The occupation in the province of Alicante records an all-time high, which is great news on both economic and social issues. However, the phenomenon also has a disadvantage and becomes evident in the field of occupational accidents. Accidents increased by approximately 5% in the first half compared to the same period of the previous year, and this reached 9,319. Yes, fatal setbacks have receded significantly, 18 to 11, something that both employers and unions themselves attribute to a greater preventative culture in companies.
Figures published by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, the total number of accidents recorded in the first semester in the province, It is registered in 7,974 working days performance and 1,345 work center relocations.. In the first case, 7,890 were mild, 75 serious and nine fatal. The second resulted in the death of 1,344 light workers, 17 serious and two injured workers.
As usual, The sector with the most mishaps in the workplace was construction.Manufacturing industry followed with 1.418 units and manufacturing industry with 1.318 units. This was followed by trade and vehicle repair shops with 1,186, hotel management with 878, administrative activities and auxiliary services with 721, transportation and storage with 553, health and social services activities with 409, agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries with 364, public administration and SGK with 364. 351 and 171 and water supply, sanitation and waste management.
Also included are arts and entertainment activities with 128 accidents.Education in 121, other services in 93, vocational, scientific and technical activities in 76, information and communication in 40, housework in 37, real estate activities in 22, mining activities in 12, finance and insurance activities in 11, and energy supply in two. .
Both unions and employers refer to the increase in employment when explaining the reasons for the increase in the number of accidents, which means that the state of Alicante currently has 742,000 SSI members. time is high. Yolanda Díaz, general secretary of the UGT at l’Alacantí and Les Marines, “it is clear that There is a relationship between the rate of work accidents and the number of people working.. Over the past year, we’ve seen how occupation has gradually increased in our region, so that as the number of workers increases, so does the likelihood of more accidents being recorded.
However, the union representative emphasizes that progress should be continued in order to minimize the accidents. And in this sense, the decrease in fatal accidents is striking, but he qualifies as “it is not possible for a person to die in the 21st century just by going to work”. Still, he attributes the decrease to: a greater preventive culture in companies. In his own words, “The message is that the rules must be followed and that workers must be adequately protected depending on the tasks they do, and that has implications.”
On the other hand, Díaz stands out agreement between trade unions, employers’ association and Botànic’s previous government at Generalitat to promote policies against workplace accidents. “It was an important agreement and we now hope that the new Executive of Carlos Mazón will develop this initiative, as promised at a recent meeting where he assured us that social dialogue will be maintained and agreements reached will be respected. Between the administration and the social intermediaries,” he emphasizes. .
He adds that it will have to accompany it. a new legal framework It is about the subject prepared by the central government and expected to serve to solve the problem of occupational accidents more effectively.
Paco García, secretary general of CC OO, also at l’Alacantí-Les Marines, said, “Unfortunately, one of the things that characterizes the state of Alicante is the high workplace accident rate and this is because Adopting a prevention culture is very difficult for both companies and employees.. It’s something for everyone and we must manage to lower these numbers which are still very high among all of us.
And the union official, in his words, “is there for everyone to take this matter seriously, companies have prevention plans, and most importantly, they are there for compliance and enforcement,” adds the union official. practical. Obviously, the fact that there are more jobs affects the fact that more accidents are recorded, but that cannot stop there. You must work to put an end to this trouble as soon as possible.”
It also refers to the agreement reached with Generalitat to promote prevention. “It’s a deal that’s on the table, and what’s at stake right now is, provide resources to develop. Not only that, but all the agreements we reach through social dialogue that are the result of consensus and need to be put into practice,” he emphasizes.
With everything and regardless of the progress that can be made on it, García claims Stronger action by the Labor Inspectorate. “The rules must be followed, I insist, both by companies and employees. “We are talking about a very serious issue and it needs to be handled as such,” he said.
safe areas
Salvador Navarro, president of the Valencian Community Business Confederation (CEV), stresses that “you should never let your guard down”, but values the drop in death rates. Therefore, in addition to the special plan recently signed by the Valencian Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Invassat), unions and employers themselves have to defend against serious accidents “in the Confederation -he points out- this Community is committed to making its companies safe workplaces».
Despite the increase in minor accidents, Navarro said, “We are convinced we are on the right track, which is nothing more than prevention. Effective preventive action not only helps protect the health of professionals, but also creates a valuable competitiveness factor for the company and benefits third parties”. Therefore, he concludes, «We advocate investment in the prevention and implementation of policies of excellence in terms of safety and health at work.».