Risk of very serious injuries in Swedish scaffolders - What is an acceptable risk?

BACKGROUND: This case study estimates the risk of injuries causing death or at least one year's sick leave due to fall from height among Swedish scaffolders. FINDINGS: Cases occurring in 2020 to 2023 were identified from national statistics of accidents at work and statistics from an insurance company. The number of scaffolders in Sweden were estimated through national statistics. Their risk was compared to what is considered an unacceptable risk for exposure to carcinogens. Between 2020 and 2023 there were 10 accidents due to fall from height causing death or at least one years' sick leave among Swedish male scaffold workers. The average number of scaffolders at risk were estimated to around 3,100 per year indicating a risk of at least 3% for such an injury for a person working as a scaffolder from 20 to 65 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated risk of very serious injuries in Swedish scaffolders is today around ten times higher than a prohibition risk level for exposure to direct-acting carcinogens according to a Dutch document used for setting maximum allowable concentrations due to occupationalr exposure.