Nicaragua

Organization responsible for the statistics

Collection: Instituto Nicaragüense de Seguridad Social (INSS)(Nicaragua Social Security Institute).

Compilation and publication: Instituto Nicaragüense de Seguridad Social (INSS) and the Ministry of Labour.

Periodicity

Compilation: Quarterly.

Publication: Annual.

Source

Source: Gerencia General de Riesgos Laborales (Occupational Injury Administration);

Scheme: Seguro de Riesgos Profesionales (Employment Injury Insurance);

Department: Statistical Analysis;

Health Organization: Gerencia de Coordinación Médical (Medical Coordination Administration);

Occupational Safety: Oficina de Prevención de Riesgos Profesionales (Office for the Prevention of Occupational Risks).

Objectives and users

To provide accurate and timely information concerning occupational injuries on the national and enterprise levels; to analyse trends; to determine frequency rates and historical series; to make projections as an aid to decision-making, and formulate plans for the prevention and control of risks in work places with a high accident rate.

Major users:

INSS senior management, the Occupational Injury Administration, the Actuarial and Statistical Planning Office, universities and the Ministry of Labour.

Coverage

Persons:

Workers participating in the compulsory social security scheme of Nicaragua, which include full-time and part-time paid employees. The statistics do not include self-employed workers or unpaid family workers.

Annual average: 209,000 workers.

Economic activities:

All economic activities.

Geographic areas:

The whole country.

The statistics include nationals working abroad and persons normally residing in the country who go abroad to complete work assignments.

Establishments:

All types and sizes of establishments.

Other:

Owing to the low rate of accident reporting by enterprises, some occupational accidents, commuting accidents and occupational diseases are not recorded.
Because some workers and employers are uninformed about employment injury insurance, a number of occupational accidents and diseases are classified as ordinary accidents and diseases.
In the case of relatively minor accidents, some workers and employers rely on home remedies and do not notify the accidents to the employment injury insurance scheme.

Types of occupational accidents covered

Injuries reported to the INSS, exluding those reported to other entities or organizations (Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Health). The statistics also include all occupational injuries that provide entitlement to compensation.

All types of occupational accidents, commuting accidents and occupational diseases. Data on occupational diseases are compiled separately, but are included in the same publications as those concerning occupational injuries.

Concepts and definitions

(Sources: Social Security Act and Social Security Regulation)

Occupational accident:

death, or any organic injury, or any immediate or subsequent, permanent or temporary, functional disturbance resulting from the sudden action of an external cause arising out of or in the course of work, or from an act of God or force majeure inherent in it (Section 63 of the Social Security Act).

Commuting accident:

an accident occurring on the usual route from the workers' residence to his place of work, or vice versa (Section 63 of the Social Security Act).

Fatal occupational injury:

any death brought about by the sudden action of an external cause arising out or in the course of work, or by an act of God or force majeure inherent in it.

Temporary incapacity to work:

the loss of faculties or abilities that partially or totally prevent an individual from performing his job for some length of time (Section 74.A of the Social Security Regulation).

Permanent incapacity to work:

Permanent partial incapacity: the reduction of an individual's faculties as a result of having sustained the loss or paralysis of a limb, organ or function of the body, for the rest of his or her life (Section 74.B of the Social Security Regulation).
Permanent total incapacity: the total loss of faculties or abilities that render an individual incapable of performing any kind of work for the rest of his life (Section 74.C of the Social Security Regulation).

Minimum period of absence from work: not applicable.

Maximum period for death to be considered a fatal occupational injury: two years.

Types of information compiled

(a) personal characteristics of persons injured: sex, age, civil status, occupational group and class;

(b) amount of worktime lost;

(c) characteristics of accidents: day and time, dangerous condition, unsafe acts, agencies, type of accident, accident class, and risk class;

(d) characteristics of injuries: nature of the injury and type of disease;

(e) characteristics of employers or workplaces: economic sector, activity group, administration, region, location group, and scheme.

Measurement of worktime lost

Time lost is measured in calendar days, for all occupational accidents, except those involving fatal injuries and permanent incapacity. (The Social Security Act states that when the victim of an occupational accident is totally disabled he then becomes a pensioner).

Temporary absences of less than one day are not included.

