The number of accidents at work increased by 1.3% in 2024, compared to 2023, with 120 deaths resulting from these accidents, a retreat of 11.8%, in homologous terms, according to the elaborated synthesis of the GEP published today.
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30/06/2026
by
Lusa
ANDin 2024, 187,018 accidents were recorded in Portugal, plus 2,411 compared to 184,607 (the equivalent of an increase of 1.3%) compared to 184,607 in 2023.
Of this total, 120 resulted in fatalities, i.e. a decrease of 11.8% compared to 136 registered in the same period of the previous year, according to a summary prepared by the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security Strategy and Planning Office (GEP).
This means that the incidence rate was 2.3%, lower than 2.7% in 2023 and 2.9% in 2022.
“ Nevertheless, in the total number of accidents we saw an increase in the total number of working days lost by 4.3%, which resulted in an increase in the average number of working days lost due to an accident at work (39.8).
As regards economic activity, about one fifth (22.2%) of accidents at work occurred in the manufacturing industry and about one third (32.5%) of fatal accidents occurred in construction.
In view of the population exposed to the risk, the sector where the sinistrality had the greatest impact was water collection, treatment and distribution; sanitation, waste management and depollution with 8,437.7 accidents per 100,000 workers and construction “with 8,362.0 accidents per 100,000 workers”.
The data also show that most occupational accidents, as well as deaths associated with these accidents, occurred in companies with between one and 49 workers (45.6% and 64.3%, respectively).
“In the interior of the establishment there were 69.7% of the total accidents and 55.8% of the accidents with fatal consequences outside the establishment”, points out the synthesis.
Of the more than 187 thousand occupational accidents recorded in 2024, almost half (46.2%) caused superficial wounds and injuries, while 36.1% caused injuries to the upper extremities.
As for accidents with fatal consequences, 57.1% caused multiple injuries, while 65% caused whole-body injuries.
By age group, of the “seniors for whom the age at the time of the accident is known, 48.7% were between 35 and 54 years old, being the most affected echelon 45 to 54 years old”, while those specifically affecting the victims 47.9% were between 45 and 64 years old, being the most affected echelon 45 to 54 years old.