Made in America: Fatal work injuries at highest level in eight years

Editor’s note: Each Sunday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Made In America,” a round-up of state and global manufacturing news.

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FATAL WORK INJURIES AT HIGHEST LEVEL IN EIGHT YEARS, TRACTOR-TRAILER DRIVERS RECORDED MOST DEATHS
A total of 4,836 workers died from a work-related injury in the U.S. in 2015, the highest annual figure since 5,215 fatal injuries 2008, according to a new report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nearly 20% of fatally-injured workers were employed in the private construction industry, while heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers recorded 745 fatal injuries, the most of any occupation. Overall, the rate of fatal work injury for workers in 2015, at 3.38 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, was lower than the 2014 rate of 3.43.

Key findings of the 2015 census show that Hispanic or Latino workers incurred 903 fatal injuries in 2015 — the most since 937 fatalities in 2007. Workers age 65 years and older incurred 650 fatal injuries, the second-largest number for the group since the national census began in 1992, but decreased from the 2014 figure of 684. Also, roadway incident fatalities were up 9% from 2014 totals, accounting for over one-quarter of the fatal occupational injuries in 2015.

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COMMERCE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES 11TH MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE, WILL FOCUS ON ADVANCING U.S. BIOPHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY
The U.S. Department of Commerce on Friday announced an award of $70 million to the new National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), the eleventh institute in the Manufacturing USA network. This is the first institute with a focus area proposed by industry and the first funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

NIIMBL will help to advance U.S. leadership in the biopharmaceutical industry, foster economic development, improve medical treatments and ensure a qualified workforce by collaborating with educational institutions to develop new training programs matched to specific biopharma skill needs.

In addition to the federal funding, the new institute is supported by an initial private investment of at least $129 million from a consortium of 150 companies, educational institutions, research centers, coordinating bodies, non-profits and Manufacturing Extension Partnerships across the country. The consortium is establishing a new non-profit organization called USA Bio LLC to administer the cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, housed within the Commerce Department.

This manufacturing innovation institute was awarded under the 2014 bipartisan Revitalize American Manufacturing Innovation Act. It is the first Manufacturing USA “open topic” competition, in which industry was invited to propose institutes dedicated to any advanced manufacturing area not already addressed by another institute.

NEWPORT WORKS TO CREATE ‘MEGA’ INDUSTRIAL SITE, HOPES TO DEVELOP SEPARATE INTERMODAL SITE
Newport has a certified 100-acre industrial development park, but it’s not large enough to attract enough job providers to Jackson County. To lure industries to the region, the commission hopes to get a 3,200-acre swath certified by the state in 2017, Newport Economic Development Commission Executive Director Jon Chadwell told Talk Business & Politics. It also hopes to develop an 800-acre intermodal site south of Newport that abuts the White River.

The 3,200-acre site would qualify as a “Mega” site in the state, meaning it could cater to virtually any industry including a major automotive manufacturer. If it’s certified, the site will have 4.9 miles of highway frontage along U.S. 67, which is begin renamed I-57. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has said more than once he’d like to locate automaker in the state. Read more at this link.