Fatal injuries in the workplace are on the rise, according to the latest data from the U.S. Dept. of Labor (DOL).
Figures from the department’s annual census of fatal occupational injuries show a slight increase in the number of work injuries from previous years, and the most since 2008. The census measured data captured in 2015, the last year numbers were available.
The data indicates that 4,836 workers died from work-related injuries in 2015, an increase from the 4,821 fatal injuries reported in 2014. Based on the results, the rate of fatal workplace injuries in 2015 was 3.38 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, lower than the 2014 rate of 3.43, according to the DOL.
“These numbers underscore the urgent need for employers to provide a safe workplace for their employees as the law requires,” said outgoing U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez in a written statement. “We have a moral responsibility to make sure that workers who showed up to work today are still alive to punch the clock tomorrow.”
The total number of workplace fatalities is the highest since 5,214 deaths were reported in 2008. The most common cause of deadly incidents were traffic crashes, which were up 9 percent from 2014 and accounted for roughly 26 percent of on-the-job fatalities.
Fatal injuries in the private construction industry rose 4 percent in 2015 to 937 from 899 in 2014. It’s the highest total since 2008, the DOL noted. The increase was led primarily led by a surge in fatalities among specialty-trade contractors, including roofing contractors, though the rate for construction remained statistically unchanged. The largest increase among specialty trade contractors involved foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors. Their fatal injury total rose 27 percent to 231 fatalities in 2015 from 182 in 2014.
Numbers for 2016 won’t be available for another year and DOL officials collect and analyze their numbers. However, experts said they don’t expect the numbers to change significantly.
Falls remain among the leading causes of construction-related deaths, according the latest DOL report.