SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in South Korea from industrial accidents fell last year to the lowest since relevant data began to be compiled in 1999, labor ministry data showed Wednesday.
The number of workers who were killed at workplaces during working hours was 855 in 2019, down 116, or 11.9 percent, from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
The number of industrial disaster-related deaths per 10,000 workers was estimated at 0.5 or lower, the ministry said.
The construction industry, which reported the biggest number of industrial accidents, recorded the death toll from industrial disasters at 428 last year, down 57 from the previous year.
The deaths from falling and collision in the construction sites declined by 25 and 19 each in the year.
The number of deaths from industrial accidents in the manufacturing sector reduced 11 over the year to 206 in the cited year.
The number of workers, who were killed in machinery fell by 9 last year.
After peaking at 1,456 in 1999, the death toll from industrial disasters continued to fall to 955 in 2015 before rising to 971 in 2018.
The government aimed to reduce the deaths from industrial accidents to below 600 by 2022.
