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Fatalities at work are up by a third compared to last year, according to statistics by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI).

Sixteen people died this year, compared to 12 last year. Six people died on farms and three on building sites.

But the number of people sustaining serious injuries is significantly down on last year.

Chief Executive of the HSENI Keith Morrison said workplace deaths were "heartbreaking and unacceptable".

He added that many were often "easily preventable".

Farming remains the most dangerous occupation, although the number of deaths in the industry was the same as last year.

The long-term trend in fatalities is down since work was done to improve awareness of the issue through the Farm Safety Partnership.

The partnership is a group of statutory organisations and farming bodies that spread the safety message.

Mr Morrison said everyone should work to ensure the statistics on farm deaths do not return to the peak of 2011/12 when 12 people died on farms.

The number of serious injuries sustained at work last year was 357.

That is 13% down on the previous year.

"All too often, and understandably, the focus can be solely on workplace deaths," Mr Morrison said.

"However, what can be more frightening is the number of people seriously injured each year at work, especially given that the difference between a major, life-changing, injury and a fatality can be just a few seconds or inches."