The province of Alicante is experiencing a notable rise in employment, a sign of strong economic activity and social momentum. Yet this surge comes with a downside: more workplace accidents. In the first half of the year, incidents grew by about 5 percent from the same period last year, totaling 9,319 cases. Fatalities, while still present, show a meaningful decline, dropping from 18 to 11. Experts from employers and unions attribute this to an enhanced preventive culture within workplaces.
Data released by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy show that in the first semester, the province logged 7,974 working days lost and 1,345 work center relocations. Of these, 7,890 accidents were minor, 75 were serious, and nine were fatal. The relocation figure resulted in 1,344 light-duty workers affected, 17 serious cases, and two injuries.
The construction sector remains the area with the most workplace mishaps, followed by the manufacturing industries with 1,418 and 1,318 incidents respectively. Other sectors reporting higher accident counts include trade and vehicle repair shops with 1,186, hotel management with 878, administrative activities and auxiliary services with 721, transportation and storage with 553, and health and social services with 409. Agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries accounted for 364 incidents, alongside public administration and SGK for 364. Other categories logged 351 and 171 in water supply, sanitation and waste management.
Arts and entertainment activities recorded 128 accidents, education 121, other services 93, vocational, scientific and technical activities 76, information and communication 40, housework 37, real estate activities 22, mining 12, finance and insurance 11, and energy supply 2.
Both unions and employers link the uptick in accidents to higher employment levels, noting that Alicante currently has about 742,000 members in the workforce. Yolanda Díaz, general secretary of the UGT for l’Alacantí and Les Marines, states that there is a clear relationship between the rate of workplace accidents and the number of workers. Over the past year, occupation has risen gradually in the region, which correlates with more incidents being recorded as the workforce expands.
Nevertheless, Díaz emphasizes the need to keep pushing for reductions in accidents. While the drop in fatal incidents is striking, she notes that it should never be acceptable for a person to die at work in the 21st century. She attributes the improvement to a stronger preventive culture in companies and adds that rules must be followed to ensure workers are adequately protected depending on their tasks, with meaningful implications for safety practices.
On the policy front, Díaz highlights an agreement among trade unions, the employers’ association and the previous Botànic government at the Generalitat to advance policies that reduce workplace accidents. She urges the new administration under Carlos Mazón to honor the commitment to maintain social dialogue and respect settlements reached through collaboration between the administration and social intermediaries.
Across the board, the call is for stronger action by the Labor Inspectorate. The message is clear: rules must be followed by both companies and employees, and the issue requires serious handling. The discussion also centers on a new legal framework prepared by the central government aimed at addressing occupational accidents more effectively.
Consell seeks alliances with municipalities to combat work accidents
The approach includes accompanying municipalities with the framework and resources necessary to implement an integrated prevention strategy. Paco García, secretary general of CC OO for l’Alacantí-Les Marines, describes Alicante as a place where keeping prevention culture high is challenging for both firms and workers. He stresses that reduction of the accident rate requires everyone to engage and to ensure that prevention plans are not only created but enforced in everyday practice.
Garcia notes that the discussion must translate into practical action. Companies should have prevention plans and strong enforcement, because rising job numbers should not mean accepting higher risk. Not only that, the agreements achieved through social dialogue must be put into practice for real change to take hold.
A focus of the coalition with the Generalitat is to provide resources for development and to implement all consensus-based agreements. Garcia also calls for more robust action by the Labor Inspectorate, insisting that strict adherence to rules by both employers and workers is essential given the seriousness of the issue.
safe areas
Salvador Navarro, president of the Valencian Community Business Confederation (CEV), cautions that vigilance cannot lapse, even as death rates fall. He welcomes the new plan signed by the Valencian Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Invassat) and notes that unions and employers must continue to defend safer workplaces across the region. Navarro argues that prevention not only protects workers’ health but also strengthens company competitiveness and benefits the whole community. He advocates sustained investment in prevention and the adoption of excellence standards for safety and health at work.