Fatal workplace accidents in the European Union have fallen by 70% in the last three decades.

Omissions

• The MEP does not specify whether the 70% reduction refers to absolute fatality counts or to the incidence rate (fatalities per 100,000 employed). The incidence rate is the standard Eurostat metric because absolute counts are distorted by EU enlargements.
• The 'last three decades' from 2026 would mean approximately 1996–2025, but the most recent available Eurostat data at the time of the session is for 2023 (published October 2025). Data for 2024 and 2025 were not yet available.
• While the long-term trend is strongly downward, 2023 recorded a slight increase (+12 deaths) compared to 2022, and the ETUI has reported recent rises in fatal accidents in 12 Member States — context that tempers the narrative of uninterrupted decline.
• The claim cites no specific source; the 70% figure is consistent with statements in the European Commission's EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021–2027, but the MEP does not reference it.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat Statistics Explained — Accidents at work statisticsThere were 3,298 fatal accidents at work in the EU in 2023, an increase of 12 deaths compared with the year before. The incidence rate was 1.63 fatalities per 100,000 employed people in 2023, compared with 1.66 in 2022.
• PrimaryEurostat News — Accidents at work claimed 3,298 lives in the EU in 2023Across the EU, there were on average 1.63 fatalities per 100,000 employed people in 2023, compared with 1.66 fatalities in 2022. A total of 3,298 fatal accidents were recorded.
• SecondaryETUI — Fatal accidents at work on the rise in 12 Member StatesA forecast analysis conducted by the European Trade Union Institute shows that fatal accidents at work will not completely disappear until 2062, and notes that fatal accidents have been rising in 12 Member States in recent periods.