Serious concern about the 34 per cent rise in workplace deaths last year has been expressed by the chief executive of the Health and Safety Authority.
The number killed in the workplace increased to 67 last year, up from 50 in 2006.
HSA chief executive Martin O'Halloran said the authority would focus its resources next year on the construction and fishing sectors, which accounted for a large proportion of the increase in fatalities.
There was a significant reduction in farm fatalities, from 18 in 2006 to 11 last year.
Figures released yesterday showed there were 18 deaths in the construction sector in 2007 compared with 12 in 2006 and 12 deaths in the fishing sector compared with two in 2006.
"While the sharp reduction in agriculture fatalities is most welcome, we are seriously concerned at the increase in other sectors, particularly construction and fishing," said Mr O'Halloran.
"The authority will continue to focus its resources in these and other high-risk sectors and they will feature prominently in our activities for 2008 and beyond."
He said that a number of very serious incidents at sea at the beginning of 2007 had led to a major loss of life in the fishing sector, which would normally record only one or two deaths annually.
He said the authority would work with employers and workers to cut fatality numbers.
Billy Kelleher, Minister for Labour Affairs, also welcomed the significant reduction in agriculture fatalities but expressed concern that the overall figure for workplace fatalities had risen.
"With effort on all sides and the aid of modern communications and an educated workforce it is possible to reduce this figure," he said.
The report said that the most common causes of fatal accidents overall were "fall, collapse or breakage of material" (16) and "falls from height" (10).
Five were due to "loss of control of transport or handling equipment" and seven were presumed drowned. The highest number of fatalities occurred in Dublin (9) and Waterford (10).
More than 7000 non-fatal work injuries were reported to the authority in 2007. The most common non-fatal accident causes in 2007 for all sectors were "handling, lifting and carrying" (34 per cent), and "slips, trips and falls" (18 per cent).
These have been the two most common accident triggers every year since 2000.