DEATHS ON THE JOB INCREASE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE

[Guest guest]

http://www.aflcio.org/mediacenter/prsptm/pr042606.cfm

 

 

April 26, 2006

 

DEATHS ON THE JOB INCREASE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE

 

State by State and National Numbers on Job Deaths and Injuries

Included in New Report

 

[Rachel's introduction: More than 55,000 workers were killed on the

job or died from job-related illnesses in 2004. That's more than 150

funerals every day, 365 days a year. In 2004 the rate of traumatic

deaths on the job increased for the first time in 10 years, with large

increases in fatalities among Hispanic and foreign-born workers.]

 

The rate of fatal workplace injuries increased for the first time in a

decade, according to a new AFL-CIO job safety report, " Death on the

Job: The Toll of Neglect -- A National and State-by-State Profile of

Worker Safety and Health in the United States. "

 

" Our nation is still grieving the Sago mineworkers' deaths and we find

it outrageous that in this era more than 150 workers die on the job

each and every day, " said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. " It doesn't

have to be this way. America's corporations must invest more in health

and safety protections for working men and women, and our nation's

leaders must start holding them tightly accountable. "

 

The study shows the reported rates of workplace fatalities rose

overall and the reported rates of illnesses and injury declined

slightly. On an average day in 2004, 152 workers lost their lives as a

result of workplace injuries and diseases and another 11,780 were

injured, according to the study. Protections across the states vary

widely. Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, West Virginia and Kentucky had the

highest fatality rates, while Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont,

Delaware and Massachusetts had the lowest.

 

The study also shows workplace deaths for Latino and immigrant workers

sharply increased. In 2004, the fatality rate among Latino workers was

19 percent higher than the fatal injury rate for all U.S. workers. At

the national level, fatal injuries to immigrant Latino workers

increased 11 percent from 2003 to 2004. Of the foreign born workers

who were fatally injured at work in 2004, 60 percent were Latino. The

states with the highest number of workplace fatalities among Latino

workers were California with 169 deaths, Texas with 150 deaths and

Florida with 119 fatalities.

 

Over the last five years, the Bush Administration cut the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health

Administration (MSHA) budgets and put much greater emphasis on

voluntary efforts and partnership programs with industries. This does

not allow OSHA and MSHA to adequately deal with the new and emerging

hazards, including risks to workers from bioterrorist threats and

pandemic flu. Additionally, under the Bush Administration, rule making

at OSHA and MSHA has ground to a halt. At MSHA, 17 safety and health

rules were withdrawn, including rules on mine rescue teams, emergency

escape ways and self-contained self- rescuers -- all of which could

have helped save the 12 miners who died at the Sago mine earlier this

year and the miners who lost their lives in the subsequent mine disasters.

 

Penalties for safety and health violations continue to be low. For

federal OSHA the average penalty for a serious violation was just

$873. And as the workforce has grown, OSHA's resources have stagnated.

It would now take federal OSHA 117 years to inspect the workplaces

under its jurisdiction just once, with inspection workplace oversight

in Florida the worst with an inspection frequency of once every 210 years.

 

Since the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970,

over 324,000 workers' lives have been saved. The state-by-state safety

report shows that given the size and cost of the job safety problem,

the level of federal resources being devoted to job safety and health

protections continues to be inadequate, according to the AFL-CIO.

 

The AFL-CIO study release is part of Workers Memorial Day, April 28, a

worldwide annual event going into its 18th year. Tens of thousands of

union members and concerned community members will hold events this

week to honor those hurt and killed on the job.

 

For a copy of the report, " Death on the Job, " go to

www.aflcio.org/deathonthejob

 

Contact: Kate Snyder (202) 637-5018

 

Copyright 2006 AFL-CIO