DHAKA, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- At least 1,240 workers were killed and 544 others injured in 2016 in Bangladesh due to occupational accidents, workplace violence, road accident and violation of other labor rights, a local development organization said Friday.
The organization - Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE) - released the statistics at a press briefing in Dhaka.
OSHE, established in 2003 as specialized development organization to work on employment, income, economy, environment and livelihood of the working people, is an umbrella for national and industrial trade unions in Bangladesh.
Of the total, according to OSHE, highest number of causalities was in the transport sector (486) followed by construction sector (147), garment factories (88), farming (87) and day-laborers (69).
The OSHE statistics also showed that 34 domestic helps, 23 shipbreaking workers, 44 fishermen, two waste-pickers, and 213 of other sectors were killed in 2016.
According to the OSHE, the deaths at workplaces increased in 2016 compared to the previous two years as 951 workers were killed in 2015 while 465 in 2014.
The organization said weak labor inspections, lack of awareness, sensitization and health and safety training among workers and lack of decent wage were the key causes for growing occupational accidents, workers rights violations and labor unrests in the country.
