28.04.2022

WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK IS CELEBRATED EVERY YEAR ON APRIL 28

World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated every year on April 28. On this day, we also honor the memory of the victims of accidents at work and occupational diseases, reminding the world community once again that they can be prevented.

The data of the National Social Security Institute show an increase in the number of accidents at work in Bulgaria in 2021 compared to the previous 2020.

The increase in accidents at work in 2021 is taking place against the background of a reduction in the number of employees in many companies - due to leave or layoffs, cessation of activities in some industries, part-time work or distance work from other companies, pointed out by the Podkrepa Labor Union yesterday in a statement on the occasion of April 28.

Last year, 2392 people were injured in work accidents in Bulgaria, 68 of them were deaths.

In 2020, the number of victims of accidents at work was 2309, of which 89 were fatal, according to NSSI data.

The highest number of fatal accidents in construction last year was 18, 10 in land transport, seven in wholesale and retail trade, five in food production, four in metal products and two in forestry and crop production, and in waste collection and water treatment.

However, the total number of fatal accidents at work in 2021 is declining compared to 2020, as well as a decrease in the incidence of deaths - one in every 35 accidents at work, compared to one in 26 in 2020, according to statistics.

Podkrepa Labor Union estimates that every working day - 249 for 2021, between 9 and 10 people have an accident at work, and every four working days a worker in Bulgaria dies.

The trade union notes that the focus and financial resources of employers on measures to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic have been at the expense of measures to ensure overall safety at work, including psychosocial risks in the workplace, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular diseases.

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), 2.2 million workers worldwide die each year from accidents at work and occupational diseases.

Annually, 270 million workers suffer serious injuries, and the number of cases of occupational diseases is about 160 million.

The ILO estimates that losses from these accidents and illnesses amount to 4% of gross domestic product worldwide. According to the organization, dangerous and unhealthy working conditions also lead to loss of funds and human resources and reduce productivity and product quality.

In 2022, the ILO sets the theme of social dialogue, the participation of workers in the process of ensuring healthy and safe working conditions and the building of a strong culture of safety, health and well-being in enterprises under the motto: "Work together to build a positive culture of safety and health".

World Day for Safety and Health at Work has been celebrated since 2003 by a decision of the International Labor Organization, in order to draw the attention of the world community to health and safety at work, as well as to cultivate a culture of prevention, which is at the heart of the prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses.

Since 1996, this day has been celebrated as the International Day of Solidarity with Victims of Occupational Accidents or Occupational Diseases at the initiative of the International Trade Union Movement.