Within the United States Department of Labor is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which describes itself as the “… principal fact-finding agency in the broad field of labor economics and statistics and serves as part of the U.S. Federal Statistical System. BLS collects, calculates, analyzes, and publishes data essential to the public, employers, researchers, and government organizations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision making.”

Its research is important and respected.  The BLS reports serve to educate not only safety agencies and those advocating for worker victims, but those who are responsible for things like workplace safety and keeping workers protected against bodily injuries while on the job.  Each year, the BLS releases its annual report on how dangerous it was for workers in this country. 

This year’s Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, based upon the last full year of data (2022), was released by the BLS on Tuesday, December 19, 2023. 

Its revelations are disturbing.  Worker deaths continue to rise in this country in preventable work accidents.  Workers need to be aware of the rising risk of suffering a fatal injury on the job.

For more, read “BLS Reports 5.7 Percent Increase in Fatal Workplace Injuries in 2022,” written by Robert Yanis, Jr. and published by OHS Online on December 20, 2023, and “BLS: On-the-job deaths jump nearly 6% in 2022,” published by Safety and Health Magazine on December 19, 2023.  

New BLS Worker Fatality Report: More Deaths from Work Injuries

From the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary 2022, provided in the BLS news release this week, we know the following:

• More workers died from injuries suffered on the job in 2022 – the number of deaths rose last year.
• It was a significant jump: there was a 5.7% increase in fatal work injuries recorded in 2022.
• The fatal work injury rate also rose in 2022.
• The total compiled from BLS data shows 5,190 workers died last year from work accident injuries: that is over 430 workers each month, or 14 workers every single day.
• The BLS confirms that “… a worker died every 96 minutes from a work-related injury in 2022 compared to 101 minutes in 2021.”

Details Within the BLS Census: 

Within the BLS Census comes various details on how these deaths happened and the causes for the worker fatalities, including comparisons for the past few years (since 2018).  Information is given for things like (1) details about the worker victims; (2) types of accidents that caused the deaths; (3) the riskiest jobs for fatal injuries; and (4) details for certain dangerous lines of work. 

This information is provided in tables within the Census itself, see:

• Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, 2018-22
• Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries for selected events or exposures, 2018-22
• Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries for selected occupations, 2018-22
• Table 4. Fatal work injury rates per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers by selected occupations, 2020-22

Greatest Dangers of Death on the Job for American Workers

Delving into the research results contained in the Census, workers and others concerned about worker safety can learn more about the particular dangers that are causing the most worker deaths in this country.  From the Census we know:

• Most worker deaths were caused by “transportation incidents.” Almost half (37.7%) of work fatalities were the result of motor vehicle accidents.  This is 4.2% higher than it was the preceding year.
• Violence is a growing concern in our workplaces. Murder is up.  There was a 11.6% increase in “fatalities due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals.”  A shocking 61.7% of these deaths due to violence were attributed to homicides (up 8.9% from the prior year).
• Drug use is killing more workers, too. There was a 13.1% increase in worker deaths due to unintentional overdoses.
• Two particular industries are confirmed to be extremely deadly for workers. The two industries with the most worker deaths were first, transportation and material moving; and second, construction and extraction.  Deaths in the construction industry rose 11% in 2022.

Revelations of Highest Worker Fatality Rates: Workers With Greatest Risk of Death

More bad news contained in the Census warns us of the characteristics of workers suffering the highest fatality rate in 2022.  From the Census we learn:

• Older workers (55-64 age group) had the highest number of work fatalities, representing 21.4% of the total worker deaths in 2022.  
• The fatal injury rate increased for both (1) Black or African American workers and for (2) Hispanic or Latino workers. Both groups suffered a fatality rate that was higher than the all-worker rate of 3.7.
• A noteworthy number of women died on the job in 2022, totaling 8.1% of all workplace fatalities.

Increasing Causes of Worker Death

Within the Census, we learn details about the fatal events or incidents that caused these worker deaths.  From the Census:

• Suicides rose 13.1% among workers in 2022.
• Transportation incidents rose in 2022 for the second year in a row. Roadway incidents with “motorized land vehicles” jumped 9.3% in 2022.  This is a “series high” in the number of fatalities.
• Workers dying due to weather or temperature extremes jumped 18.6% in 2022.
• Contact with objects and equipment jumped 4.7% in 2022. “This is the highest count for this event category since 2018,” warns the BLS. Most of these deaths involved workplace machinery.
• Death due to exposure to harmful substances or harmful environments rose 5.1% in 2022.
• Work accidents involving slips, trips, or falls increased 1.8% in 2022. Most of these deaths are the result of falls to lower levels, which increased 2.9% in 2022.

Worker Alert: Jobs with Greatest Risk of Fatal Work Accident

The BLS warns us that some occupations experienced a greater number of worker deaths than others.  From the Census, these jobs involved:

• Working in the farming, fishing, and forestry industry is the most dangerous work in this country having the highest fatality rate of all occupational groups in 2022.
• The most worker deaths were suffered by people employed in transportation and material moving, most deaths involving drivers, sales workers, and truck drivers. Important to note that the number of truck driver deaths increased 8.0% in 2022. 
• The second highest number of worker deaths involved those employed in the construction and extraction
• There was a 10.9% jump in worker deaths for those employed in protective service.

From U.S. Department of Labor’s Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker:

“In 2022, 5,486 workers in the U.S. lost their lives. This equates to one worker death every 96 minutes, with deaths the highest among transportation and construction workers. We also saw growth in disparities for workers of color, including Black workers, whose fatality rate increased 12.4 percent, and Hispanic workers, whose rate grew by 10.4 percent….

“Every worker death has profound impacts on family, friends, co-workers and communities. That is why investing in worker safety and health must be a core value in every workplace across the country. All workers have a right to do their job without fear of being injured or sickened.”

Worker Alert: Growing Danger of Deadly Work Accidents

As the National Security Council points out, the BLS confirms that 2022 was the 6^th time in the past seven years that more than 5000 workers died on the job in this country.  The dangers facing workers in Illinois, Indiana, and the rest of the United States are not undiscovered.  The risks are known, identified, and regulated. 

Sadly, all too often employers are failing in their legal duties to keep workers safe on the job.  There are clearly defined laws that require companies to take actions to keep employees safe, but the new BLS data exposes the truth that these laws are being disrespected and disregarded all too often.  For more, read What is the Employer’s General Duty Clause?.

Workers go to work each day with an expectation they will return home at the end of the day safe and sound.  The Census reality is that every single day, over a dozen workers will not come home.  They will lose their lives while on the job, many of them employed in the transportation or construction industries.

This is entirely unacceptable.  It is especially infuriating given that there are safety regulations and industrial standards in place that are designed to protect workers from being hurt, much less killed, in a work incident. 

Workers and their loved ones must be warned of the increasing dangers facing anyone on the job today, especially in our high-risk industries.  They cannot depend upon their employers to keep them safe: the numbers with their rising death tallies tell the story.

For more, read:

• Construction Worker Suicides: We Need to Help End This Crisis
• Wrongful Death Damages After Fatal Work Accidents in Illinois or Indiana
• Illinois and Indiana: Both Top 10 States for Most Truck Crash Fatalities
• Winter Weather Danger: Industry Protections to Keep Workers Safe.

For worker victims and their loved ones, the danger of dying on the job is all too real here in Illinois and Indiana. Older workers; truck drivers; and construction workers are among those most at risk.  Please be careful out there!