The number of incidents that take place on the journey to and from work is going up, with 24,770 incidents reported in the private sector in 2023, making it the third most accident-prone year for commuting, according to a report by L’Echo on Tuesday.
The paper notes that whilst workplace accidents have never been so low, the incidents that happen during commuting are growing – a trend that is linked to increased road traffic and the rising popularity of bicycles, especially electric ones.
Just 8,173 “serious” or “very serious” workplace accidents were reported in 2023, a historically low figure relative to the number of workers, according to the Federal Agency for Occupational Risks. But road accidents are going up.
“The efforts in prevention, combined with automation and process optimisation in companies, have led to significant advancements at the workplace,” explained Lode Godderis, CEO of Idewe, a company that helps businesses improve safety conditions.
But Godderis commented on the challenges that commuting now presents: “Road traffic and bicycles – particularly electric or speed pedelecs – are gaining popularity, leading to a rise in accidents often due to inappropriate behaviour and inadequate infrastructure.”
Despite this, the number of fatal commuting accidents continued to decline, reaching 34 in 2023, which is also a historically low figure.
But injuries sustained on the way to work also impact business finances, notably through the insurance premiums that companies must pay. Technically, an accident on the way to work qualifies as a work accident and can be covered by the company insurer. But insurers turned down 16.2% of claims in 2023, l'Echo reports. This arises from a contested definition of when someone is "working"; for instance, if the accident takes place on a day when the employee is working from home then it might not be covered by their company insurance.
