Workplace Injuries WHO Collaborating Centre for Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion

Workplace Injuries

With Industrialisation, diverse workplaces and a huge workforce working under competitive conditions has become a common practice and injuries remain an important health problem in these settings. It is estimated that fatal accidents range between 50,000 and 75,000 and non-fatal accidents range between 5 to 7.5 million per year among the workforce in India. Majority of injuries are not reported because of compensation and other legal issues.

Injuries in workforce affect health and work productivity apart from huge economic costs involved in care and rehabilitation. Since most injuries are preventable, the need for systematic injury prevention and injury surveillance programmes in workplaces is pivotal for the overall health and safety of workers. Research is focused on understanding the burden, distribution and pattern of injuries and cost involved in injury care in industries. The observations will help in risk stratification and evidence-based management of injury prevention and safety promotion programmes in industries.

A large-scale study has been completed in 2016–17 on examining health and productivity issues in a large scale industry with nearly 7000 employees in Bangalore.