Workplace deaths rise 7% in the U.S., down 8.1% in Arkansas

Deaths from work injuries in the U.S. rose 7% in 2016, marking the third consecutive year deaths increased. Suicides at the workplace reached a level not seen since 1992 when the data was first collected. Work injury deaths fell 8.1% in Arkansas.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday that fatal work injuries totaled 5,190 in 2016, up 7% from the 4,836 in 2015. The fatal injury rate increased to 3.6 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers from 3.4 in 2015, the highest rate since 2010.

Of the deaths, 4,803 were men and 387 were women.

Workplace suicides increased by 62 to 291, and workplace homicides rose by 83 to 500. Fatal work injuries involving violence and other injuries by persons or animals increased by 163 cases to 866.

There were 68 deaths from work injuries in Arkansas, down 8.1% from the 74 in 2015. While higher than the national rate, Arkansas’ fatal injury rate in 2016 fell to 5.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers from 5.8 in 2015.

Following are the five states with the most work injury deaths in 2016.
Texas
2016: 545 (rate per 100,000: 4.4%)
2015: 572 (4.5%)

California
2016: 376 (2.2%)
2015: 388 (2.2%)

Florida
2016: 309 (3.6%)
2015: 272 (3.1%)

New York
2016: 272 (3.1%)
2015: 236 (2.7%)

North Carolina
2016: 174 (3.7%)
2015: 150 (3.4%)

“Work injuries involving transportation incidents remained the most common fatal event in 2016, accounting for 40 percent (2,083). Violence and other injuries by persons or animals increased 23 percent to become the second-most common fatal event in 2016. Two other events with large changes were exposure to harmful substances or environments, which rose 22 percent, and fires and explosions, which declined 27 percent,” the BLS noted in the report.

Following are other data in the BLS report.
• Fatal work injuries from falls, slips, or trips continued a general upward trend that began in 2011, increasing 6% to 849 in 2016 and 25% overall since 2011. Falls increased more than 25% in 2016 for roofers, carpenters, tree trimmers and pruners, and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.

• Overdoses from the non-medical use of drugs or alcohol while on the job increased from 165 in 2015 to 217 in 2016, a 32% increase. Overdose fatalities have increased by at least 25% annually since 2012.

• Logging workers continued to have a high fatal injury rate in 2016, at 135.9 fatalities per 100,000 FTE workers. The number of fatalities among loggers increased from 67 in 2015 to 91.

• Fatal work injuries among protective service occupations increased by 68 fatalities (32 percent) in 2016 to a total of 281. This included an increase of 24 fatalities among police officers, 13 fatalities among first-line supervisors/managers of law enforcement workers, and 23 fatalities among miscellaneous protective service workers, including crossing guards and lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers. Police officers incurred 51 homicides in 2016, up 50% from 34 fatalities in 2015.

• Workers age 55 years and over had 1,848 fatal injuries, the highest number for this cohort since CFOI began reporting national data in 1992. In 1992, workers age 55 and over accounted for 20% of fatalities; in 2016, they accounted for 36%.