In the former Soviet republics, more than 12,000 workers die on the job each year. Global estimates by the ILO show that the numbers of occupational accidents are larger than earlier believed.

The figures of work-related fatal and non-fatal accidents in transition countries are greatly underestimated. Accidents at work cause both direct and indirect, as well as hidden costs for the whole society. While many enterprises in developed countries are adopting a zero accident policy as their goal, the enterprises in transition countries are not yet at this stage, nor are they able to properly identify the hazards causing occupational accidents and diseases.

The table below provides a statistical overview of occupational accidents in the CIS countries. According to the ILO estimates, the actual number of occupational accidents seems to be significantly higher than the number of cases officially reported to national authorities. The ILO estimated number of fatal accidents, for example, differs greatly from the officially reported numbers. The smallest difference was observed in Russia (50% higher than the reported number) and the highest being in Georgia, where estimates exceeded reported number by over 40 times.

For more information please see: Employment injury benefits. ILO Subregional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia