Industrial accidents resulted in 42 deaths in the first six months of this year, a sharp rise on the 27 deaths recorded in the first six months of 2015, according to social affairs ministry figures.

The reason for the increase in unclear but government inspectors say that the economic recovery may have a role. This is because more temporary staff are being employed and they have a bigger risk of accidents, minister Lodewijk Asscher said in a briefing to parliament.

Most accidents are due to ‘avoidable situations or behaviour, such as not following instructions, not following safety rules and ignoring signs of danger,’ Asscher said in the briefing.

Figures from the national statistics office CBS show most fatal accidents take place in the construction and heavy engineering sectors.