Portugal

Organization responsible for the statistics

Periodicity

Compilation: Monthly.

Publication: Quarterly and annual.

Source

Objectives and users

Major users:

Coverage

Persons:

In 1996, approximately 3,800,000 workers were covered.

Economic activities:

Geographic areas:

The statistics include persons working outside the country and persons normally residing outside the country if they work for Portuguese enterprises.

Establishments:

Types of occupational accidents covered

The following are also considered as occupational accidents: accidents arising:

1. outside the workplace or working hours while performing duties in accordance with the employer's instructions;
2. en route to or from the workplace while using transport provided by the employer or when the accident is a consequence of a particular danger on the usual itinerary or of other circumstances which increase the risk of such an itinerary;
3. while voluntarily performing duties with a view to improving the profits of the enterprise.

Statistics on commuting accidents are presented separately, since they are not legally defined as occupational accidents.

The statistics do not cover occupational diseases.

Concepts and definitions

Occupational accident:

an accident arising in the workplace and in working time, that cause directly or indirectly body injury, functional disturbance or disease which results in death or the reduction of the worker's capacity for work and for earning.

Commuting accident:

an accident sustained by a worker while en route to or from the workplace, if it occurs on the usual itinerary and in a reasonable time span.

Fatal occupational accident:

an accident resulting in a worker's death within one year after the occurrence of the accident.

Minimum period of absence from work: none.

Maximum period for death to be considered a fatal occupational injury: one year, after this period the accident is closed in statistical terms.

Types of information compiled

(a) personal characteristics of persons injured: sex, age, length of service in post and status in employment;

(b) amount of worktime lost;

(c) characteristics of accidents: day of occurrence and site of accident;

(d) characteristics of injuries: part of body injured, type of injury, degree of incapacity and number of lost days;

(e) characteristics of employers or workplaces: economic activity and geographic location.

Measurement of worktime lost

It is not measured for fatal injuries.

In the case of temporary and permanent incapacities, worktime lost is measured until the date of the definitive medical release or to the definitive conclusion of the accident.

Temporary absences for medical treatment because of an occupational accident are counted as worktime lost.

Classifications

(a) fatal or non-fatal accidents;

(b) extent of disability:

• permanent total incapacity for the usual work + permanent partial incapacity (in percentages: 2 to less than 5, 5 to less than 10; 10 to less than 20; 20 to less than 30; 30 to less than 50; 50 to less than 80; 80 to less than 100);
• permanent total incapacity for any kind of work (100 per cent);

(c) economic activity:

(d) occupation:

(e) type of injury:

type of injury: contusions, bruises; concussions and other internal injuries; open wounds; amputations, open fractures; closed fractures; luxations, dislocations; sprains, torn ligaments; asphyxiation, gassing, drowning; poisoning, burns (including chemical burns), scalds, frostbite; effects of radiation; no diagnosed injury; another type of injury not detailed: electric shock, sunstroke, heart attack, etc.;

part of body injured: entire body; head, neck and back; torso and organs of the torso; abdomen, abdominal organs, urinary system, pelvic area; shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist; hand and fingers; haunch, thigh including kneecap and knee joint, leg, ankle; foot; category not defined; unknown.

(f) cause of accident:

(g) duration of absence from work:

(h) characteristics of workers:

(i) characteristics of accidents;

(j) characteristics of employers or workplaces:

(k) consequences of the accident:

accident process closed: medical leave without permanent incapacity, permanent total incapacity for any kind of work, permanent total incapacity for usual work, permanent partial incapacity, death, treatment interruption for accidents not classified, for which it is impossible to indicate a code of consequence;

accident process closed in statistical terms: medical leave without permanent incapacity, permanent total incapacity for any kind of work, permanent total incapacity for the usual work, permanent partial incapacity, death, treatment interruption for accidents not classified, for which it is impossible to indicate a code of consequence.

Crossclassifications:

• by sex, accident geographic location, economic activity, month of the year, length of service in post, status in employment;
• by accidents arising outside the establishment, in the course of work (total and on board) by accident geographic location;
• by economic activity, type of injury and workdays lost;
• by workdays lost, economic activity and nonfatal occupational accidents.

Reference period

An injury is included in the statistics for the period in which the occupational accident occurred or for the period when the person had recovered and returned to work.

Worktime lost is included in the statistics for the period when the person returned to work.

Estimates

Average number of days lost because of injuries.

Percentage distributions.

Incidence rate: number of accidents recorded during the reference period divided by the average number of workers exposed to the risk during that period: (number of occupational accidents / average number of workers) x 1,000

Frequency rate: number of occupational accidents recorded during the reference period divided by the number of hours worked by all persons exposed to the risk during that period:

(number of occupational accidents / number of hours worked) x 1,000,000

Severity rate: (number of workdays lost / number of hours worked) x 1,000,000

Average number of lost days per accident: (number of lost days / number of accidents)

Historical background of the series

In 1995, the statistical system was changed to improve quality of the information for prevention programmes. The changes concerned the types of information collected and some classifications (type of injury, part of the body injured and consequences of the accident).

