Arbetsplatsdödsfall, den tysta samhällsförbättringen

Agnes Arpi skriver idag i Expressen under rubriken "Arbetsmiljöbristerna – den tysta skandalen", och inleder artikeln med: "Så har det hänt igen. Ännu en arbetsplatsolycka att föra till statistiken." (via @olaberg).

Statistik på temat, från Arbetsmiljöverket (pdf):

Och angående arbetsplatsolyckor i stort - ur Arbetsskador 2012 (pdf); röd linje är arbetsolyckor med sjukfrånvaro:

Januari-maj 2013 har enligt Arbetsmiljöverket 12 personer avlidit i arbetet, att jämföra med 18 under samma period 2012, 20 personer 2011 och 26 personer 2010 (dödsfallen som inträffat handlar vidare snarare om fordonsolyckor och rånmord än den industri Arpi diskuterar (pdf)).

Ytterligare att ta hänsyn till är att antalet anställda ökat stadigt under perioden - från Danne Nordling:

Det sker alltså ständigt förbättringar utöver vad regelverken anger - felslutet att förbättringar måste ske via lag tog redan Bastiat upp - ur That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen:

But, by a deduction as false as it is unjust, do you know what economists are accused of? It is, that when we disapprove of Government support, we are supposed to disapprove of the thing itself whose support is discussed; and to be the enemies of every kind of activity, because we desire to see those activities, on the one hand free, and on the other seeking their own reward in themselves. Thus, if we think that the State should not interfere by taxation in religious affairs, we are atheists. If we think the State ought not to interfere by taxation in education, we are hostile to knowledge. If we say that the State ought not by taxation to give a fictitious value to land, or to any particular branch of industry, we are enemies to property and labour. If we think that the State ought not to support artists, we are barbarians who look upon the arts as useless

Against such conclusions as these I protest with all my strength. Far from entertaining the absurd idea of doing away with religion, education, property, labour, and the arts, when we say that the State ought to protect the free development of all these kinds of human activity, without helping some of them at the expense of others, - we think, on the contrary, that all these living powers of society would develop themselves more harmoniously under the influence of liberty; and that, under such an influence no one of them would, as is now the case, be a source of trouble, of abuses, of tyranny, and disorder

Our adversaries consider, that an activity which is neither aided by supplies, nor regulated by Government, is an activity destroyed. We think just the contrary. Their faith is in the legislator, not in mankind; ours is in mankind, not in the legislator.

Några tidigare inlägg på temat:
- Gruvarbetares hälsa
- Arbetsmiljöverket, Lundby-Wedin och Littorin om arbetsskador