Safety at Work: Accidents Growing in 2022 (+47.7%)

Protecting your business from the risk of accidents is a priority that can no longer be postponed: taking out adequate coverage is, in fact, essential to guarantee peace of mind to your collaborators and avoid the occurrence of an interruption of operations for an indefinite period of time, with a significant impact on the economic stability of all the actors involved

by Paolo Tanfoglio, CEO of Lokky

In the first five months of 2022, according to the latest data from INAIL, there were 323,806 reports of accidents at work, with an increase of 47.7% compared to the same period in 2021. The Institute also specified that unrelated deaths were 364, down 16.1% compared to the previous year; on the contrary, pathologies of professional origin increased: 25,593 were reported (+7%).

The increase in accidents at work concerns both accidents that occurred during working hours, which went from 194,280 in 2021 to 290,283 in 2022 (+49.4%), and cases in itinere, i.e. those that occurred on the way to and from the workplace, which went from 24,982 to 33,523 (+34.2%). Generalized increases were recorded in almost all production sectors, in particular in transport and warehousing (+144.3%), in healthcare and social assistance (+134.4%) and in accommodation and restaurant services activities (+105.1%). As regards the territorial analysis, the South is the area most affected by this phenomenon (+65.8%), followed by the Islands (+61.5%), North-West (+55.7%), Center (+48.2%) and North-East (+30.2%). Among the regions with the main percentage increases, we note mainly Campania (+112.1%), Liguria (+75.7%) and Abruzzo (+66.5%).

From the lack of information and training of staff to machinery lacking suitable safety measures, premises that are not up to standard and excessive haste and stress in carrying out work tasks: these are some of the main causes of accidents at work, detected by Labor Security. Among the events that have strongly influenced the accident trend in 2022, in addition to the main critical issues mentioned above, we also find the pandemic situation: from the analysis of the data it emerges that, with the resumption of activities and travel after the health emergency, there was a consequent increase in accidents at work and commuting accidents at a national level. However, although the increase in employment has certainly influenced the increase in such accidents, the data still give rise to great concern.

In this complex scenario, it emerges that protecting your employees and your business from the risk of accidents is a challenge that can no longer be postponed: often the occurrence of an accident at work involves the interruption of the activity for an indefinite period of time, which can also jeopardize the economic stability and assets of the owner and collaborators. Even if it is hoped that it will never be needed, Accident and Illness coverage – combined with Civil Liability coverage for Collaborators – represents a fundamental protection to guarantee the peace of mind of all the actors involved.

At a regulatory level, when we talk about workplace accident insurance, we are referring to a type of insurance required by law (Constitution, article 38, paragraph 2). Every employer, therefore, must guarantee their workers an accident policy that insures them against accidents – more or less serious – that can occur in the workplace. This policy is completely managed by INAIL and has been mandatory by law since 1965. To be defined as such, an accident at work must be characterized by two fundamental parameters. First it must happen at work, be it an office, a shop, a construction site or any other place where the worker is carrying out the tasks requested by the employer. The second fundamental element that defines an accident at work is time: to be covered by insurance, the accident must cause damage that prevents recovery in less than three days. Therefore, the accident at work leads to a stoppage of one’s activities for periods of time exceeding three days.

Depending on the type of business, the company or professional can choose to add a private policy to the basic policy to have greater protection and, above all, more extensive coverage, i.e. not limited to the working environment. In fact, a worker may find himself involved in an accident or fall ill even in contexts other than work: in this case, he would find himself unable to work and without insurance coverage. Furthermore, it should be emphasized that, depending on the policies taken out, you may have coverage even in the event of an accident that is not considered serious. At the time of signing up, therefore, the worker will be able to choose the type of policy and, naturally, the premium with the related installments to be paid.

Staff are an indispensable resource for a company, a real asset, especially for SMEs. For this reason, it must be adequately protected from the consequences of any accidents. To best protect their employees and collaborators, it is therefore necessary for companies to consider the variety of injuries that can affect the individual, even if it is not an accident in the workplace, and consequently rely on a complete and personalized policy, which is based on specific needs and requirements.