March
1, 2008
Top Reasons for Fatal Workplace Injuries - BLS Census Shows
By
Alandale Insurance Agency
The Department of Labor's BLS National Census of Fatal
Occupational Injuries for 2006 showed that highway incidents were
still the primary cause of on-the-job deaths, accounting for almost
one out of four fatal work injuries. Although they remained the most
frequent type of work-related fatality, the number of highway
incidents fell eight percent in 2006, the lowest level since 1993.
Falls were the second leading cause of workplace death. The
number of on-the-job falls increased five percent in 2006, with 809
employees dying in this manner. This was the third highest total
since the census began in 1992. Fatal falls from roofs rose from 160
fatalities in 2005 to 184 in 2006, an increase of 15 percent.
Being struck by objects ranked third, with 583 fatalities. The
number of employees who were fatally injured from being struck by
objects not only represented a four percent decline from 2005, but
also marked a reversal in the upward trend of the previous three
years.
On-the-job homicides ranked fourth, claiming the lives of 516
workers. More than 80 percent of those workers were victims of
a shooting. However, the number of workplace homicides in 2006
declined over 50 percent from the high reported in 1994.
Deaths from fires and explosions increased from 159 in 2005 to
201 in 2006, representing a 26 percent increase. Fatalities caused
by exposure to harmful substances or environments were also higher
in 2006. The sub-category within this type of fatality that showed
the largest increase was exposure to caustic, noxious, or allergenic
substances. The death toll from this cause rose from 136 in 2005 to
153 in 2006, or 12 percent.
The data also revealed some other key findings:
· Coal mining industry fatalities more than doubled
in 2006, due to the Sago Mine disaster and other multiple-fatality
coal mining incidents.
· Fatalities among workers under 25 years of age
fell nine percent, and the rate of fatal injury among these workers
was down significantly.
· Fatalities among self-employed workers declined 11
percent and reached a series low in 2006.
· Aircraft-related fatalities were up 44 percent,
led by a number of multiple-fatality events including the August
2006 Comair crash.
Twenty-seven states reported a higher number of fatalities in
2006, while 23 states and Washington, D.C. reported lower totals.
Texas had the highest number of worker fatalities with 486, followed
by California with 448 and Florida with 355. The 12 states that
showed a 20 percent or more increase in fatalities were Alaska,
Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico,
North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia.
|
