Report from: Asia OSH Map

The Asia OSH Map team collected and documented 205 OSH incident reports in Asia during May and June 2025. These tragedies occurred across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, including Cambodia (9), China (3), Hong Kong (1), India (1), Japan (2), the Philippines (52), South Korea (6), Taiwan (6), Thailand (76), and Vietnam (49). During this period, these incidents resulted in the deaths of 148 workers and the injury of 232 others.

“Transportation and logistics” recorded the most incidents (79 cases), followed by “Services” (45) and “Construction” (27). This reflects previous data showing road traffic injuries as the leading cause of workplace accidents, accounting for 44 worker fatalities and 93 injuries. Many of these incidents resulted from vehicle malfunctions or drivers’ unfamiliarity with road conditions.

The Service industry records the second-highest number of cases, fatalities, and injuries. Predominantly, these incidents are attributed to “Violence and harassment by people or animals” (20 cases, 44.4%), stemming from both internal disputes and external threats like robberies and physical attacks.

While accidents in “Transportation and logistics” and “Services” are frequent but less deadly, “Construction”, “Agriculture”, “Manufacturing”, “Electricity and Gas Supply”, and “Resource Recycling” report disproportionately high fatality rates, indicating severe and often life-threatening incidents. Structural collapses, fires, and explosions in “Construction” and “Manufacturing” frequently cause multiple deaths and injuries in a single event.

It is worth noting that some fatal work injuries occurred directly or indirectly due to weather and atmospheric conditions. Work-related casualties with weather and atmospheric conditions as direct causes included electrocutions from lightning strikes, heat stroke, and heavy rains and flooding, causing 7 deaths and 3 injuries (8 cases). Fatal injuries with weather and atmospheric conditions as indirect causes included heavy rains that caused collapse, resulting in 3 deaths (1 case).

Occupational hazards associated with climate change are increasingly alarming, with workers in the most at-risk sectors, such as the construction industry and agriculture, hit the hardest. These findings underscore an urgent need for stronger safety enforcement, improved oversight, and immediate action to protect workers in these hazardous industries.

Asia OSH Map is designed to provide an interactive platform for documenting occupational diseases and injuries across Asia using a Google Form. The analysis of OSH accidents highlights the need for significant improvements in workplace safety across Asia. By addressing common causes and offering recommendations, we can decrease accidents and improve worker safety and well-being.

We welcome you to report cases from your region or network to us.