Farmers’ risk of fatal accidents at work has fallen clearly in ten years

Risk of fatal accidents at work among farmers, i.e. own-account workers in agriculture has fallen by 13 per cent during 2000-2009. These data derive from Statistics Finland's occupational accidents statistics, in which two five-year periods were compared with each other. In the 2000-2004 period, own-account workers in agriculture had 44 fatal accidents at work, which is an average of 8.8 fatal accidents per 100,000 own-account workers in agriculture. In the 2005-2009 period, a total of 33 own-account workers in agriculture died in occupational accidents, which amounted to an annual average of 7.6 fatal accidents per 100,000 own-account workers in agriculture. The most recent occupational accident statistics contain data on the accidents at work of wage and salary earners and own-account workers in agriculture in 2009. The statistics also contain data on accidents at work that have occurred to other self-employed persons, and on wage and salary earners’ commuting accidents.

Accidents at work and fatal accidents at work of wage and salary earners and own-account workers in agriculture in 2009

	Accidents at work	Resulting in disability of at least 4 days	Accidents at work resulting in disability of at least four days / 100,000 persons	Fatal accidents at work
Wage and salary earners	98 466	42 979	2 008	26
Own-accounts workers	4 731	4 045	4 897	4

In 2009, wage and salary earners had a total of 98,466 accidents at work for which insurance companies paid compensation. Disability of at least four days resulted from 42,979 of these accidents. The total number of fatal accidents at work among wage and salary earners fell clearly from the previous year. The economic recession in Finland in 2009 and the changes in the number of hours worked explain for the main part the change. The number of all hours worked among wage and salary earners in Finland went down by around seven per cent from 2008.

Compared with the year before, the number of occupational accidents resulting in a disability of at least four days fell by one fifth (-20.4%). When measured by the accident incidence rate, the risk of accidents at work also diminished by nearly one fifth from 2008 (-17.3 %). In 2009, a total of 2,008 accidents at work resulting in a disability of at least four days occurred per 100,000 wage and salary earners. The corresponding ratio in 2008 was 2,428.

Similarly to earlier years, the work of own-account workers in agriculture continues to be more risk prone than the average work of wage and salary earners. The accident incidence rate of own-account workers in agriculture is more than twice that of wage and salary earners. In 2009, the Farmers' Social Insurance Institution paid out compensation to own-account workers in agriculture for a total of 4,731 accidents at work, of which 4,045 led to an absence from work of at least four days.

The occupational accident proneness of own-account workers in agriculture measured by the accident incidence rate decreased from the year before (by -6.2 %). In 2009, the number of accidents at work of own-account workers in agriculture resulting in an absence from work of at least four days was 4,897 per 100,000 insured own-account workers in agriculture. The corresponding ratio in 2008 was 5,220.

In 2009, a total of 48 persons died at the place of work or while commuting. Of these fatal accidents at work, 26 occurred to wage and salary earners, four to own-account workers in agriculture and six to other self-employed persons. In addition, 12 fatal accidents occurred while commuting, of which 11 occurred to wage and salary earners. The number of fatal accidents at work fell clearly from the year before, as in 2008 a total of 60 persons suffered fatal accidents at work or while commuting.

Source: Occupational accident statistics 2009, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Arto Miettinen (09) 1734 2963, tyotapaturmat@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

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Updated 24.5.2011

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Occupational accident statistics [e-publication].
ISSN=1797-9544. 2009. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 18.4.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/ttap/2009/ttap_2009_2011-05-24_tie_001_en.html