Foreign workers who have only been in the Netherlands a few weeks are more often involved in work-related accidents than their Dutch colleagues and longer-term labour migrants, a report by the Dutch labour inspectorate has shown.

The inspectors looked at 2,448 industrial accidents in 2023, in which 69 people were killed. They concluded that one in 20 accidents involved young foreign workers who had been in the country for less than four months doing low-paid, high-risk jobs via jobs agencies.

In total, new arrivals accounted for 37 industrial accidents per 100,000 jobs, compared with 26 in 100,000 for the rest, the figures show. Some 4% of accidents involving new arrivals were fatal, compared with 2% for other workers.

Inspectors said communication problems due to the different languages spoken on the work floor contribute to accidents.

The foreign workers also work in more dangerous environments, such the steel industry and slaughterhouses and are less likely to complain about a lack of safety measures because they depend on their employer for a place to stay, the inspectors said.