The frequency of accidents at work increased by 17.4% in Cyprus, the Secretary General of SEK said on Thursday, during a ceremony held by the union on the occasion of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
The numbers cause concern, Labour Minister, Zeta Emilianidou said, addressing the ceremony, held at SEK headquarters.
She said that the International Labour Organization estimates that each year, more than 2.3 million people die of accidents at work and occupational diseases. Work accidents are estimated to be more than 313 million per year, she added.
“With the cooperation of the social partners and all other stakeholders the Government aims to meet the challenge of collecting and using reliable data on occupational health and safety issues, to identify the causes of risk, deviations or omissions, so as to design and take additional measures to prevent possible work accidents” Emilianidou noted.
SEK Secretary General Andreas Matsas said that the frequency of accidents at work in Cyprus increased by 17.4% and expressed concern.
He also noted that the cost of accidents at work and occupational diseases exceeds 4% of the world`s GDP.
Matsas stressed that it is wrong to presume that not investing in health and safety measures at work increases the profitability or viability of businesses.
This misconception, he said, led to downgrading the level of health and safety at work in Cyprus, during the financial crisis in the previous years.