■ ECONOMY
Vegetable prices rise
Wholesale vegetable prices rose to NT$44.52 per kilogram yesterday from NT$41.82 the previous day in the Taipei market, an increase of 6.46 percent, the Taipei Agricultural Products Market Corp (TAPMC) said. Anticipation among vegetable traders of a declining supply in the wake of Typhoon Krosa's devastation early this month was blamed for the price hike, TAPMC officials said. Wholesale vegetable prices broke the record high set after Typhoon Sepat hit in mid-August they said. It might take some time for vegetable producing areas to recover from the devastation brought by Typhoon Krosa, the officials said.
■ LABOR
Death falls increase
An average of 30 workers die in falls from rooftops every year in Taiwan, tallies released yesterday by the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) showed. Incidents in which workers fell to their deaths after accidentally crashing through roofs accounted for the greatest number of fatalities at 72 percent, CLA officials said. Thirty-five workers have lost their lives in such accidents so far this year, including recent cases in which workers fell to their death while repairing roofs damaged by typhoons, the officials said. The increase in such accidents is attributed to the widespread use of light materials such as asbestos and plastic in roofing.
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