A note on occupational accidents in Portugal from 2000 to 2018

Abstract

For economic and other reasons, there is a pressing need to improve occupational safety and health conditions in the European Union. In Portugal, this need is even more urgent as it has been verified that occupational accidents number and incidence rate are higher than in most of the European Union countries. The uneasiness caused by these values determined their reduction as the main objective of the Portuguese National Strategy for the Promotion of Safety and Health at Work for the years 2015-2020. Previous studies on occupational accidents in Portugal, presented different approaches to the problem, almost always focusing on accidents in specific activities. Considering the impact that occupational accidents have on the health and lives of workers, but also for companies and the country, it is also pertinent and relevant to look at the global present situation of occupational accidents in Portugal and compare Portugal’s indicators with those of the European Union. To this end, an analysis of occupational accidents in Portugal and in European Union was carried out, using the most recent data provided by PORDATA.