Michigan workers hear about workers’ injuries and fatal work injuries far too often. But it can be even more sobering for an employee when it’s revealed exactly how many workers in the nation have died from a workplace injury.
The US Department of Labor Statistics has published the revised number of workers in the nation who have died after receiving a fatal workplace injury. They reveal that in 2013, 4,585 workers died, which is up from the preliminary number of 4,405. While this number is higher than initially reported, it was the second lowest number of worker deaths since the survey was first taken 23 years ago.
Additionally, the revised survey revealed that 828 private construction sector workers died from fatal workplace injuries, which was three percent more than the previous year. This figure was also the highest number of deaths in this industrial sector in the last six years.
There was also a nine percent increase in the number of fatal injuries suffered by Hispanic workers. A total of 817 Hispanic workers died compared to 748 who died the year before. The injury rate reflected this increase, rising from 3.7 per 100,000 full-time workers the year before to 3.9. Contract worker deaths rose as well. More than 700 contractors were fatally injured, making up 16 percent of the total number of worker deaths. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the revised numbers reflected an increase in 34 states as well as for the District of Columbia.
Any Michigan worker who has been involved in an industrial injury while performing their job may want to speak with a work accident attorney after receiving the proper medical care in order to explore any potential legal avenues. Doing so aggressively and in a timely fashion may lead to the recovery of much needed compensation at a time of great loss.
Source: OSHA, “Revisions to the 2013 Census of fatal occupational injuries (cfoi) counts,” accessed on Nov.22, 2015
