• A total of 37,513 occupational accidents were reported in all industries in the Philippines in 2019. Around 10.9 percent (4,186) of the total 38,305 establishments employing 20 or more workers experienced work-related accidents. (Table 1)
   
• These occupational accidents resulted to roughly 40,892 cases of occupational injuries in 2019. Notably, both the number of occupational accidents and cases of occupational injuries decreased compared to the 2017 data by -1.9 percent and -11.6 percent, respectively. (Figure 1 and Table 1)
   
• Among cases of occupational injuries, around one percent were fatal cases while about 42.7 percent were reported as non-fatal cases with lost workdays. A great majority (56.6%) of all occupational injuries were cases without lost workdays or those cases that required first-aid or medical treatment only on the day of the accident and was able to perform again duties of the job one day after the accident. (Table 1)
   
• By major industry group, manufacturing contributed the highest share of occupational injuries at 42.7 percent of the total cases. The administrative and support service activities came next at 11.1 percent and was followed by construction services at 9.5 percent share. (Table 2)

MEASURES OF SAFETY PERFORMANCE OF OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES

• The country’s safety performance of the workplace is measured through the frequency incidence and severity rates of occupational injuries. In 2019, the frequency rate was posted at 1.26. This translates to only 1 case of occupational injuries with workdays lost reported per 1,000,000 employee-hours of exposure. (Table 3)
   
• The incidence rate on the other hand, was recorded at 3.07. This implies that there were around 3 cases of occupational injuries with workdays lost per 1,000 workers.
   
• The severity rate was registered at 7.61. This indicates that there were about 8 workdays lost in cases of occupational injuries resulting to temporary incapacity per 1,000,000 employee-hours of exposure. On the average, about 6 workdays were lost for every case of occupational injury resulting to temporary incapacity.

CASES OF OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES WITH WORKDAYS LOST BY CLASSIFICATION

TYPE OF INJURY

• Of the total 17,762 cases of occupational injuries with workdays lost in 2019, open wounds was recorded as the most common type of occupational injuries which accounted for 40.5 percent of the total cases reported. Other common types were superficial injuries at 22.4 percent; and burns and corrosions at 7.6 percent.  (Figure 2 and Table 4)

PART OF BODY INJURED

• Due to work-related injuries, wrist and hand (39.8%) were greatly harmed and considered as the most injured part of the victim’s body. This was followed by lower extremities (15.0%) and head (11.9%).

CAUSE OF INJURY

• The leading cause of occupational injury in establishments was caught by or in between objects contributing for about 28.5 percent of the total cases with workdays lost. Other top causes of injury include stepping on, striking against or struck by objects, excluding falling objects at 22.1 percent and falls of persons at 15.4 percent.

AGENT OF INJURY

• Machines and equipment (29.5%); hand tools (21.6%); and materials and objects (21.2%) were among the most common agents of injuries in the workplace during the period.

BY MAJOR OCCUPATION GROUP

• Among occupations, plant and machine operators and assemblers (33.7%) were the most prone to injuries. Elementary occupations and service and sales workers were also at high risk with 17.2 percent and 13.8 percent of the total occupational injuries, respectively.

OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES

• A total of 54,551 occurrences of occupational or work-related diseases in establishments employing 20 or more workers were reported in 2019, a significant drop of about -46.4 percent from 101,851 reported cases in 2017. (Figure 3 and Table 5)

• The most common work-related disease experienced and suffered by workers was back pain contributing to roughly 39.0 percent of the total cases. Other predominant occupational diseases include neck-shoulder pains at 12.1 percent and occupational dermatitis at 9.4 percent. (Figure 4 and Table 5)

• Workers engaged in manufacturing industry had the biggest share of cases with work-related diseases at 31.8 percent. This was followed by administrative and support service activities (24.3%) and human health and social work activities except public health activities (9.8%). (Figure 5 and Table 6)

• Meanwhile, repair of computers and personal and household goods; other personal service activities; water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities; and real estate activities were the least industries exposed to risk factors associated with work activity.

COMMUTING ACCIDENTS

• A total of 5,899 accidents occurred on the habitual routes of workers to/from their place of work, place of work-related training, place where the worker usually takes his/her meals or the place where he/she usually receives his/her remuneration. These resulted to 6,170 workers injured during the time of the commuting accidents. (Figure 6)

Survey Information

Occupational Injuries and Diseases is one of the primary and regular modules of the Integrated Survey on Labor and Employment (ISLE) conducted every two (2) years. ISLE is a nationwide survey that covers establishments in both agricultural and non-agricultural industries with a total employment of at least 20 persons.

