Definition: the indicator measures the number of accidents that occur during work and lead to the death of the victim in the year following the accident, per 100,000 employees. The figures come from the administrative data of the European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW).

Goal: the number of fatal accidents at work must decrease.

The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs adopted by the UN in 2015 include target 8.8: "Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments of all workers, including migrant workers, particularly women migrants, and those in precarious employment".

International comparison: overall, Belgium and the EU27 follow a similar trend. The rate of fatal accidents at work is decreasing more steadily in the EU27, from 2.31 per 100,000 employees in 2010 to 1.74 in 2019. In 2021 it reached 1.76. When Member States are divided into three groups, Belgium is part of the group with the best performance in 2020. In that year, the Netherlands ranked first with 0.3 and Cyprus last with 4.45.

UN indicator: The selected indicator corresponds to indicator 8.8.1 - Frequency rates of fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries, by sex and migrant status.

Sources

• SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals: United Nations (2015), Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015, document A/RES/70/1.

• Indicators: United Nations (2017), Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017, document A/RES/71/313.

• UN Sustainable Development: https://sdgs.un.org/ (consulted on 18/01/2023).

• UN Sustainable Development Goal indicators website: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/ (consulted on 18/01/2023).

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