There were seven occupational fatalities last year, three of which were in the second half of the year.

In the first half of the year there were 1,424 occupational accidents, four of which were fatal.

The National Statistics Office said there were were 24 fewer non-fatal occupational accidents in the second half of the year when compared to the same period in 2015.

Administrative records showed that 1,608 persons were involved in non-fatal occupational accidents, the majority of which (18.2 per cent) were in the manufacturing sector.

Another 263 (16.4 per cent) occurred in the transport and storage sector followed by the construction sector (13.9 per cent).

When compared to the same period in 2015, the number of accidents decreased by 67 in manufacturing and increased by 27 in education. The largest share of accidents at work during the reference period involved persons working in elementary occupations followed by craft and related trade workers.

A total 44.7 per cent or 718 of the injuries at work affected the upper extremities of the body, such as the fingers and hands. Wounds and superficial injuries, and dislocations, strains and sprains were the most common types of injuries, amounting to 976 and 369 cases respectively.

In the second half of last year, nearly 30 per cent of occupational accidents took place in enterprises with more than 500 employees (29.8 per cent).