Between January and May of this year there were a total of 921 workplace accidents in Lanzarote, 17.1% more than those that occurred in the same period of 2022, according to data published by the Lanzarote Data Center based on the Accident Statistics of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
In both periods there was one very serious accident, but with regard to the next level of damage, serious accidents, there have already been 6 this year, while last year there was only one accident of these characteristics in the same period.
For the whole of the Canary Islands, CCOO has reported that in the first six months of the year workplace accidents increased by 7.1% compared to the same period in 2022, with a total of 26,620 incidents recorded, while in the country as a whole they fell by 0.9%. Seven of them were fatal; 70 were serious or very serious and the rest were minor.
Of that total amount, 12,462 accidents have involved the worker's leave, 18.15% more than in the first semester of 2022; 12,308 without leave (8.8% more) and 1,850 were 'in itinere' accidents, that is, when the worker was going to or returning to his/her job (30.83% more).
CCOO points to "an inadequate management of psychosocial risks and difficult to achieve objectives"
By sectors, the Services sector continues to be the one with the highest percentage of accidents in the archipelago as a whole, with 21.77%; followed by the Industrial sector with 12.96, the Agricultural and Fisheries sector with 10.87 and finally, Construction with 7.3%.
The Incidence Rate for the period January-June 2023 is 1,435.29 work accidents with sick leave during the working day for every 100,000 workers affiliated to Social Security with professional contingencies covered, 12.86% higher than that registered in the same period from January to June 2022.
The most frequent forms in which these serious and very serious accidents have been reported are "physical overexertion - on the musculoskeletal system", followed by "blow on or against as a result of a fall" and contact with a sharp material agent.
Regarding fatal work accidents, of the six people who died in the period from January to June 2023, five of them were caused by heart attacks, strokes and other non-traumatic pathologies.
CCOO points to the possible relationship with "an inadequate management of psychosocial risks and an inadequate organizational management of the company, excessive rhythms, difficult to achieve objectives... as well as the need to establish health promotion policies in companies".
CCOO Canarias is committed to the need to give a boost to the improvement of occupational risk prevention policies to reverse these figures and consolidate the preventive culture in the islands.
To this end, it continues, "it is vital" to continue with the actions planned in the action plans of the Canarian Institute of Occupational Safety and activate the Canarian Strategy for Safety and Health at Work 2023-2027 "without further delay".
