The cost of worldwide work-related injury and illness has risen to €2.68 trillion according to new study presented to the XXI World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, held in Singapore on 3‑6 September.
These figures were provided by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), the WSH Institute in Singapore, the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) and EU-OSHA. They were presented at the same time as a data visualisation tool clearly demonstrating the overall costs of workplace related diseases and accidents. This tool also contains a glossary of the terms frequently used and a guide explaining methodology applied.
The study findings reveal that work-related illnesses account for 86% of all deaths related to work worldwide, and 98% of those in the EU. 123.3 million DALY (disability-adjusted life years) are lost globally (7.1 million in the EU) as a result of work-related injury and illness. Of these, 67.8 million (3.4 million in the EU) are accounted for by fatalities and 55.5 million (3.7 million in the EU) by disability. In most European countries, work-related cancer accounts for the majority of costs (€119.5 billion or 0.81% of the EU’s GDP), with musculoskeletal disorders being the second largest contributor.
It should be pointed out that a legislative initiative on musculoskeletal disorders had been planned by the former Socialist Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Laszlo Andor, but was later abandoned due to lack of support.
The study can be consulted at: https://osha.europa.eu/fr/highlights/eu-osha-presents-new-figures-costs-poor-workplace-safety-and-health-world-osh-congress. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)