SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's industrial accident deaths fell in the first nine months of this year due to a double-digit reduction in the construction and manufacturing industries, government data showed Tuesday.
The number of deaths, caused by industrial accidents, was 443 in the January-September period, down 3.5 percent compared to the same period of last year, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
Industrial accident deaths have been on a steady decline after the Serious Accidents Punishment Act took effect in January 2022 to impose tough punishment on employers who fail to prevent grave accidents at workplaces.
The number of industrial accident deaths in the construction sector dropped 15.4 percent to 203 in the nine-month period, while the reading among manufacturers retreated 8.9 percent to 134.
The number of deaths at workplaces with fewer than 50 full-time workers shrank 6.7 percent to 249, but the figure for workplaces with more than 50 full-time employees added 1.0 percent to 194. ■