In the last two decades, work-related deaths have decreased 25% to approximately 3.5 deaths per 100,000 full-time workers. As a result of efforts by The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and greater workplace awareness and prevention, the United States has improved tremendously in terms of ensuring safer work environments. Unfortunately, work-related accidents still occur.
If you or loved one has been injured in a work-related accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages and other expenses under New Jersey’s workers’ compensation system. For more information, contact an experienced New Jersey workers’ compensation attorney for a free consultation.
Work-Related Deaths In The US
With regards to work-related deaths, transportation accidents, at 40%, are the most common cause of death. Assaults and violent acts are second at 18%, and contact with equipment and objects, for example being struck by a falling object, follow at 16%.
Completing the causes of work-related deaths in the United States are falls, fires, explosions and exposure to hazardous materials. Falls are particularly hazardous in warehouses where 20% of all fatal falls involve ladders.
The Most Dangerous Jobs In The US
Based on the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 10 most dangerous and deadly jobs in the U.S. are as follows:
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Logging workers – 110.9 deaths per 100,000 workers
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Fishers and related fishing workers – 80 deaths per 100,000 workers
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Aircraft pilots and flight engineers – 64 deaths per 100,000 workers
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Roofers – 47.4 deaths per 100,000 workers
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Refuse and recyclable material collectors – 35.8 deaths per 100,000 workers
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Farmers, ranchers, agricultural managers – 26.7 deaths per 100,000 workers
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Structural iron and steel workers – 25.2 deaths per 100,000 workers
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Driver/sales workers and truck drivers – 24.7 deaths per 100,000 workers
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Electrical power line installers and repairers – 19.2 deaths per 100,000 workers
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Taxi drivers and chauffeurs – 18 per 100,000 workers
The transportation/manufacturing/warehouse industry has the most deaths of any industry in the country with more than 1000 deaths per year, which comes out to a rate of about 15 deaths per 100,000. Those who operate industrial machines in this industry have a fatality rate of 21 deaths per 100,000 workers.
Even though no other industry can equal the total number of work-related deaths that occur in the transportation/manufacturing/warehouse industry, there are far more hazardous occupations in America, as the list above indicates.
Loggers have a fatality rate of 150 per 100,000 workers. Fishers are at 110 per 100,000 and Aircraft pilots and flight engineers are at 64 deaths per 100,000 workers. Roofers, refuse collectors, farmers, iron workers, drivers, and electrical power line workers are particularly hazardous jobs as well.
Without a doubt, some industries are a lot less hazardous than others. Education workers, for example, have a fatality rate of less than 1 death per 100,000 full-time workers and government employees enjoy a rate of around 2 deaths per 100,000 full-time employees.
Other Noteworthy Facts
Interestingly enough, women work roughly 43% of the more than 250 billion hours worked by full-time American workers, but only account for about 8% of all workplace deaths. On the other hand, women are 3 times more likely to die on the job due to an assault or violence.
Finally, workers over the age of sixty-five are 3 times as likely to suffer a fatal work-related injury than the average worker.