HEALTH REPORT - Work-Related Accidents Increasing in Some De

HEALTH REPORT - Work-Related Accidents Increasing in Some Developing Countries
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Wednesday, June 08, 2005

I'm Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Health Report.

Work can be harmful to your health. Each year, more than two million people die from work-related accidents or diseases. Labor¹-related deaths represent four percent of all deaths around the world.

And here are some other estimates in a recent report from the International Labor Organization, a United Nations agency:

About two hundred seventy million workplace accidents happen each year. In addition, there are about one hundred sixty million cases of work-related sicknesses. The most common include cancers, muscle and bone diseases, lung diseases, hearing loss and blood-flow disorders².

Dangerous substances are blamed for more than four hundred thousand deaths each year. Asbestos alone is responsible for an estimated one hundred thousand deaths. Asbestos is a material that can lead to lung cancer and other diseases.

Diseases cause most of the deaths among workers. But deadly accidents at work also appear to be increasing in some developing countries as their economies expand quickly. This is true especially in Latin America and Asia.

About seventeen percent of all deadly workplace accidents happen in the building industry. Each year at least sixty thousand people die in such accidents. Many workers come from poor areas. They have little experience with heavy machinery³ and little training in safety.

The farming industry employs half of all workers in the world. In most developing countries, farming is the biggest employer. The risks from agricultural work include the use of pesticides⁴. These chemicals cause an estimated seventy thousand poisoning deaths each year. In addition, the most recent estimates show that at least seven million people get very sick but survive.

When workers suffer, so might their employers. The I.L.O. estimates that about four percent of world economic production is lost to job accidents.

Higher rates of job accidents are found among workers age fifteen to twenty-four and those age fifty-five and older. More people in those two age groups are expected to enter the workforce⁵. So the International Labor Organization is calling for special programs to help younger and older workers stay safe on the job.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Cynthia Kirk.  I'm Gwen Outen.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

4 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。