What Are the Causes of Workplace Fatalities?
Workplace safety is a major issue in most industries, especially when workers are at risk due to factors outside their control. While employers and governments can mandate safety standards to reduce the risks posed by carelessness, negligence or insufficient safety training, the physical causes of workplace fatalities are often impossible to eliminate.
Other People Are Reading
-
Traffic Accidents
-
Traffic accidents, which are a leading cause of death among the general population, are also one of the top causes of workplace fatalities. According to local data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, highway incidents were the leading cause of workplace deaths in Michigan in 2009, accounting for 14 percent of all workplace fatalities, as well as in the Philadelphia area where they accounted for more than 20 percent of the total. For anyone who drives for a living, public roads are a workplace filled with hazards that range from other drivers to inclement weather and poor road conditions. Roadside construction crew members, traffic police and public transit workers are also subject to vehicle strikes that can have tragic consequences.
Falls
-
Falls in the workplace are another top cause of fatalities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics cites falls as accounting for nearly 12 percent of fatalities in its 2009 Philadelphia area study, while the state of Oklahoma notes 49 deaths from falls out of 432 workplace fatalities between 1998 and 2001. Though less common than some minor accidents, falls at construction sites, by maintenance and cleaning staff and in large industrial spaces result in more deaths than most other workplace accidents. Falls can occur when workers don't wear the appropriate safety gear, including harnesses, or when workplace safety measures such as scaffold railings and ladder braces fail.
-
Machines and Substances
-
Accidents involving machinery and harmful substances account for a significant portion of workplace fatalities. For example, Oklahoma's 74 deaths due to machinery are even higher than the number of fall-related deaths from 1998 to 2001. This group of dangers includes trauma from compacting machinery and laceration. Exposure to toxic chemicals and asphyxiation from exposure to harmful fumes or lack of proper ventilation are similar dangers in workplaces that contain such risks. To avoid this type of danger, workers need special training, including first aid and emergency preparedness training.
Other Causes
-
A number of other workplace fatality causes occur in relatively small numbers but are still important enough to warrant planning and safety legislation. Homicide is a significant cause of workplace fatalities, whether it occurs in a fight between workers or from an outsider entering a workplace to commit a crime. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes more workplace homicides than fall-related deaths in its 2009 Philadelphia area study. Explosions, drug overdoses and suicides are not statistically insignificant either, accounting for 24 out of 432 workplace deaths in Oklahoma's 1998-2001 timeframe. Animal attacks and drowning are special causes that are not generally prevalent but very real dangers in certain work environments.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images
