A new report from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has found that non-fatal workplace accidents in the health and social care sector have risen dramatically over the past decade — cementing it as one of Europe’s most dangerous industries to work in.
The data is stark: in 2022, a total of 469,685 non-fatal workplace accidents were recorded in the health and social care sector across the European Union, representing 16 per cent of all workplace accidents in the EU. That share has almost doubled since 2012, when the sector accounted for 9 per cent of all workplace accidents.
The accident incidence rate — the number of accidents per 100,000 workers — increased from 1,462 in 2012 to 2,134 in 2022, a rise of 46 per cent. Health and social care now ranks among the most accident-prone sectors in Europe.
Where the Accidents Are Happening
The majority of accidents occur in direct healthcare activities (234,202 incidents), followed by residential care settings (125,834) and social work activities (109,648).
The most common types of accidents include:
- Slips, trips and falls — on floors, surfaces and from heights
- Overexertion injuries — from patient handling, manual lifting and repetitive physical tasks
- Sharps and needlestick incidents — involving needles, scalpels and other medical instruments
- Exposure to biological and hazardous substances
Why Is This Sector So Dangerous?
The health and social care sector presents a unique and demanding combination of physical, psychological and organisational hazards.
Workers are frequently required to manually handle patients and residents — work that places enormous strain on the musculoskeletal system. They work in environments that are by nature unpredictable, often caring for individuals who may be confused, distressed or physically resistant. They face persistent exposure to infectious agents, hazardous medications and bodily fluids. And they do much of this work under significant time pressure, often understaffed.
Psychosocial risks — including workplace violence and aggression, burnout, moral distress and high emotional demand — are also deeply embedded in the sector and contribute to both physical and psychological injury.
EU-OSHA has identified the sector as a priority area for intervention as part of its Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2026–2028, which focuses on mental health at work under the theme “Together for Mental Health.”
Lessons for Australia
While this data is drawn from European workplaces, the risks it describes are universal — and acutely relevant in Australia.
Australia’s health and social care sector has grown rapidly in recent years, driven in part by the expanding National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the aged care sector. The workforce includes a high proportion of female workers, part-time workers, workers employed through labour hire arrangements, and workers in geographically isolated settings — all factors that can compound existing safety risks.
Key prevention priorities identified by EU-OSHA include:
- Mechanised patient-handling equipment and revised patient-handling procedures
- Training in aggression management and de-escalation
- Regular psychosocial risk assessments and workload monitoring
- Safe work design that eliminates the need for hazardous manual tasks where possible
- Strong reporting cultures that capture near-misses and incidents before they escalate
The full EU-OSHA report is available at osha.europa.eu.