Classifications

(a) fatal or non-fatal accident;

(b) extent of disability;

(c) economic activity;

(d) occupation;

(e) type of injury;

(f) cause of accident;

(g) duration of absence from work:

not applicable;

(h) characteristics of workers:

sex, age and civil status;

(i) characteristics of accidents;

(j) characteristics of employers and/or workplaces.

Crossclassifications are used.

Reference period

Year.

Occupational injuries are included in the statistics for the period in which they were occured. Accident reports or compensation claims relating to accidents are registered in the period in which they were submitted to the competent authority only in those cases where the accident was not notified immediately.

Worktime lost as a result of injury is registered in the period in which the injured person's rest order is prescribed.

Estimates

Totals for injuries, workdays lost, injuries by type of medical treatment, degree of complexity of the injuries, or both, is calculated on the basis of the number of injuries for one year, plus a percentage increase.

The average number of workdays lost per accident victim is calculated by dividing the number of workdays lost by the number of accidents.

Percentage distributions.

Rates of fatal injuries, non-fatal injuries, and accidents:

( number of accidents / number of insured persons ) x 1,000.

Risks:

(number of days lost / number of insured persons ) x 1,000.

Ratio of permanent functional disability:

( number of persons having sustained occupational injuries with permanent functional disability / total number of occupational injuries ) x 100.

Coverage:

( number of insured persons registered with the employment injury insurance scheme / total number of insured persons ) x 100.

Frequency rate:

(number of accidents / number of workers at risk ) x 300.

Source of estimates: Sistema Estadístico de Riesgos Profesionales (Occupational Injury Statistical System).

Historical background of the series

It is not known when the statistics were compiled for the first time, nor what the initial objective of compiling the data was.

Changes have been made in the presentation of the statistics, along with minor changes to their contents, in keeping with international statistical guidelines.

Documentation

Series available:

The following tables are published:

Statistics by administration and:

economic sector and class;
day of occurrence and class;

Statistics by dangerous condition and accident class.

Statistics by unsafe act and accident class.

Statistics by employer and:

accident class;
occupational group;
activity group;
sex, civil status and day;
type of accident.

Statistics by nature and class.

Statistics by occupational group, civil status and sex.

Statistics by location group, nature and class.

Statistics by agency and type of accident.

Statistics by monthly consolidation according to accident class.

Statistics by dangerous condition according to day and time of occurrence.

Statistics by unsafe act according to day and time of occurrence.

Statistics by type of disease.

Statistics by activity group and age group.

Statistics by occupational group and age group.

Statistics by consolidation and administration according to risk class.

Statistics by establishment and:

economic activity and risk class;
occupation and risk class;
consolidation, administration and scheme;
consolidation, occupational group and scheme;
consolidation, activity group, and scheme.

Bibliographic references:

The data are published in:

Instituto Nicaragüense de Seguridad Social (INSS): Anuario Estadístico.

Methodological notes are not published.

All data are published. The statistics are also available on diskette and in report form.

Data published by ILO:

The following data relating to compensated injuries (including commuting accidents and occupational diseases) classified by major division of economic activity are furnished to the ILO for publication in the Yearbook of Labour Statistics: number of persons fatally injured; number of persons injured with lost worktime; total of these two groups; number of workdays lost by persons injured with lost worktime; and rates of fatal injuries. The number of persons at risk (total number of insured persons) is also supplied and stored in the LABORSTA database.

Confidentiality:

There are no restrictions on the publication of the data.

International standards

There is no knowledge of ILO standards.

It is not known if representative organizations of employers and workers and other users were consulted when the concepts, definitions and methods used for compiling the statistics were designed or last revised.

Method of data collection

Legislation:

Ley Orgánica de Seguridad Social (Social Security Act) of Nicaragua (enacted in 1982).

The compensation scheme covers all injuries sustained as a result of work accidents and commuting accidents. The Social Security Act requires employers to notify work accidents within 48 working hours following the accident (Section 82 of the Social Security Act Regulation). There is no prescribed time limit for presenting a compensation claim.

