BEIJING — China’s workplace safety record continued to improve, with the number of accidents and fatalities both dropping in the first nine months of this year, the country’s work safety watchdog said Oct 23.

The number of accidents fell 26.3 percent year-on-year to around 36,000 during the January-September period, while related fatalities went down 19 percent to 26,000, according to the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS).

The improvements were mainly attributed to strengthened government supervision, including more on-site inspections and tougher punishments.

But the SAWS said there is still work to be done to reduce the number of severe accidents including workplace fires and those in coal mines, and promised more inspections during the rest of the year, which is usually the peak season of workplace accidents.

China plans to set 362 workplace standards to improve safety in 12 sectors, such as coal mining and hazardous chemicals, from 2016 to 2020.