Documentation

Series available:

Quarterly and yearly:

• Total, fatal and nonfatal occupational accidents by sex and accident geographic location.
• Total, fatal and nonfatal occupational accidents arising outside the establishment, in the course of work (total and on board) by accident geographic location.
• Total, fatal and nonfatal commuting accidents by accident geographic location.
• Total, fatal and nonfatal occupational accidents by:
  • sex and economic activity:
  • total or in the course of work abroad;
  • economic activity and geographic location;
  • month of the year and economic activity;
  • age group, sex, economic activity and employees, interns, apprentices or trainees;
  • sex and apprentices or trainees, or own-account workers;
  • length of service in post and economic activity;
  • status in employment and economic activity;
  • consequences of occupational accidents, economic activity and extent of disability;
  • consequences of occupational accidents, type of injury and degree of incapacity;
  • consequences of occupational accidents, type of injury and workdays lost;
  • consequences of occupational accidents, economic activity and workdays lost;
  • type of injury and economic activity;
  • workdays lost and economic activity;
  • part of body injured and economic activity;
  • part of the body injured and type of injury;
  • extent of disability and part of the body injured.

Yearly and twice-yearly:

Incidence rates, frequency rates, severity rates and average number of workdays lost per accident, by:

• economic activity;
• geographic area.

Bibliographic references:

This publication contains methodological information about the statistics. Not all data are published; certain information can be provided on request. The data are available on diskette.

Data published by ILO:

Confidentiality:

International standards

Method of data collection

Legislation:

All occupational accidents should be notified. The notification form (Participação de Acidente) should be provided to the Department of Statistics of the Ministry of Labour and Solidarity by the insurance companies until the fifteenth day of the month following the accident. The time limits for employers to notify insurance companies of occupational accidents are defined in the insurance policies.

Reporting:

Data reported:

1. Accident notification form:

• identification of the insurance company or equivalent: name, address; insurance policy number and branch;
• identification of the insured employee or the employer: name; collective personal number; number of persons working for the employer; address of the establishment where the worker was engaged; telephone number, zip code, district, municipality; establishment main activity;
• identification of the injured worker: name; nationality; address, zip code; parish and municipality of origin; sex; date of birth; identity card number; date of admission in the post; marital status; number of dependents; administrator, manager or a family member of the insured worker; status in employment (employee, own-account or employer, unpaid family worker, intern, apprentice or trainee, another status); worktime performed by the injured person at the moment of the accident (normal worktime, fixed shift, rotating shift, other); occupation; wages (basic wages; monthly, daily or hourly; value of food subsidy per month, other pay per month (number of months per year), value of holiday subsidy, value of Christmas subsidy, net wages); wages for the following cases: (i) if the wages are not regular: average wages for the last 12 months, (ii) if the injured worker is an apprentice or trainee: average wages of workers in the same category, (iii) if the injured person is less than 18 years old and is not an apprentice or trainee: average wages of an adult worker; date from which the injured worker has earned the above wages;
• information about the accident: date and time; date and time when the worker stopped working as a consequence of the accident; if the accident did not occur in the establishment where he or she usually works, whether it occurred in the course of work outside the establishment or while en route to or from the workplace (place, district, municipality); who provided the first-aid and where it was provided; whether the worker stayed in a hospital and, if so, name of health establishment; total number of persons injured in the accident; whether the accident involved a means of transport; whether the injured person was using a motorised vehicle with two wheels at the time of the accident; if the accident involved a means of transport and another person was responsible for it, name and address of the responsible person, vehicle registration number, insurance policy number, insurance company; whether an authority intervened;
• type of work and environment: type of work that the injured worker was performing at the time of the accident (for example: working in iron smelting, in harvesting, in a slaughterhouse); location of the injured worker at the time of the accident (workshop or repair shop, ladder, shipyard or dock, scaffolding, tunnel, mine, on board a ship, on board a fishing boat, etc.);
• circumstances of the accident: detailed description of the occupational accident, including the events which caused the accident and those that led to the injury, the substances, equipments, tools, machinery, etc. that the worker was using at the time of the accident; the object that caused the accident and led to the injury; description of the task of the injured worker at the time of the accident; whether the task described is performed usually, occasionally, or some other periodicity; the number of worked hours at the time of the accident (uninterrupted or without breaks and total hours already worked);
• information about the injury: type of injury; part of body injured;
• consequences of the occupational injury at the time of the notification: without absence from work, absence of less than 1 day; absence of 1 to 3 days; expected absence of 4 to 14 days, more than 14 days, expected permanent incapacity or death.

2) Closure form:

• insurance Entity or equivalent, identification number, year and month;
• information code, accident identification number, employer's code; date of accident; date of medical leave or date of death; number of days lost; code of the injury; code of the consequences of the injury; percentage of permanent incapacity.

Changes planned: