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On August 22, 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Labor, published data on occupational fatalities and injuries that occurred in the U.S. during 2012. According to the report’s key findings, 4,383 fatal work injuries took place in the U.S. in 2012 alone. The report presented the 2012 data in different categories, including industry, worker characteristics, and type of incident.
When assessing the statistics amongst different industries, the construction sector saw a five percent increase in fatal work injuries in 2012 when compared to the previous year. Other industries that saw a rise in fatal work injuries in 2012 include the mining sector (increase of fourteen percent) and the oil and gas extraction industry. Alarmingly, the oil and gas extraction industry saw an increase of 23 percent in fatal work injuries in 2012 alone.
Along the parameter of worker characteristics, the report detailed that fatal work injuries increased in 2012 for those workers less than 16 years of age. Furthermore, of those foreign-born workers who suffered fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2012, the majority (38 percent) were originally from Mexico.
As to type of incident, the report indicated that transportation incidents comprised 40 percent of fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2012 alone. Of these types of incidents, approximately 58 percent happened on roadways and involved “motorized land vehicles.” As to incidents where the worker suffered a fatal injury as a result of being struck by an object or equipment, this number rose by seven percent in 2012 when compared to the previous year.
See the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2012 report:
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf
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