Workplace accidents increase, businesses pay 64.5 million lek in fines in 2025

2026-04-24 07:39:00, Ekonomi CNA

Occupational safety violations are becoming a direct cost for Albanian businesses, while in 2025 alone, 268 fines were imposed with a total value of 64.5 million lek.

Behind this administrative pressure lies a broader structural problem. Last year, 275 accidents were recorded at work, with 212 people injured and 48 killed, confirming that workplace safety remains a weak point in the country's labor market.

The most problematic sectors, according to the annual report of the State Inspectorate of Labor and Social Services, are those with high physical labor intensity and a lower level of formalization of processes, such as construction, the processing industry and some services. In these activities, violations are mainly related to the lack of protective equipment, technical standards and employee training, significantly increasing exposure to risk.

The increase in accidents has brought a stronger reaction from the Inspectorate. Accident-related inspections have increased by 23% and in each case have been accompanied by administrative measures, often multiple for the same subject, indicating a more severe punitive approach.

At the same time, the reporting rate by businesses has reached 96%, an indicator that signals more transparency, but also the fact that the phenomenon is widespread and present in many sectors of the economy.

In total, 9,532 entities were inspected during the year and over 205 thousand workplaces were verified, highlighting a problem that is not limited to isolated sectors, but extends to a wide part of economic activity.

The economic impact of accidents is manifold. For businesses, they translate into interruptions in activity, loss of productivity and additional costs for compensation or penalties. For the state, the pressure on the health system and insurance schemes increases, while the active contribution of the workforce decreases.

However, the report highlights that some businesses continue to treat occupational safety as a cost to be minimized, rather than an investment that reduces risk. This approach, in practice, is proving more costly, as accidents and their financial consequences are increasingly weighing on economic activity itself./ Monitor Magazine