The arm of government in charge of safety in the workplace is going to spend $1.5-million on extra measures to reduce the number of accidents in two sectors which are more dangerous to work in than most.

The manufacturing sector has the highest lot-time incident rate of any sector in the province with fish processing not far behind. The two sectors had injury claims last year that cost $13.4-million.

For instance, people who work in fish plants are five times more likely to suffer hearing loss than those who work outside the industry.

Workplace NL will dip into its Injury Fund to create a Sector Safety Council—a five-year project.

Dennis Hogan, the CEO of Workplace NL, says industry experts will facilitate training and programs to address hazards specific to their workplace.

Minister Sherry Gambin-Walsh says all workplace accidents are preventable.