In Europe, work-related mortality is increasing in 12 countries.

Omissions

• The MEP did not specify the time period for the comparison, nor the data source. The claim mirrors an ETUC press release based on Eurostat data, but the exact years compared (e.g. 2023 vs 2022) and the full list of 12 countries were not provided.
• The claim refers to 'work-related mortality' broadly, but the supporting data concerns fatal accidents at work specifically, not work-related diseases or other occupational mortality.
• The ETUC is a trade union advocacy organisation, not a primary statistical source, so the 12-country count reflects its own analysis of Eurostat figures.
• The Eurostat primary data shows the EU-wide incidence rate of fatal accidents fell by 1.8% between 2022 and 2023 even as the absolute number of deaths rose by 12, adding contextual nuance to the trend.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat Statistics ExplainedThere were 3,298 fatal accidents at work in the EU in 2023, an increase of 12 deaths compared with the year before (3,286 in 2022). The incidence rate of fatal accidents fell 1.8% between 2022 and 2023.
• SecondaryETUC (European Trade Union Confederation)Press release titled 'Workplace deaths rising in 12 EU countries', listing increases in Italy (+285 deaths, reaching 776), Spain (+45, reaching 392), Portugal (+27, reaching 131), and Czechia (+13, reaching 108), among other countries.
• SecondaryETUI (European Trade Union Institute)Fatal accidents at work rose in 12 Member States in 2020. The article notes there were 2.7 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers in 2020 across the EU.