H C Slingsby : Where are the safest countries to work in Europe?

Since 1989, the European Framework Directive on Safety and Health at Work (Directive 89/391 EEC) sets the minimum standard of health and safety requirements in countries across Europe. The directive was established to ensure that workers across the continent receive the same standard of safety in the workplace.

However, the legislation only dictates the minimum standard that must be maintained. Member states can build upon this legislation to put more rigorous policies in place to protect workers further. As a result, attitudes to health and safety can fluctuate from country to country - but which countries are the safest?

Using relevant research and statistics, this report by HC Slingsby evaluates the European countries with the safest workplace policies.

European employment rates

Of course, to experience health and safety in the workplace, you'll need to be in employment. Unemployment rates vary greatly on a country-by-country basis. According to seasonally adjusted unemployment rates from Eurostat, Greece and Spain have the highest percentage of people out of work, with 24.2% and 20.1% respectively.

These figures are in contrast to the countries at the opposite end of the spectrum. In the Czech Republic, unemployment in April 2016 was just 4.1%. Germany, Malta and the UK followed closely behind with rates of 4.2%, 4.3% and 4.9% respectively.

Fatal accidents at work

Implementing legislation and procedures aims to keep fatal accidents in the workplace to a minimum. However, as the data shows, they are still a reality in many EU countries.

In 2012, the standardised incident rate of fatal workplace accidents in Europe was 1.30 per 100,000 workers. Just eight European Union countries fell below this continental average, with the rates of 21 countries soaring significantly higher.

The data shows that the UK (0.58), Netherlands (0.72), Sweden (0.80) and Germany (0.90) have the lowest rates of fatal accidents at work. Latvia and Lithuania have the highest fatality rates, with 4.70 and 3.93 respectively. Despite its large economy, France has a surprisingly high fatality rate of 2.64.

Work-related injuries

Thankfully, not all workplace incidents result in death. However, injuries can still have a large impact on an individual's life and could result in a sustained period of sick leave.

The European Labour Force Survey 2013 found that over a 12-month period, Bulgaria (0.3), Hungary (0.6) and Poland (0.7) have the lowest percentage of workers who have had a workplace accident that resulted in sick leave from work. The UK's percentage sits at 1.4.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Austria (3.5), Switzerland (3.3), Finland (3.3) and France (3.1) have the highest percentages.

This contrast could be caused by a number of factors, including the wealth of a country. Notably, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland have some of the lowest Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a measure of the average income of a country's population.

In addition, sick leave payments could be problematic in these countries. For example, in Hungary, sick employees will receive 70% of their daily salary for up to 15 working days per year. For any longer than this, sick pay is paid through social security insurance at a rate based on how long you have been insured for. As such, those in employment may not be able to afford to take time off work, even with an injury.

Conversely, Austria, Switzerland, Finland and France are in the top 20 richest countries in Europe in terms of GDP. Likewise, these countries enjoy excellent paid sick leave systems. For example, Austrian workers receive six weeks sick pay at 100% and an additional 4 weeks at 50%. Likewise, Swiss employees receive three weeks at 100% pay. Perhaps, given their strong economical position, these workers are more inclined to take sick leave in the event of injury.

Work-related illnesses

Ill health doesn't just arise from a workplace accident. Rather, it can be caused by the nature of the work carried out. The 2013 European Labour Force Survey also discovered the percentage of workers across Europe that had one or more work-related health problem which had resulted in sick leave.

The EU country with the lowest percentage was Ireland, with just one percent of workers falling ill and requiring sick leave. Lithuania (1.2) and Greece (1.4) followed, with the UK's percentage charting at 1.9.

At the opposite end of the scale, Austria had the highest percentage at 10.5, with Poland and Sweden following at a distance with 7.7 and 7.3 percent respectively.

Attitudes to health and safety

In the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey, European workers were asked if they felt their health or safety was at risk because of their work. The percentage who answered yes is startling, and could be tied into the findings mentioned previously in this report.

Interestingly, Latvian workers had the highest percentage of yes respondents. At 47.2%, almost half of those surveyed believed that their job puts their health and safety in danger. This certainly is food for thought, considering the country has the highest number of fatal accidents at work.

Workers in Denmark (15.5), Netherlands (16.1) and Ireland (16.9) believe themselves to be the least at risk. This could be a result of the relatively low numbers of fatal accidents and work-related health problems reported for each country.

Conclusion

Thankfully, because of the health and safety standards implemented across the continent, working in Europe is generally safe. However, as with everything, fluctuations are present between countries. These differences could be a result of a number of factors, from more developed legislation to the country's economic conditions and the nature of the work carried out.

It's crucial that we continue to shape attitudes towards health and safety, raising awareness of its importance in order to reduce the number of workplace injuries and fatalities. Through continued work, we can make working in Europe safer for all employees.

Sources

https://osha.europa.eu/en/legislation/directives/the-osh-framework-directive/the-osh-framework-directive-introduction

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics#Further_Eurostat_information

http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/european/european-comparisons.pdf

http://www.aneki.com/europe_richest.html?order=desc&orderby=fb129.value&number=all

http://cepr.net/documents/publications/paid-sick-days-2009-05.pdf

http://hro.ceu.edu/sickness