Rise in number of workplace accidents

The number of accidents at workplaces went up by 7.4 per cent in the second quarter of this year to reach 1,182, the National Statistics Office said yesterday.

No fatalities resulted from these accidents. The majority occurred in the manufacturing sector (32.9 per cent), followed by the construction sector (15.4 per cent) and the transport, storage and communications sector with 11.4 per cent. The lowest number of accidents were reported in the financial sector, with two cases.

A total of 628 cases (53.1 per cent) were in the elementary occupations, followed by the crafts sector with 206 (17.4 per cent).

Just under 45 per cent of the accidents occurred to individuals aged under 35.

There was a decline in workplace fatalities compared to last year, when three were reported.

Nearly 45 per cent of the accidents concerned the upper extremities of the body, including hands and fingers.

Superficial injuries were the most common type sustained, constituting 39.4 per cent of the accidents reported.