Workers should concentrate on their jobs and doing them as best they can. They should not worry about the risks of an accident and injury in the workplace, provided they follow the safety protocols set in place for them. However, there is a risk of serious injury and even death on the job that workers can face in their employment.
A safe workplace and environment for all workers are required by law. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that all workers have the right to proper and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), to work on safe machinery, and to be protected from toxic substances.
Workplace fatalities can have many causes. One cause of recent concern is from long-term exposure to toxic substances. Whether it is asbestos or some other carcinogenic or cancer-causing exposure, usually of vapors or micro substances in the air, over prolonged periods, even years, exposure will result in some of these workers becoming seriously ill from diseases and some dying. Not every worker fatality is sudden. This is a lesson that employers are having to learn now.
Recently, OSHA guidelines were updated in OSHA’s Recommended Practices. The objective is to prevent injuries and deaths. The methodology to reduce deaths and injuries while on the job is a proactive approach by management. Instead of waiting for an injury or death, management should fix any hazards that may prevent an unfortunate outcome.
Using proactivity and planning, businesses can prevent bad outcomes by complying with rules and regulations, reducing their costs such as lowering workers’ compensation policy premiums, and reaching the goals of social responsibility by an employer for the welfare of its workers. These steps can increase productivity and enhance operations to improve the bottom line for the business.
Industries in the United States experience unfortunately not only injuries by workers but also fatalities. The U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics (BLS) reported that nationally, there were 4,405 worker deaths in 2013 and that number was unmoving for four years until 2017. In 2017, the reported deaths were 5,147. This number has changed each year. In 2018, it was 5,520; in 2019, the total was 5,333.
The Deadliest Industries Today
Interestingly, one might think that the most dangerous industries for workers are those that deal with the prospect or chance of death every day. Among these industries, police and law enforcement would be one and firefighters another. Observationally, firefighters rush into burning structures to rescue victims and to put the fires out. Police also must engage in life-saving situations in which they place their own safety at risk to save another.
The pictures from September 11, 2001, graphically show police and firefighters, along with other first responders, rushing into burning buildings that are dangerously close to collapse when the occupants of One and Two World Trade Center were desperately trying to reach the street level to escape the attack.
However, the list of industries with the highest fatalities has other industries ahead of both police and firefighters.
There are different methods to define and classify worker fatalities by industry.
In a 2004 study, the BLS considered different methods to assess what industries have the highest number of yearly worker fatalities. This study first noted that fatalities were then on the decline. In 1992, there were 6,217 worker deaths reported. In 2004, the number fell to 5,764. This number has since dropped off, and in the past few years, it has started to rise again.
In the 2004 report, the fatality counts use the full-time equivalent calculations for determining the loss of workers for a business. The 2004 study lists those industries with the highest fatalities reported.
They are agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting; mining; utilities; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; and information. This list, without information, is consistent with earlier year’s lists. In the time between 2004 and 2017, there has been a change in which industries report the highest numbers.
For example, in a 2017 study, the construction industry topped the list with 917 deaths. But in a 2018 study, the figure for construction laborers was 259.
Having looked at the 2004, 2017, and 2018 studies and from the workers’ perspective, setting forth the level of risk of fatality makes using the job classification and not the industry label to provide a more workable picture. The first job title/description with the highest number of fatalities is delivery drivers with 966. There is no differentiation between trucks involved: weight class or axle numbers. Traffic accidents can be deadly, and delivery drivers are the most at risk.
After construction laborers, not including skilled trades, is farm workers of all descriptions with 257 deaths. Farm workers include machine operators and vehicle operators. Agriculture has been listed as a category for fatalities for many years now. This is shown with agricultural workers separately listed as fifth with 157 deaths. Farm workers have an injury rate of 26/100,000 and agricultural workers an injury rate of 20/100,000.
Sandwiched between are grounds workers, with 157 fatalities.
Law enforcement with 108 losses is next. The risks to police officers of all classifications are well documented. These officers have an injury risk of 14/100,000 workers.
The list goes on. Rather than recite every job category, for illustrative purposes, here are the surprises.
Garbage and recycling collectors had 37 deaths but an injury rate of 34/100,000. Working with rear packing trucks that are extremely heavy and difficult to maneuver is dangerous. Recycling workers drive loading and separating equipment or work on a production line with dangerous machines.
Another high-risk job is a derrick operator. Workers with derricks have a 46 in 100,000 workers chance of injury and have 20 deaths annually.
Firefighters are down on the list at 14 deaths and a 20/100,000 chance of injury. In some ways, this is less than expected but can be attributed to training and PPE.
Finally, at the bottom of the list are crane operators and heavy machine operators. Cranes are inherently dangerous and unstable, reaching heights of many stories. Nine of these workers died in 2018. Heavy machine operator is another dangerous job, with the same number of deaths at nine. But the risk of injury to crane operators is higher than that for heavy machine operators.
What are the Takeaways from These Numbers?
Workplace fatalities are not declining. The risks are present in a wide variety of jobs. Workers need to be aware of the risks they face in performing the tasks associated with their jobs and in the need to abide by their safety training and protocols.
Deaths from Workplace Accidents are Mostly Preventable
If a worker or their family believes that proper safeguards were absent or safety measures were not provided and followed leading to a death of a loved one in the workplace, a lawyer should be called to discuss their situation. Safeguarding the rights of workers and their families is a paramount consideration.
Risks to the worker should be minimized and safety protocols utilized to protect them. Knowledge is more than its own reward; knowledge is itself power. That power should be used to protect workers.
Cherry Hill Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at Pietras Saracino Smith & Meeks, LLP, Protect the Rights of Workers in the Most Dangerous Industries
Worker fatality rates by industry should not translate into increased risks for the workers. The Cherry Hill workers’ compensation lawyers at Pietras Saracino Smith & Meeks, LLP, have the experience and skill set to assist injured workers no matter their industry. Workers’ compensation is the focus of our firm. We will fight for all the benefits the injured worker can receive. Call us today at 856-761-3773 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. Located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, we serve clients in Camden, Cinnaminson, Delran, Maple Shade, Pennsauken, and throughout South Jersey.
