Accidents at Work: January-June 2024
- The first half of 2024 registered a slight increase in the number of claims with respect to non-fatal accidents.
- Almost one third of those involved in an accident at work were absent from work for 3 days or less.
- The largest share of accidents at work involved persons working in elementary occupations.
- Seventy per cent of those involved in a non-fatal accident at work were Maltese.
- Four fatal accidents were reported during the first six months of 2024.
Accidents at Work: January-June 2024
Accidents at Work: January-June 2024
Non-fatal accidents
Administrative records show that 1,085 non-fatal accidents at work were reported in the first six months of 2024.
The majority of these non-fatal accidents occurred in the manufacturing sector (15.8 per cent). Another 143 or 13.2 per cent of the accidents occurred in the construction sector followed by the human health and social work activities (117 or 10.8 per cent) (Table 1). Almost one third of those involved in an accident at work were absent from work for 3 days or less, while those absent from work for 21 days or more amounted to 19.3 per cent (Table 2).
The largest share of accidents at work during the reference period involved persons working in elementary occupations followed by craft and related trades workers (Table 3). As regard age cohorts, 26.3 per cent of the accidents involved persons in the 25 to 34 age-bracket (Table 4). In the period under review, 70.0 per cent of those involved in a non-fatal accident at work were Maltese (Table 5).
Almost one third (31.9 per cent) of the injuries at work affected the back, including spine and vertebra in the back (Table 6). Wounds and superficial injuries, and dislocations, sprains and strains were the most common types of injuries, amounting to 687 and 292 cases respectively (Table 7).
In the first half of 2024, 26.3 per cent of the accidents at work took place in enterprises with 500 or more employees (Table 9).
During 2023, 733 non-fatal accidents per 100,000 employed persons were reported. The highest standardised incidence rate of non-fatal accidents at work was recorded in manufacturing followed by construction and human health and social work activities (Table 11).
Chart 1. Number of non-fatal accidents at work by sex
2013-2023
No Data Found
Fatal accidents
Between January and June 2024, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) reported four fatal accidents at work. Table 12 illustrates that all fatalities at work involved males, non-EU nationals and employees engaged in elementary occupations. In half of the cases, victims were aged between 45 to 54 years (Table 12). During the first half of 2024, half of all fatalities at work occurred in the construction sector (Table 13). 50 per cent of all deaths were caused by head injuries, involving concussions and internal injuries (Table 14). During 2023, the incidence rate of fatal accidents at work stood at 1.7 (Table 15).
Chart 2. Number of fatal accidents at work
2013-2023
No Data Found
Tables
Tables
Non-fatal accidents at work
Fatal accidents at work
Methodological Notes
