Occupational accidents in Serbian industries in transition.

Occupational accidents and injuries present a serious social, medical and economical problem in Serbian industries in transition. The purpose of this study is to estimate the number and average annual rate of occupational accidents and traumatic injuries in Serbian industries in transition, between 1992 and 2003, and to estimate the effects of a preventive safety program in the rubber manufacturing industry and in the production of electrical goods and equipment. This paper presents a descriptive analysis of occupational accidents and injuries which occurred in all industries over a twelve years period. In the rubber manufacturing industry and in the production of electrical goods and equipment a surveillance and prevention program has been implemented since 1997. A significant drop after 1997 in average annual accidents rate and severity ratio of injuries in these two industries has been observed, which was not the case in the other industries, and can be explained by the positive effects of the safety training program. The study documents that the safety training program showed significant effects, especially in case of workers with less than ten years of working experience.