Affiliations: Safety, Reliability and Maintenance Group of CENTEC –
IST, Instituto Superior Técnico, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal | Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering,
Faculty of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, FCT-UNL,
Portugal | CIS – Centro de Investigação e
Intervenção Social, ISCTE – IUL, Instituto Universitário de
Lisboa, Portugal
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Celeste Jacinto, Department of
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology,
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal. Tel.: +351 212 948
567; Fax: +351 212 948 531; E-mail: mcjacinto@mar.ist.utl.pt; mcj@fct.unl.pt
Abstract: This paper describes a comparative analysis of the official forms
used for reporting occupational accidents within the EU-27 member states. The
comparison is based on two analysis grids (coding schedule) created to that
effect, which incorporate a set of evaluation criteria and an interpretation
key. The results obtained in the analysis allowed for attention to be drawn to
the relevant attributes of such forms in terms of their content and
format/structure. It also revealed the main similarities and differences
between each country, providing a complete assessment of the 27 member states.
The discussion gives account of the level of implementation of the "new"
Eurostat variables within the European Statistics of Accidents at Work (ESAW).
Furthermore, the study shows that certain formats (structure of information
fields) appear to facilitate completeness of the information collected. It has
also demonstrated that the European harmonisation process is still far from
completion, although the newcomer states seem to be adjusting quickly to the
process. The findings of this study may bring useful insights to national
authorities and European policy-makers, or to employers/enterprises wishing to
implement their internal procedures aligned with the ESAW methodology. The
scientific community is another interest group, whose research relies on
official statistics, preferably comparable across all countries.
Keywords: European harmonisation, accident reporting systems, Eurostat variables, occupational accidents
