A shipyard worker has at died in an accident at Imabari Shipbuilding in the latest of four fatalities to be recorded at a Japanese shipyard.
The 34-year-old man, who died at the shipbuilder's yard in the Ehime Prefecture city of Imabari, has been named as Hedeki Shiraishi. He was taken to hospital but died of his injuries.
The cause of death is still under investigation but local media reported that it is understood he was hit by a falling object which was being carried by a crane.
The shipbuilder confirmed the accident which it said is under investigation.
This year there have been four fatalities recorded at shipyards in Ehime, which is on the island of Shikoku. The prefecture has the largest accumulation of shipyards in Japan.
The prefecture's Labour Department has already called for a through inspection of equipment at shipyards operating in the area in response to the incidents.
There have also been fatalities recorded in the past 12 months in Fukuoka on the Western Island of Kyushu.
Japan's shipbuilders are generally regarded as having the most robust production management systems in among shipbuilders in the Far East. However, a series of incidents have raised questions over safety management at the country’s shipyards.
In August, Japan Marine United found its Ariake Shipyard at the centre of a Covid-19 outbreak on the Japanese island of Kyushu.
The yard insisted it had put in place strict procedures to prevent the spread of the outbreak but there were reports of lax application of the measures at the yard. A total of 112 workers contracted the disease at the shipyard.
There was a further outbreak of Covid-19 infection on the Costa Cruises cruiseship while it was undergoing repairs at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki shipyard.