The OID of the 2019/2020 ISLE will collect and generate data that will provide a comprehensive information on the occurrence of occupational accidents, injuries and diseases in establishments. The data generated from the OID measures the safety performance of the country which is computed using frequency rates, incidence rates and severity rates. Statistics on occupational injuries is essential for the better management of safety and health in the workplace and for formulation of effective policies and programs for the prevention of occupational accidents.

Data on fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries are included in the Sustainable Development Goals indicators being monitored under Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

DEFINITION OF TERMS:

Occupational accident is an unexpected and unplanned occurrence, including acts of violence arising out of or in connection with work which results in one or more workers incurring a personal injury, disease or death. It can occur outside the usual workplace/premises of the establishment while the worker is on business on behalf of his/her employer i.e., in another establishment or while on travel, transport or in road traffic.

Occupational injury is an injury which results from a work-related event or a single instantaneous exposure in the work environment (occupational accident). Where more than one person is injured in a single accident, each case of occupational injury should be counted separately. If one person is injured in more than one occupational accident during the reference period, each case of injury to that person should be counted separately. Recurrent absences due to an injury resulting from a single occupational accident should be treated as the continuation of the same case of occupational injury not as a new case.

Case of occupational injury refers to case of one worker incurring an occupational injury as a result of one occupational accident; also refers to a person injured (or persons injured) brought by an accident related to work.

Fatal cases is defined as cases where a person is fatally injured as a result of occupational accident whether death occurs immediately after the accident or within the same reference year as the accident.

Non-fatal cases with workdays lost refers to cases of either permanent incapacity cases or temporary incapacity cases

Permanent incapacity case is where an injured person was absent from work for at least one day, excluding the day of the accident, and 1) was never able to perform again the normal duties of the job or position occupied at the time of the occupational accident, or 2) will be able to perform the same job but his/her total absence from work is expected to exceed a year starting the day after the accident.

Temporary incapacity case is where an injured person was absent from work for at least one day, excluding the day of the accident, and 1) was able to perform again the normal duties of the job or position occupied at the time of the occupational accident; or 2) will be able to perform the same job but his/her total absence from work is expected not to exceed a year starting the day after the accident; or 3) did not return to the same job but the reason for changing the job is not related to his/her inability to perform the job at the time of the occupational accident.

Non-fatal cases without workdays lost is where the injured person required only first aid or medical treatment on the day of the accident and was able to perform again, on the day after the accident, the normal duties of the job or position occupied at the time of the occupational accident.

Occupational disease is defined as an abnormal condition or disorder aside from one resulting from an occupational injury caused by exposure over a period of time to risk factors associated with work activity such as contact with certain chemicals, inhaling coal dust, carrying out repetitive movements. This refers to a new case recognized, diagnosed and recorded during the year

Hours actually worked includes (a) normal or regular hours of work; (b) overtime; (c) time spent at the place of work such as the preparation of workplace, repairs, maintenance, preparation and cleaning of tools and preparation of receipts, time sheets and reports; (4) time spent at the place of work waiting or standing by for reasons such as lack of supply of work, breakdown of machinery or accident, or time during which no work is done but for which payment is made; and (5) time corresponding to lunch/meal breaks of less than one (1) hour and to short rest periods at the workplace including tea and coffee breaks/meriendas.

Hours actually worked excludes (a) hours paid for but not worked due to vacation, sick, maternity, paternity, service incentive leave and other paid leaves, rest days, special days and regular holidays; and (b) lunch/meal breaks of one hour or more and time spent on travel from home to workplace and vice versa

Commuting accidents is an accident which results to death or personal injury occurring on the habitual route of a worker, in either direction, between the place of work or work-related training and the worker’s principal or secondary residence, the place where the worker usually takes his/her meals or the place where he/she usually receives his/her remuneration.

Measures of Safety Performance:

Frequency rates is computed as cases of occupational injuries with workdays lost including fatalities per 1,000,000 employee-hours of exposure or expressed by (Occupational Injuries with workdays lost / Total hours actually worked) * 1,000,000 hours of exposure.

Incidence rates is computed as cases of occupational injuries with workdays lost per 1,000 workers or expressed by (Occupational Injuries with workdays lost / Total employment) * 1,000 workers.

Severity rates is computed as workdays lost of cases of occupational injuries resulting to temporary incapacity per 1,000,000 employee-hours of exposure or expressed by (Workdays lost due to temporary incapacity / Total hours actually worked) * 1,000,000 hours of exposure.

Average workdays lost refer to workdays lost of temporary incapacity cases per occupational injury or expressed by (Workdays lost due to temporary incapacity / Occupational injuries resulting to temporary incapacity).

CLAIRE DENNIS S. MAPA, Ph.D.
Undersecretary
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General

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