Small drop in occupational accidents reported

Accidents at the place of work in the first quarter of this year dropped by 3.4 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The NSO said that 771 non-fatal claims of occupational accidents were made between January and March. There was also one fatality this year, compared to three last year. The fatal accident was in a building site.

Just over a fifth of the accidents between January and March occured in the manufacturing sector, followed by 19.3 per cent in the construction sector and 13.4 per cent in transport and communications.

When compared to the first quarter of 2009, the number occupational accidents in manufacturing dropped by 39. On the other hand, accidents in construction and transport, storage and communication increased by 28 and 19, respectively.

In January-March 2010, persons employed in elementary occupations were the most involved in accidents at work. The NSO said that 347 accidents, or 45.0 per cent, occurred to persons in elementary occupations.