Most occupational injuries occur in the afternoon

Taipei, Feb. 2 (CNA) Nearly 90 percent of injuries sustained by workers on the job usually occur after the midday break, according to Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) statistics published Thursday.

The CLA attributed the high incidence of afternoon injuries to reduced physical strength and mental focus after the lunch break.

In the period 2002 to 2009, the CLA recorded a total of 3,097 fatal injuries on the job, with 87.3 percent occurring at small and medium-sized companies.

According to the CLA's Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the high worker turnover rate at small companies, employers tend to be reluctant to provide adequate occupational safety and health training.

Employees who have been on the job for less than a year and those who have not had work safety training are most prone to occupational injuries, accounting for 63 percent and 76 percent of the total, respectively, according to CLA statistics.

The most dangerous jobs in Taiwan are in the construction sector, with workers reporting a 58 percent injury rate, followed by the manufacturing industry (21.3 percent), and the transportation, warehousing and telecommunication sector (5.8 percent), CLA data shows.

Source : FocusTaiwan.tw