More than 500 workplace accidents happen in Moldova every year. In 2022, there were registered 562 accidents and, even if the number is by 10% lower than in 2021, the figure is higher than in the EU member states. The data were presented on the occasion of World Day for Safety and Health at Work, IPN reports.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, more than 30 cases of occupational diseases were recorded in Moldova in 2011-2021. These involved over 40 persons. Among the most common noxious factors that cause occupational diseases are vibrations (42%), toxic chemical substances (25%) and pathogens (20%). Machine operators, health workers and enterprise employees are most exposed to such risks.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection said safety and health at work are one of the key areas of the national labor policy and the goals are to protect the life, integrity and health of salary earners, to diminish the risk of occupational disease and injury and to create work conditions that would ensure physical, mental and social comfort.

The institution is working on a national program on labor relations adjusted to the European standards, with a component centering on the improvement of safety and health at work and considerably reduction of the number of persons injured in workplace accidents.

“We urge all the employees to obey the workplace safety requirements and the employers to create safe and healthy workplaces,” the Ministry noted in a press release.