Long-term development of occupational accidents in Finland.

In Finland the number of occupational accidents has been increasing throughout the 1900s. This increasing long-term development is related to the improved insurance coverage of workers. The severity of accidents has decreased during the past three decades. Accident curves show variations related to fluctuations in the national economy. The occurrence of accidents seems to be very sensitive to economic determinants. The structural changes of work brought about by automation should lead to a decrease in the occurrence of accidents. With the exception of economic factors and structural changes in the labor force, no signs of any major decrease in the occurrence of accidents have been detected.