DID YOU KNOW?

The most recent figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics were released in December 2018 and come from the year 2017, for which the final numbers have recently been released. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data reveals that workplace deaths jumped 7% from 2015 to 2016, and stayed roughly the same thru 2017, leading to the deaths of 5,147 workers across all industries in 2017. A surprisingly large segment of these workers were 65 years old or older.

WORKPLACE DEATHS BY EVENT

The leading cause of workplace deaths was overwhelmingly motor vehicle accidents. Roughly 40% of workplace deaths occurred in transportation incidents. Other leading causes were fall/slips and trips, deaths from being struck by objects or equipment, and exposure to harmful chemicals.

• Transportation incidents – 40%
• Falls, slips, trips – 17%
• Violence and other injuries by persons or animals – 16%
• Contact with objects and equipment – 14%
• Exposure to harmful substances or environments – 10%
• Fires and explosions – 2%

WORKPLACE DEATHS BY INDUSTRY

The industries with the highest amounts of fatal injuries were, unsurprisingly, the construction industry and the transportation industry. Construction deaths decreased slightly in 2017, but transportation deaths increased in the same period. Agricultural and forestry fatalities remained mostly consistent.

• Construction deaths: 971
• Transportation deaths: 882
• Agriculture and forestry deaths: 581
• Government workplace deaths: 473
• Waste management deaths: 460
• Retail deaths: 287

OCCUPATIONS WITH HIGHEST RATES OF WORKPLACE DEATH

According to the 2017 data, commercial fishermen may have the most dangerous job in the country. There were 99.8 fatalities for every 100,000 full-time workers. While the fatality rates decreased for logging and fishing, that may be due to increasing rates in other industries. Below are the top ten occupations with the highest rate of workplace fatalities.

• Fishers and related fishing workers – 99.8
• Logging Workers – 84.3
• Aircraft pilots and flight engineers – 48.6
• Roofers – 45.2
• Refuse and recyclable material collectors – 35
• Structural iron and steel workers – 33.4
• Driver/sales workers and truck drivers– 26.8
• Farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers – 24
• First-line supervisors and construction trades and extraction workers – 21
• Grounds maintenance workers – 18.7

WORKPLACE DEATHS BY STATE

Texas, with its large population and booming construction and oil and gas industries, accounted for over 10.4% of all workplace deaths. Below are the states that suffered the most workplace fatalities in 2017.

• Texas – 534
• California – 376
• New York – 313
• Florida – 299
• Georgia – 194
• North Carolina – 183
• Ohio – 174
• Pennsylvania – 172
• Illinois – 163
• Michigan – 153
• Indiana – 138
• Virginia – 118

WORKPLACE DEATHS BY CITY

The United States cities that had the most number of workplace deaths are largely the most populated cities in the country. Not surprisingly, New York City led the nation with 215 fatalities, followed by Chicago, Houston, and Dallas.

• New York City – 215
• Chicago – 102
• Houston – 101
• Dallas – 95
• Los Angeles – 94
• Miami – 80
• Boston – 74
• Atlanta – 70
• Washington D.C. / Alexandria, VA – 63
• Detroit – 62
• San Bernardino – 54
• Baltimore – 45

The enormous burden of poor working conditions

The ILO estimates that some 2.3 million women and men around the world succumb to work-related accidents or diseases every year; this corresponds to over 6000 deaths every single day. Worldwide, there are around 340 million occupational accidents and 160 million victims of work-related illnesses annually. The ILO updates these estimates at intervals, and the updates indicate an increase of accidents and ill health.

The estimated fatal occupational accidents in the CIS countries is over 11,000 cases, compared to the 5,850 reported cases (information lacking from 2 countries). The gross underreporting of occupational accidents and diseases, including fatal accidents, is giving a false picture of the scope of the problem.

Some of the major findings in the ILO’s latest statistical data on occupational accidents and diseases, and work-related deaths on a world-wide level include the following:

• Diseases related to work cause the most deaths among workers. Hazardous substances alone are estimated to cause 651,279 deaths a year.
• The construction industry has a disproportionately high rate of recorded accidents.
• Younger and older workers are particularly vulnerable. The ageing population in developed countries means that an increasing number of older persons are working and need special consideration.

Attached you find the ILO estimates divided by geographical areas. The estimates for the CIS countries can be found in the FSE area.