Injuries and Illness

Data Show a Rise in Workplace Fatalities

The federal government reported a total of 5,190 fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2016, a 7% increase from 2015. It’s the third consecutive rise in fatalities, and the first time since 2008 that the number of deaths has topped 5,000. The fatality rate increased to 3.6 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, up from 3.4 in 2015.

Graph increase

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that injuries involving transportation incidents remained the most comment type in 2016, accounting for 40%. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals increased 23%, the second most common cause in 2016. Deaths caused by exposure to harmful substances or environments rose 22%, while those attributed to fires and explosions declined 27%.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for OSHA Loren Sweatt said the new numbers “show a tragic trend” overall. She added that OSHA is committed to find new and innovative ways of working with employers and employees to improve safety and health. “OSHA will work to address these trends through enforcement, compliance assistance, education, and training and outreach.” Sweatt noted that the labor department will work with those in the public and private sectors to address the opioid crisis, which she called “a deadly and growing workplace issue.”

The BLS survey also found that:

  • Fatalities from falls, slips, or trips continued a general trend upward that began in 2011, increasing 6% to 849 in 2016, and up 25% since 2011.
  • Overdoses from non-medical use of drugs or alcohol while on the job increased from 165 in 2015 to 217 in 2016, an increase of 32%. BLS says overdose fatalities have risen by at least 25% annually since 2012.
  • Fatalities in transportation and material-moving increased by 7% and accounted for more than a quarter of all job deaths.
  • Workers age 55 and over had 1,848 fatalities, the highest number among this group since statistics were first reported in 1992.
  • Foreign-born workers made up about a fifth of total work injuries. Of those, 37% were born in Mexico, and 19% come from Asian countries.
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