematic work on safety to prevent accidents in connection with loading and unloading operations. For loading and unloading operations, it is particularly important to properly secure the load and, in particular, to establish danger zones to ensure sufficient physical distance between people and objects, says Trude Vollheim.
Decrease in the number of deaths of foreign workers
In 2022, three foreign workers died. In 2021 and 2020, six and ten foreigners, respectively workers died at work in Norway. There are large annual differences in the number of foreign workers who die in work-related accidents in Norway. Over the past ten years, the number has ranged from two to 14 deaths per year. The average for the previous ten-year period (2012–2021) was eight deaths per year.
– It is gratifying that the number of foreign workers who died at work is falling. However, there are large differences in the number of deaths caused by accidents at work from year to year. We know that foreign employees may be at greater risk than Norwegian employees due to, among other things, the type of work they do and because of their language and culture. This is still a group of employees that employers must pay special attention to, says Trude Vollheim.
A systematic working environment prevents accidents
The employer is responsible for mapping and assessing hazards and implementing risk mitigation measures so that work can be done safely. This applies to both scheduled work tasks, maintenance tasks and perhaps especially unplanned situations.
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Source: Arbeidstilsynet
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