BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Work place accidents in China reversed an upward trend and declined steadily over the past few years because of efforts to remove potential dangers, a senior trade union official said here Tuesday.

Workplace accidents decreased 8.4 percent in 2009 from a year earlier, while work-related deaths dropped 8.8 percent, Zhang Mingqi, vice chairman of the All China Federation of Trade Unions, said at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Conference, the country's top legislature.

Last year, the administration hired more than 100 civilian inspectors to help improve work safety. It also stepped up efforts to eliminate potential dangers at work places and enhance training to improve awareness of workers' safety.