Huge fall in labour inspections raises Covid risk

The number of labour inspections has collapsed across Europe over the last decade, leaving workplaces less prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic.



New ETUC research reveals that safety inspections have been cut by a fifth since 2010, falling from 2.2 million annual visits to 1.7 million.



Inspections have become rarer in at least 17 countries, including in Germany where 232,000 fewer visits were made in 2018 compared to 2010 and Portugal where checks were cut in half over the same period.



That coincided with the loss of over 1,000 labour inspectors available to visit workplaces across the EU. More than a third of European countries no longer meet the ILO’s standard of having one labour inspector per 10,000 workers.



Biggest cuts in the number of labour inspections since 2010:



Portugal: -55%

Malta: -55%

Cyprus: -38%

Romania: -37%

Croatia: -35%



EU: - 18%



Biggest cuts in the number of labour inspectors since 2010:



Romania: -45%

UK: -32%

Portugal: -21%

Ireland: -17%

Estonia: -14%



EU: -7%



The ETUC’s analysis of ILO data for 22 countries (in full below) comes on international workers memorial day, when trade unions remember those who have died at work over the past year.



Many of the over 1 million victims of Covid-19 in Europe contracted the disease at work, more than 100,000 people still die every year from work-related cancer and the number of fatal workplace accidents has increased.



The major cut in labour inspections over the last decade left workplaces less prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic and will have hit the most vulnerable workers like women, young people and migrants the hardest, while the lower number of inspectors will make a safe return to work more difficult.



The ETUC is calling for Covid-19 to be recognised as an occupational disease, for full enforcement of workplace health and safety rules through more and tougher labour inspections, and better protection and resources for the inspectors carrying them out.



ETUC Deputy General Secretary Per Hilmersson said:



“It is a scandal that the number of workplace safety checks were at their lowest in a decade when Covid-19 struck. Labour inspections have been slashed across Europe as a result of austerity and that undoubtedly left workplaces less prepared for the pandemic and may have cost many lives.



“It’s time Europe stopped treating life so cheaply and put peoples’ safety first. All countries need to dramatically increase their number of labour inspectors to facilitate a safe return to work after the pandemic, as well as dealing with the unacceptably high number of fatal accidents and work-related cancer.



“It is staggering therefor that the European Commission has chosen the week of international workers memorial day to launch a one-in, one-out deregulation policy that could impede important health and safety regulation. The Commission should know ‘red tape’ is always preferable to red bandages.”



Notes:

 

ETUC workers memorial day statement: health and safety is your right 

 

ETUC briefing on violations of occupational health & safety regulations during the Covid crisis: 



ILO data on labour inspections



ILO data on labour inspectors



Full table: 

Country Labour inspectors Labour inspections 
Austria 2010 : 309

2018 : 322

Change : + 13
2010 : 60,235

2018 : 63,084

Change : + 2,849
Belgium 2017 : 313

2019 : 312

Change : - 1 / -0.3%
2017 : 62,487

2019 : 48,825

Change : - 13,662 / -21%
Croatia 2011: 252

2019: 228

Change: - 24 / -9%
2011 : 27,456

2019 : 17,734

Change : - 9,722 / -35%
Cyprus 2010 : 22

2019 : 23

Change : +1
2010 : 6,030

2019 : 3,696

Change : -2,334 / -38%
Czechia 2010 : 333

2019 :522

Change : +189
2010 : 22,394

2019 : 29,454

Change :+  7,060
Estonia 2010 : 44

2019 : 38

Change : - 6 / -14%
2010 : 4,748

2019 : 4,650

Change : -98 / -2%
Finland 2011 : 311

2017 : 429

Change : + 118
2011 : 22,283

2017 : 25,084

Change : + 2,801
France 2013 : 2,101

2014 : 2,031

Change : -70 / -3%
2013 : 167,600

2014 : 119,462

Change : - 48,138 / -28%
Germany 2010 : 5,904

2018 : 5,783

Change : - 121 / -2%
2010 : 927,438

2018 : 694,480

Change : - 232,958 / -25%
Hungary 2010 : 380

2018 : 374

Change : -6 / -1.5%
2010 : 25,056

2018 : 30,949

Change : + 5,893
Ireland 2010 : 66

2019 : 55

Change : -11 / -17%
2010 : 7,164

2018 : 4,804

Change : - 2,360 / -32%
Latvia 2011 : 111

2019 : 97

Change : -14 / -13%
2011 : 10,378

2019 : 10,320

Change : -58 / - 0.5%
Lithuania 2010 : 199

2013 : 193

Change : -6 / -5%
2010 : 12,411

2013 : 10,069

Change : -2,342 / -18%
Malta 2010 : 4

2012 : 5

Change : +1
2010 : 1,696

2012 : 757

Change : -939 / -55%
Poland 2010 : 1,510

2019 : 1,575

Change : +65
2010 : 95,273

2019 : 73,341

Change : -21,932 / -23%
Portugal 2010 : 384

2018 : 303

Change : -81 / -21%
2010 : 84,546

2018 : 38,287

Change : -46,259 / -55%
Romania 2010 : 1,948

2019 : 1,076

Change : -872 / -45%
2010 : 192,065

2019 : 121,273

Change : -70,792 / -37%
Slovakia 2010 : 319

2018 : 320

Change : +1
2010 : 42,666

2018 : 71,635

Change : + 28,969
Slovenia 2010 : 80

2019 : 85

Change : +5
2010 : 17,965

2019 : 13,904

Change : -4,061 / -27%
Spain 2011 : 1,865

2015 : 1,786

Change : -79 / -4%
2011 : 356,535

2015 : 305,256

Change : -51,279 / -14%
Sweden 2013 : 256

2018 : 296

Change : + 40
2013 : 31,400

2018 : 27,154

Change : - 4,246 / -13%
UK 2011 : 1,450

2018 : 985

Change : -465 / - 32%
2011 : 21,603

2019 : 15,847

Change :  - 5,756 / -27%
EU 2010  (or earliest) : 18,161

2019  (or latest): 16,838

Change : -1,323 / -7%
2010 (or earliest): 2,2 million

2019 (or latest): 1.73 million

Change: -389,364 / -18%