Number of industrial accidents up almost 5 pct last year

SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Yonhap) -- The number of workers who died or were involved in
accidents at workplaces rose by more than 5 percent during most of 2008, largely
on a rise of incidents in the manufacturing sector, the government said Thursday.
The number of workers that were injured or have died during on-duty hours stood
at 87,627 during the January-November period of last year, up 5.6 percent from
82,992 during the same period the previous year, the Ministry of Labor said.
The number of deaths during working hours reached 2,220, rising slightly from
2,109 figure from 2007, but the rate of work-related illnesses fell 16.4 percent
on-year to 1,757.
Most accidents occurred in the manufacturing sector, accounting for 37.3 percent
of the total, and nearly half of mishaps took place in businesses with less than
49 employees.
The ministry also said that most deaths occurred in construction-related
workplaces, accounting for 40.6 percent last year.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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