Fewer U.S. Workers Dying On The Job

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Census of Fatal Occupation Injuries report found that last year work-related fatalities dipped 6%, to 5,488, or 3.7% to 100,000 workers, the  lowest fatality rate since 1992, reports Forbes.

Workplace safety experts on the other hand, say the decline in fatalities was due in part to lower employment nationwide, particularly in the construction and manufacturing industries.  Improved and implemented safety standards have also helped.

Far more men than women die on the job. Of the 5,488 who died at work, 5,071 were male and 417 were female.  For men, the deadliest occupations involve transportation and material-moving (pilots, bus drivers, crane operators and sailors), while administrative-support duties (couriers and stockers) claimed the most working women.

U.S. Top Five Most Dangerous Jobs:

1.) Fishers/Related Workers: 112 deaths per 100,000 workers

2.) Loggers: 87 deaths per 100,000 workers

3.) Aircraft Pilots/Flight Engineers: 67 deaths per 100,000 workers

4.) Iron/Steel Workers: 45 deaths per 100,000 workers

5.) Farmers/Ranchers: 38 deaths per 100,000 workers 

One question is left, despite the encouraging decreases  ó will the death toll keep shrinking?  Some experts think so as more employers enforce and emphasize safety to avoid harsh penalties, lawsuits and productivity losses, despite whatever the employers’ real motivation may be.

"We like to think that it’s altruism and in some cases it is," said Frank Kenna III, president of The Marlin Company, a safety-consulting firm in Wallingford, CN. "But most [employers] do it for economic reasons."