Reporting:

The report of the disease or accident is submitted by the employer, whereas the compensation claim is filed by the insured person in question. Occupational and commuting accidents must be reported immediately to the employer, who issues a duly completed, signed and sealed Occupational Accident Notification in the original plus four copies. The injured person must present the original of this document, his INSS Insurance Card, and proof of entitlement, to the Accredited Health Unit he has selected to administer him the necessary medical treatment. The remaining four copies must be submitted to the INSS Branch Office corresponding to the worker's place of work; this office will in turn sign and seal one copy for the purposes of the employer. After receiving medical treatment, the insured person must declare the accident to his assigned INSS Branch Office.

There are official forms for filing compensation claims. These are as follows:

The Pension and Individual Account Claim Form;
The Initial Procedure for Invalidity or Incapacity Claim Form.

There are no instructions or guidelines on the compensation scheme.

Data reported:

information about the enterprise: name of employer; INSS employer number; address; postal code; telephone number, fax number; type of firm; economic sector (private, state, independent entity, mixed); number of workers in the enterprise; economic activity code;
information about the injured worker: first and last name; INSS number; sex; age; civil status (single, married, widowed); date of birth; temporary or permanent trade or occupation, complete home address; work schedule and shift (morning, afternoon or night); earnings subject to contributions received in the month prior to the accident in córdobas; number of days paid;
information about the accident: classification (commuting accident or occupational accident); location (street, district, community, city, etc.); accident site; date (day, month, year); day of the week (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday); time (morning, afternoon, or night); number of hours worked when the accident occurred; circumstances and type of accident (struck by an object or striking against an object, fall of persons from heights, fall of persons on the same level, contact with or exposure to a substance, caught in or between objects, overexertion, various, and unspecified);
information about the witnesses: full name, current address, INSS number or certificate of identity number;
other information: declaration number; date (day, month, year); full name of employer or legal representative, signature and seal.

Changes planned:

It is planned to set up pension administration companies that will be comprised of private entities, but this change is still under consideration.

Additional information

Notification system

The Occupational Safety and Health Directorate of the Ministry of Labour collects and compiles statistics on occupational injuries on a monthly basis, but these data are not published. The statistics cover adult, full-time paid employees in all economic activities in medium and large-sized enterprises in the country. The statistics do not include workers in family workshops and cooperatives, nor persons working or normally residing outside the country.

The statistics include only those occupational and commuting accidents that were notified to the labour inspectorate. Statistics on occupational diseases are compiled separately.

The definitions of occupational accident, occupational injury, commuting accident, temporary incapacity and permanent incapacity are the same as those used by the Instituto Nicaragüense de Seguridad Social. The loss of worktime as a result of occupational injury or disease is counted starting with the day of the occurrence. The minimum period of absence from work for an injured person to be included in the statistics is one working day, and the maximum period for death following an occupational accident to be considered an fatal occupational injury is two years, in accordance with the Labour Code.

Types of data collected:

Ministry of Labour, Accident Report Form.
- worker: date, first and last name, INSSBI number, sex, civil status, age, occupation or profession of the injured person, shift, total number of hours worked per day, monthly wages, home address, municipality, department;
- enterprise: name, INSSBI number, number of workers, economic activity, address, telephone number, municipality, department, location of the work centre, telephone number, municipality, department;
- accident: date and location of the accident; work centre; whether accident occurred en route to or from the workplace; time of day and of work; work being performed when the accident occurred and type of accident; machine, device, or part involved; witnesses' first and last names, addresses and telephone numbers;
- medical assistance: description of the injuries and classification of their degree (minor, serious, critical, fatal); part of body injured; first and last name, address and telephone number of the person who administered assistance to the accident victim;
- other information: date, first and last name and post of the person who completed the accident report form, signature and seal. There are instructions on how to complete the accident report form.
Ministry of Labour, Monthly Register of Occupational Accidents, General Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health.
- enterprise: name of employer; address, number of workers (total, males, females) and economic activity; month in which registered and name of the person responsible;
- injured worker: the work environment; occupation; age; sex; date, time and type of accident; classification (occupational accident or commuting accident); extent of the injury (minor, serious, critical, fatal); location of the injury; agency; type of injury; unsafe conditions; unsafe acts; days lost and economic costs.

This monthly form does not contradict the provisions of the Ministerial Resolution and provides information not found on the Accident Report Form. There are instructions on completing the accident report.