Recent statistics show that the seven foreign nationals who died as a result of work-related accidents between 2007 and 2014 all worked in construction, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Authority.

The authority noted that, according to figures released by the National Statistics Office, half of the 39 fatalities at work during that eight-year span occurred in construction.

Many of the victims in this sector were foreigners; indeed all the foreigners who perished at the place of work during the said period of time were construction workers, the authority said.

The authority expressed concern that the statistics cover too short a period of time and, therefore, fail to give a broader picture.

“A better result would have been obtained had the NSO’s news release included a longer time span or compared the number of fatal accidents over two five-year periods of time,” the OHSA said.

The authority said this broader picture showed there has been a downward trend in both the number and the rate of fatal accidents at the work place. For example, the number of fatalities dropped from 32 cases between 2005 and 2006, to 19 cases between 2010 and 2014.

Looking at the broader picture also showed a drop in construction accidents, with nine fatalities registered in 2004 down to three fatalities a decade later, the OHSA said.

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