Assault a top cause of work-related injuries in the Netherlands

Assault is the second biggest cause of work related injuries that lead to at least 4 days of absence in the Netherlands. Every day there are an average of 53 cases of kicking, biting or threats that lead to long periods of work absence, according to a study done by Statistics Netherlands on "work accidents" that lead to at least 4 days of staying at home. In 2014 there were around 88 thousand of these "work accidents". Most of these - 29 percent - were caused by tripping or falling. Assault in the form of threats, kicks or bites came in second place with 22 percent of the cases, a total of 19,360 cases in 2014. Other causes of accidents include being hit by an object (16 percent), getting stuck (12 percent), a fall from a height (9 percent), getting cut on something (9 percent) and contact with electricity, heat dangerous substances or noise (3 percent). Sixty percent of the employees who stayed home after a work accident had "bodily injuries". In most cases it involved dislocation, strain or sprain. In just over a quarter of the cases, the employee also suffered mental problems,