THE number of workplace deaths in Northern Ireland fell significantly in the last year. Nine people died while working in 2013, compared with the previous year when 16 people died. once again the agriculture sector witnessed the most deaths with a total of four.
However, the provisional figures released by the Health and safety executive reveal a major decrease in deaths in the farming sector compared with the previous year when there were 12.
Last July the Health and safety executive reminded to farmers to put safety first when working with livestock.
It warned that 19 farmers had lost their lives over the last 10 years as a result of incidents involving animals.
In 2012, 12 people died in farm accidents in Northern Ireland, including Ulster rugby star Nevin Spence, his father and brother.
In its latest statistics the Health and safety executive said there were 2,134 reported workplace incidents in 2013 with nine fatalities.
The figures show that there were two deaths in the health sector and one fatality in the public services.
Four people died while working in the agriculture sector and there were two deaths in the construction industry. schoolboy Aaron Macaulay was one of those who lost his life last year in an accident on his family's farm in July.
The 10-year-old was in the cab of a loading vehicle which was transporting slurry when it apparently stalled near the top of a steep hill known as Ballymacarney near Castlewellan, Co Down.
The digger-type vehicle hurtled backwards and crashed. Aaron was airlifted to hospital but later died.
Also in July a father-of-three died after falling from a wall on his farm in Co Derry.
Farmer Henry Allen (70) from Moneymore is believed to have lost his balance while working with silage.
* DIED IN ACCIDENT ON FARM: Aaron Macaulay