Statistics on Workplace Fatalities – 2011

According to Department of Labor statistics, the amount of workplace fatalities has been steadily dropping since 1992.

In 2011, the number of fatal work injuries was approximately, 4,609 compared to 6,217 workplace fatalities in 1992.  The chart to the left gives a clear indication that things have somehow gotten better on the job.

One might point the the idea that this is because more people were employed in more dangerous jobs, like construction and manufacturing, in 1992, but that doesn’t really coincide with the data presented in the second photo on the left.

source: DOL

In the final chart, the DOL offers us more specific reasons for workplace fatalities (in 2011) in regards to the occupational categories. Not really surprising is the fact that the largest portion of fatalities were on roadways, as many workers drive trucks, operate machinery or work directly on the roads.

I love information – even when it is of such a somber subject.  I feel that information is truly power, and it gives us a solid base as to what we can do to LEARN from these incidents.  As a supplier of safety products, this information gives me several indicators as to what kinds of material we need to share with employees in the many industrial sectors with whom we do business.

Source: DOL labor statistics

For example, if one of the largest non-transportational segments of danger is from injuries that result from on-the-job falls, we, as a safety supply company, should be increasing our transmission of information surrounding the need for properly inspected fall arrest systems and how a worker can prevent a potentially-disastrous fall with the correct PPE.

 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

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