Work-related accidents kill 2 million a year

Work-related accidents and illness kill more than two million people a year and are rising in some developing countries including China and Brazil, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said on Thursday.

Occupational illnesses — including cancers from exposure to hazardous substances and respiratory and communicable diseases — are the main danger faced in the workplace, accounting for 1.7 million deaths.

Asbestosis, a slow scarring of the lungs from inhaling high concentrations of dust from asbestos used in construction and insulation, is also increasing and accounts for 100,000 occupational deaths worldwide per year, the ILO added.

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In a statement issued on World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the ILO and World Health Organization — both United Nations agencies — called for better prevention measures to protect workers.

While the number of workplace accidents held steady or declined in most regions, the estimated number of fatal accidents in China rose to 90,500 in 2001 from 73,500 in 1998, according to the ILO.

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Booming construction in parts of Latin America, particularly Brazil and Mexico, has led to an increase in fatal accidents to 39,500 a year from 29,500 over the same period, it added.

Workers in emerging economies often lack training in safe work practices, according to the ILO. Most have never worked with heavy machinery and are unfamiliar with industrial hazards.

The ILO has estimated that four percent of the world’s gross domestic product is lost each year to death, injury and disease through absence from work and compensation.