In 2022, more than two people died each day due to work-related accidents. New data released by the Ministry of Labor shows a sobering tally of fatalities across Spain, totaling 826 lives lost to occupational incidents. The overall work injury rate has climbed, rising by 17.2 percent and reaching its highest annual figure since 2008. It isn’t only incidents inside workplaces that have grown; the rate has climbed in step with increased economic activity and a larger workforce, underscoring a widening risk landscape for workers nationwide.
UGT’s director of occupational health, Ana García de la Torre, describes the figures as alarming and warns that the worst projections seem to be coming true, with the country once again surpassing the 800-death threshold. The president of Foment, along with its prevention technologists, emphasizes that this issue touches every stakeholder—employers, workers, and regulators alike—and calls for urgent, coordinated action to curb fatalities. The ongoing concern has sparked renewed calls for a national dialogue on safeguarding working people.
Across Spain, the total number of registered accidents in 2022 reached 631,724, including many cases that resulted in leave from work. The easing of pandemic-related restrictions did not immediately normalize activity; instead, certain sectors reabsorbed workers and restored operation levels. Hospitality services, for example, saw a notable 37 percent increase in sick leave requests, reflecting shifts in demand and staffing pressures. Hospitals and health services also registered heightened activity, with data indicating a 47 percent rise in injuries linked to responses to the health crisis.
Although the growth in the accident rate remained relatively flat year over year, fatal incidents rose more sharply than other categories. Fatalities increased by 17 percent, outpacing the overall rise of 11 percent and signaling a disproportionate impact on the most dangerous outcomes. The public discourse remains careful not to attribute all fatalities solely to workplace failings; some fatalities arise from medical conditions or circumstances that intersect with work, highlighting the complexity of causation in occupational deaths.
Experts and unions point to prevention gaps as a primary driver of the rising burden. One in three accidents that lead to sick leave occur in companies lacking a formal prevention protocol or control mechanism, despite legal requirements. This gap has prompted calls for urgent government action, including the establishment of a social dialogue platform to discuss a comprehensive accident-prevention strategy and the possible creation of a dedicated national body to monitor and enforce safe practices across sectors.
Views from the Confederation of Employers and others echo the sentiment that remediation must come from both policy and practice. Some officials argue that many organizations still do not treat safety as a top priority, which complicates efforts to reduce fatal outcomes. In response, industry representatives stress that careful analysis of the data is essential to derive actionable insights, while emphasizing that prevention should be a shared responsibility among companies, unions, and public administrations.
Data reveal that fatal incidents do not affect all sectors equally. The transportation and logistics corridor accounts for a significant share of the rise, with a total of 95 deaths in 2022, representing a substantial year-over-year increase. The construction sector also saw a meaningful uptick, recording 150 fatalities and confirming a trend that demands targeted safety improvements. These patterns underscore the need for sector-specific prevention programs, rigorous enforcement of safety standards, and robust reporting mechanisms across industries.
Unions have long championed closer monitoring through regional representation as a means to keep workplaces compliant with minimum safety requirements, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises that lack strong worker representation. The call for establishing a regional delegate framework continues to be a central demand, aiming to ensure that all workplaces meet legal safety thresholds and to provide a clearer channel for reporting concerns. The ongoing conversation around these issues reflects a broader push toward a proactive safety culture that can protect workers before tragedy strikes. (Attribution: national labor unions and industry associations cited in the 2022 statistics report.)