The Increasing Danger of Dying on the Job: Fatality Risk Just Keeps Growing for Workers

According to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), a division of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), workers in the United States are facing a greater and greater risk of dying while on the job with reports that “fatal work injuries were the highest they’ve been in more than a decade, and several other measures were at all-time highs.”  Read, “13 Takeaways from the 2019 National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries,” written by Nicole Stempak and published in EHS Today on December 31, 2020.

More workers died while at work in 2019 than in any year since 2007, with construction workers and commercial truck drivers facing an unacceptably high risk of death while on the job.

December 2020 Release: Latest National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

On December 16, 2020, the BLS released its latest census of fatal occupational injuries, compiled from 2019 data.  Its warnings are shocking insofar as the dangers facing workers in Indiana, Illinois, and the rest of our country.

Among the BLS’ key findings:

• The number of fatal occupational injuries in 2019 represents the largest annual number since 2007.
• A worker died every 99 minutes from a work-related injury in 2019.
• Fatalities among workers age 55 and over increased 8 percent from 2018 to 2019, the largest number ever recorded for this age group.
• Hispanic or Latino worker fatalities were up 13 percent –a series high since 1992.
• Fatalities in the private construction industry increased to the largest total since 2007.
• Driver/sales workers and truck drivers incurred the highest number of fatal occupational injuries since the BLS began its series calculations in 2003.

The Most Dangerous Jobs in America Today

According to the BLS findings, some occupations are much more dangerous than others, with some inherently exposing the worker to a high risk of death on the job. Their findings show the following industries as being the deadliest for workers:

1. Fishing and Hunting Workers (fatal work injury rate of 145.0);
2. Logging Workers (fatal work injury rate of 68.9);
3. Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers (fatal work injury rate of 61.8);
4. Roofers (fatal work injury rate of 54.0); and
5. Helpers, Construction Trades (fatal work injury rate of 40.0).

Record-Breaking Fatal Injuries 

There are also record-breaking death rates appearing in specific lines of work.   From the BLS:

1. Truck Drivers: nearly 1 out of every 5 fatally injured workers in 2019 was employed as a driver/sales worker or truck driver;
2. Construction and Extraction Workers: these occupations saw the highest number of deaths in 13 years (since 2007);
3. Grounds Maintenance Workers: more people died in this line of work in 2019 than ever recorded by the BLS;
4. Transportation Fatalities on the Job were the highest ever recorded; and
5. Exposure Deaths (to Harmful Substances or Environments) were the highest ever recorded.

For more on the dangers facing truck drivers on the job, read:

• Winter Weather Fatal Truck Crashes on Indiana and Illinois Roads
• Fighting Against Fatal Truck Accidents and Deadly Truck Crashes: FMCSA Clearinghouse Registration Begins
• Truck Parking and Fatal Semi Truck Crashes
• Fatal Truck Driver Crashes: Record-Breaking Trucker Fatalities According to New Studies.

For more on the dangers facing construction workers on the job, read:

• Pew Trust Warns Roadway Work Zone Fatalities Rise in 2020 for Workers, Drivers, and Passengers of Motor Vehicles: “It’s Crazy”
• Construction Worker Deaths: Almost Half of All Construction Fatalities Caused by Falls
• Fatal Rooftop Falls: Record-Breaking Number of Deadly Falls from Roof.

Older Workers Dying on the Job in Record-Breaking Numbers

Among the most concerning of the BLS findings is the warning to older workers on the job.  Employees who are 55 years or older comprised over a third of the tallied workplace fatalities.

Deaths on the job involving workers age 55+ years made up 38% of the total workplace fatalities in this country.  

These are experienced workers in their various trades and professions and often the primary breadwinners for their families. Sadly, more in this age group died on the work site in 2019 than ever before recorded by the statisticians. 

Fatal Falls Continue to Be Deadly Risk to Workers

The risk of death in a slip and fall or trip and fall accident has been a great danger to workers in construction for many years.

The BLS reports that the risk of dying in a fatal fall on the job rose 11% in 2019.

For more on fatal fall injuries on the job, read: Serious or Fatal Slip and Fall Injuries: The Employer’s Duty of Care.

Justice for Worker Deaths in Indiana and Illinois

The 2019 BLS Census warnings are even more disturbing given that they come from data covering the last pre-pandemic year and without the additional consideration of the impact of COVID risks upon workers in our part of the country.  Things have not become safer for workers in Indiana and Illinois with the onset of the Coronavirus Pandemic.

All workers should be aware of the risks they face while on the job; however, for those employed in certain industries the risk of a serious or fatal accident keeps rising. 

The risk of death for construction workers, truck drivers, workers over the age of 55 years, and others is unacceptably high.

The laws of Indiana and Illinois, as well as certain federal statutes, may provide avenues for justice to workers and their loved ones who have been victims of a fatal work accident.  Each case must be individually analyzed to determine legal liabilities.  For instance, railroad workers as well as those working on or near docks and waterways may be provided specific protections under federal law. 

For more, read Fatal Railroad Accidents: Indiana and Illinois Both Rank in Top 5 for Number of Train Crash Deaths and The Jones Act vs. the Longshoreman and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act for Maritime Workers.

Everyone in Indiana and Illinois should be able to confidently earn a living without the constant danger of losing their life while on the job.  The current BLS Census seems to confirm our continuing concern that employers are putting profits over people and placing employees in unnecessary danger of a deadly accident.  Please be careful out there!