Almeria second for fatal work accidents in Andalucia

DEATHS due to accidents in the workplace numbered 20 in Almeria last year and the rate of fatalities in Andalucia rose by 15.4 per cent.

Almeria came second among Andalucia’s provinces in terms of deaths resulting from accidents at work. It came behind Seville which had 31 fatalities and ahead of Malaga which registered 16, Granada with 11, Cadiz with 10, Jaen with nine and Cordoba with eight.

Figures from the Ministry of Employment stated that the total of 112 workers lost their lives as a result of work-related incidents in Andalucia.

Of that total 95 died during the workday itself, with the remaining 17 fatalities occurring on the way to or from work.

Andalucia saw a greater rise in the number of such deaths than Spain experienced overall. A total of 618 people died in work-related accidents in 2017, a rise of 1.8 per cent compared to the previous year.

More than 583,000 accidents resulted in sick leave nationally last year, an increase on 2016 levels of 5 per cent. The number of those which resulted in minor injuries was more than 499,000.

The manufacturing industry saw the greatest number of accidents at more than 94,100, followed by retail, wholesale and car repairs at a total of almost 72,000.

More than 59,500 of the accidents were in construction, followed by the hospitality industry at almost 51,000.

Most workplace accidents were due to physical overstress, falls, stumbles and hitting objects or sharp and hard metals, according to data.