According to figures from the Labour Affairs Bureau (known by its Portuguese abbreviation DSAL), 5,293 people were injured in workplace accidents in Macao last year.
Of these 10 were fatal, with one death thought to be the result of violations of the city’s occupational health and safety rules.
In data cited by Macau Post Daily, the DSAL said that the three main causes of accidents at work were falls (more than a quarter of cases), trapped limbs or impaling or cuts (over a fifth of accidents) and overexertion (16 percent of cases).
[See more: Legislators aim to make construction sites safer for workers]
The DSAL says that it conducted nearly 3,800 workplace inspections last year, imposing fines at 82 of them for unsafe conditions.
It added that it would impose “immediate punishment, suspension of work and raising of [safety] awareness” at hazardous workplaces.
In 2022 – when economic activity was restricted by the Covid-19 pandemic – there were fewer accidents at local workplaces, with a total of 4,274 injuries recorded, and 9 fatalities. With many accidents taking place in the construction sector, a bill was approved last year to allow non-resident workers to take up construction safety officer posts in Macao.
