Since the first workers compensation law was enacted about a century ago, the American workplace has become considerably safer. Loud, dirty factories have been replaced by clean office complexes and industrial parks. Most states require employers to purchase a workers compensation policy. If any workers are injured on the job the policy pays them the benefits mandated by state law.
While workplaces have improved over the last 100 years, serious accidents still occur.
In September of 2014 the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) issued a report called the National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2013. The report shows that there were 4405 fatal work injuries in 2013. The report is preliminary. Thus, the actual number of fatal injuries that occurred in 2013 was probably a bit higher.
The BLS report provides some insight into both the causes of fatal injuries and the distribution of such injuries across major industries. Many injuries had similar causes. Also, some industries experienced significantly more workplace deaths than others.
Good News, Bad News
The BLS report provides both good and bad news. On the positive side, the number of fatal injuries that occurred in private industry declined by 6% in 2013 compared to 2012. In private industry, there were fewer fatal injuries in 2013 than in any year since the BLS began tabulating fatalities in1992.
There is also good news with respect to self-employed workers and workers under age 16. Fatal injuries among self-employed workers fell by 16% compared to 2012.
Fatalities involving workers under age 16 fell by 74% (from 19 injuries in 2012 to 5 injuries in 2013).
The report has some bad news regarding Hispanic workers. There were 7% more fatal injuries involving Hispanics in 2013 than in 2012. Hispanics were the only ethnic group for which fatalities increased. For all other ethnic groups, deaths fell. Sixty-six percent of the Latino workers killed on the job were foreign-born.
Causes of Worker Deaths
The BLS classifies worker deaths based on the six categories listed below. The chart shows the total number of fatalities and the percentage of the total (4405) for each category. For example, 1740 transportation incidents are about 40% of 4405. (The fatalities don't add up to 4405 because of rounding.)
| Cause of Fatalities | Number of Fatalities | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation Incidents | 1740 | 40% |
| Violence | 753 | 17% |
| Contact with Objects or Equipment | 717 | 16% |
| Slips, Trips, Falls | 619 | 16% |
| Exposure to Harmful Substance | 308 | 7% |
| Fires, Explosions | 148 | 3% |
Transportation Incidents include roadway and non-roadway accidents that involve motorized land vehicles (autos and mobile machinery). According to the BLS, such incidents declined by 10% in 2013 compared to 2012. Even so, autos and mobile equipment are a major workplace hazard as they caused 40% of the fatal accidents in 2013. Of the 1740 fatalities that resulted from transportation incidents, approximately 60% occurred on a roadway.
The Violence category includes workplace homicide, suicide and injury caused by animals. Workplace homicides fell 16% from 2012 (from 475 to 397).
A substantial portion of the fatalities (16%) that occurred in 2013 resulted from slips and falls. The bulk of the incidents (82%) involved a fall from higher level to a lower level.
Most Hazardous Industries
The BLS considers fatalities in terms of both absolute numbers and fatality rates (number of fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers). Some industries employ many more workers than others. Thus, the fatality rate can be more meaningful than the absolute number of deaths.
Here are the ten most hazardous industries (based on fatality rate) in descending order. The chart shows both the number of fatalities and the fatality rate for each industry group.
| Industry | # Fatalities | Fatality Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Hunting | 479 | 22.2 |
| Transportation, Warehousing | 687 | 13.1 |
| Mining, Quarrying, Gas & Oil Extraction | 154 | 12.3 |
| Construction | 796 | 9.4 |
| Wholesale Trade | 190 | 5.1 |
| Professional & Business Services | 408 | 2.6 |
| Other Services | 179 | 2.6 |
| Utilities | 23 | 2.4 |
| Government | 476 | 2.0 |
| Manufacturing | 304 | 2.0 |
Most of the industries listed above incurred fewer fatalities in 2013 than in 2012. An exception was Forestry and Logging, which experienced a 25% increase in worker deaths. In fact, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Hunting had a higher fatality rate than any other industry group. The second most hazardous industry group was Transportation and Warehousing. Of the 687 deaths that occurred in this group, 461 involved truck transportation. The full BLS report is available via the link shown below.
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