Comparative analysis of the number of occupational accidents between Northern and Southern Italy in the five-year period 2019-2023

Abstract

Although the situation has progressively improved over the years, workplace accidents still represent a serious public health problem.
The Ministry of Labor defines a workplace accident as any injury caused, during work, by a violent cause that causes the death of the person or partially or totally impairs their working capacity.
This research therefore aims to analyze the accident phenomenon by making a comparison between the northern and southern regions of Italy. The main objective of the study is to identify any significant differences in workplace accident rates between the two geographical areas, analyzing the data for the five-year period 2019-2023. The absolute values ​​of accidents, extrapolated from the Inail database, are compared with the number of employed people, extrapolated from the Istat database.
The data on fatal accidents were also extrapolated, the latter were compared with the total number of accidents.
The results indicate that the northern regions show higher rates of workplace accidents than the southern regions; However, fatal accidents are more numerous in the South than in the North. This difference may be due to an under-reporting of accidents, especially non-fatal ones.
The analysis of the factors underlying these disparities may be a valid help in applying adequate prevention policies, since these disparities could be due to different variables, including the different application of safety measures at work as well as socioeconomic and cultural factors on which action must be taken.
It is therefore essential to adopt targeted measures to reduce regional differences in terms of accidents at work and promote a culture of safety throughout the country.