In the 3rd quarter of 2020 a supplementary survey linked to the Labour Force Survey was conducted, called "Accidents at work and other work-related health problems", which concerned people aged 15–74 that are currently working or having worked before. The supplementary survey was carried out at the same time as the basic survey and involved the selected sample of households of the basic survey.
1.1% of respondents aged 15–74 who participated in the basic survey in the 3rd quarter of 2020 did not respond to the supplementary survey.
Since January 1, 2021, additionally to persons working while receiving child care benefit, persons that have worked before requisitioning child care benefit, who are recipients of benefits during their absence and at the end of the receiving period will go back to their previous places of work (and thus were previously considered inactive or unemployed) are also considered employed. In other words, persons permanently absent from work due to receiving child care benefit are considered employed. As a result of this change in methodology, a back-calculated break-free time series was produced, starting from 2009. 139.7 thousand persons receiving child care benefit, that were previously considered inactive or unemployed did not answer the questions of the supplementary survey that concerned the employed.
37.0% of the answered interviews were answered by a third person, namely another member of the household. The proxy interviews rate among men was high, 46.4%, while for women this rate was 27.9%.
There might be some difference between the published absolute numbers and the corresponding aggregates due to weighting and summation.
If a variable (after weighting) involves an occurrence of 2,500 to 4,999 persons, the data should be interpreted with precaution, due to the high survey error rate that may result in incorrect data; in case of an occurrence of fewer than 2,500 persons, the data is not usable.
An accident at work is an accident suffered by the person while doing job-related work or related to doing such work, independently of place and time and of the extent of the person's (injured) being instrumental in it. An accident is considered to occur in relation to doing work if it happens while the person is travelling in relation with work in the frame of his/her job, purchasing supplies, carrying loads, cleaning him/herself, having organized workplace meals, using workplace health care services or any other service provided by the employer. For instance, straining one's back while moving a heavy load is an accident at work; if, however, a back pain develops as a result of a longer period of carrying heavy loads, it should not be seen as an accident. An accident suffered while travelling from the injured person's home (accommodation) to his/her workplace or from workplace to home (accommodation) can only be regarded as a work related accident if it happens in the employer's own vehicle or in a vehicle rented by the employer (Law XCIII/1993 on work safety). An accident occurring during lunch time or a break at work was to be regarded as an accident at work except if this time was spent by the person outside the workplace, such as at home or in a restaurant.
Only injuries or accidents that occurred at the workplace or in the course of work were taken into account, all other types of accidents were ignored.
Work-related illnesses and health problems, according to this survey are those health problems, which have brought about complaints, illnesses, or made chronic complaints worse or caused the worsening of the condition of organs of sense in the past 12 months (including the reference week). All present or past jobs had to be taken into account, even those that the person did years ago, if they caused or made their illness or health problem worse in the last 12 months.
Occupational diseases reported or recognized by authorities had to be included as well as respondents' complaints caused or made worse by work. In case of infectious diseases, like a common cold or flu, it is difficult to decide whether the respondent caught it at work or elsewhere. In such cases what could be considered was whether the workplace circumstances made it more likely for employees to catch infections than at other workplaces or in everyday environment. For instance, the respondent works at a crowed workplace, is regularly in contact with sick people or the air conditioning can cause respiratory infections etc.