that the reported 3.14 million accidents represent approximately 57.5% of all work accidents resulting in 
more than three days of absence, while 42.5% are not reported.  
The pure distinction between fatal and non-fatal work accidents does not reveal that a very large part of 
the human and financial burden is caused by severe but not fatal accidents . In 2019, 232,892 work 
accidents resulted in an absence of more than three months or caused a permanent disability, compared 
to 3,008 fatal accidents (NACE Rev. 2 activity A, C -N). That is, in addition to every worker who dies, 
another 77 suffer injuries resulting in at least three months off work or in permanent disability.  
Work-related deaths and diseases 
Work-related health outcomes represent a much higher burden  for society than work accidents. 
More workers are affected, and the overall costs are much higher. When limiting the scope of analysis 
to the officially recognised occupational diseases, the trend of healt h outcomes (deaths, illnesses) 
caused by ‘exposures’ at work decreases similarly to the accident trend.