In the first quarter of 2026, the number of people injured in workplace accidents in Poland increased. According to preliminary data from Statistics Poland, 17,084 injured persons were reported, 19.3% more than a year earlier. The accident rate rose from 1.04 to 1.24 injured persons per 1,000 employees.
The vast majority of cases involved accidents resulting in minor injuries. In this category, 16,960 people were injured. Serious accidents affected 92 people, while fatal accidents claimed 32 lives. The data also include 42 people injured while performing remote work or telework.
The total number of days of incapacity for work caused by accidents amounted to 411,749. This means an average of 24.1 days of absence per injured person. The longest average period of incapacity for work was recorded in mining and quarrying, where it reached 33.5 days.
Most Injuries Recorded in Manufacturing, Trade and Transport
In terms of the number of injured persons, the highest number of accidents was recorded in manufacturing. In this section of the economy, 4,806 people were injured. The next highest numbers were reported in trade and repair of motor vehicles, as well as in transport and storage.
In trade and repair of motor vehicles, 2,640 injured persons were reported, while in transport and storage the figure stood at 1,798. In human health and social work activities, 1,484 people were injured, while in construction the number reached 702.
The picture changes when the number of employees in individual sectors is taken into account. The highest accident rate was recorded in mining and quarrying, at 3.41 injured persons per 1,000 employees. A very high level was also reported in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities, where the rate stood at 3.34.
Human health and social work activities, transport and storage, manufacturing, and agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing also exceeded the national average. The lowest accident rate was recorded in information and communication, at 0.15.
Warmińsko-Mazurskie with the Highest Accident Rate
The data also show significant regional differences. The highest accident rate was recorded in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship, at 1.64 injured persons per 1,000 employees. It was followed by Zachodniopomorskie, with a rate of 1.60, and Kujawsko-Pomorskie, with 1.53.
High accident rates were also recorded in the Podlaskie, Śląskie, Lubuskie and Dolnośląskie voivodeships. The lowest rates were reported in Mazowieckie and Małopolskie. In Mazowieckie, the rate stood at 0.88, while in Małopolskie it was 0.95 injured persons per 1,000 employees.
In absolute terms, the highest numbers of injured persons were reported in the Śląskie, Mazowieckie and Wielkopolskie voivodeships. In Śląskie, 2,422 employees were injured, compared with 2,174 in Mazowieckie and 1,885 in Wielkopolskie.
Most Common Cause: Incorrect Employee Behaviour
The largest group of causes of workplace accidents was incorrect employee behaviour. It accounted for 40.3% of recorded cases. The next most common causes included improper handling of a material factor by the employee, events beyond the control of both the employer and the employee, and other causes.
Organisational factors also played a significant role. Improper organisation of the workstation accounted for 7.3% of cases, while improper organisation of work accounted for 5.5%. Together, these two categories represented 12.8% of the causes of accidents.
The most common event leading to injury was collision with a stationary object. Such incidents accounted for 37.4% of cases. They were followed by contact with a sharp or hard object and being struck by a moving object.
Limb Injuries Were the Most Common
Workplace accidents most often resulted in limb injuries. Injuries to the upper limbs accounted for 43.2% of cases, while injuries to the lower limbs represented 33.4%. In total, limb injuries accounted for more than three quarters of all injuries.
Head injuries occurred in 10.9% of cases. Injuries to the torso and internal organs, the back and the whole body were recorded less frequently. At the time of the accident, injured persons were most often in motion, moving around, handling objects or performing manual transport.
These data show that a large proportion of accidents do not result directly from operating specialist machinery, but from everyday activities carried out in the workplace. This means that accident risk applies not only to sectors traditionally considered dangerous, but also to positions dominated by repetitive tasks, movement and manual work.
Accidents on Farms
A separate category consists of accidents on individual farms for which one-off compensation was granted by the Agricultural Social Insurance Fund, KRUS. In the first quarter of 2026, 1,686 people were injured in such accidents, including 16 in fatal incidents.
The most common type of event was falls, which accounted for 48.8% of accidents on farms. They were followed by other events, being struck, crushed or bitten by animals, and being caught by moving parts of machinery and equipment.
The structure of agricultural accidents shows that the greatest risks are related both to everyday movement around the farm and to contact with animals and machinery. In practice, this means that constant attention must be paid to work organisation, the technical condition of equipment and basic safety rules.
