The Influence of the Privatization Process on Accident Rates in the Forestry Sector in Poland

The aim of this paper is to analyze the changes in accident rates resulting from the privatization of forest operations. Data from the years 1990–2017 were obtained from the Statistical Forestry Yearbooks issued by Statistics Poland, and were analyzed for two periods: the time of intensive privatization (1991–2002) and the post-privatization period (2003–2017). The data from 1990 were treated as a benchmark. There were 14,626 accidents in total, of which 236 (1.61%) were fatal. The non-fatal accident rate in the whole forestry industry showed a decreasing trend in the study period (t = 2.27, p < 0.05). In the case of the fatal accident rate we can observe an upward trend; in the period of intensive privatization the average annual fatality rate was 0.11, and after privatization it was 0.18 (t = −2.68, p < 0.05). In both periods the fatality rate was twice as high in the private forestry sector as in the public sector. The number of working days lost declined in the public sector and increased in the private sector. An accident in the private sector resulted in 20 days’ longer absence than one in the public sector. The study confirms that despite economic transition, accident rates in Polish forestry remain a serious issue. The main problem to be addressed is the increase in the fatal accident rate, especially in the private sector.