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Fatal Injury Trends in the Workplace, 1992–2011

In April of this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released a summary of fatal injury statistics with data collected from 1992 to 2011. The goal of the fatal injury summary is to better understand fatal injury trends in the workplace.

fatal-occupational-injuries

The data shows annual fatal injuries ranged from a high of 6,632 in 1994 to a low of 4,551 in 2009, a difference of just over 30%. According to BLS, a total of 115,091 workers were killed in the United States from on the job injuries between 1992 and 2011.

fatal-occu-inj-percentage

The most common event leading to a work related fatality in both 1992 and 2011 was a roadway incident. Roadway incidents accounted for 19% of all work related fatalities in 1992 and 24% in 2011. While homicides fell as a percentage of all work related fatalities over the 20year span, decreasing from 17% of all work fatalities in 1992 to 10%. In 2011, falls to a lower level increased as a percentage of all work fatalities, increasing from 8% in 1992 to 12% in 2011. Contact with electricity had only a 1% decrease in work fatalities from 1992 to 2011.

The data are from the BLS Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities program.

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