... Workers Memorial Day a reminder of job safey
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counting for 24 of the fatalities. Trans-
portation incidents (20) and contact
with objects and equipment (12) were
the top killers.
“Each year, we hope to see the list
of fallen workers diminish until we do
not have a list to read from at all,” said
Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom
Chamberlain. “Until that day, we will
continue to fight for safe working con-
ditions. As we add jobs to Oregon’s
economy and get more people back to
work, it is crucial that Oregon employ-
ers continue to prioritize safety at the
workplace — anything else would be
unacceptable and undermine the years
of hard work we all have put in to
strengthening our workplace protec-
tions.”
Nationally, 4,609 fatal work injuries
were recorded in the United States in
2011, down from 4,690 deaths in 2010.
Transportation incidents accounted for
more than two out of every five fatali-
ties in 2011.
Of the 1,898 transportation-related
incidents, about 57 percent (1,075
cases) were roadway incidents involv-
ing motorized vehicles. Non-roadway
incidents, such as a tractor overturn in a
farm field, accounted for another 11
percent. About 16 percent involved
pedestrians who were struck by vehi-
cles. Of the 312 fatal work injuries in-
volving pedestrians struck by vehicles,
61 occurred in work zones.
Fatal falls, slips, or trips took the
lives of 666 workers in 2011, or about
14 percent of all fatal work injuries.
Falls to a lower level accounted for 541
of those fatalities. The height of the fall
was reported in 451 of the 541 inci-
dences. Of those cases, about one in
four (115) occurred after a fall of 10
feet or less. Another fourth (118) oc-
curred from a fall of over 30 feet.
A total of 472 workers were fatally
injured after being struck by objects or
equipment, including 219 workers who
were struck by falling objects or equip-
ment and 192 who were struck by pow-
ered vehicles or mobile equipment not
in normal operation.
There were 152 multiple-fatality in-
cidents in 2011 (incidents in which
more than one worker was killed) in
which 354 workers died.
“So many of these deaths are readily
preventable, the result of problems that
can easily be addressed by employer
compliance with our rules and with safe
work practices,” said OR-OSHA’s
Wood. “That can make Workers Me-
morial Day a frustrating experience for
those of us who attend each year. But
that is also why it is an important event.
Because we can, indeed, do better. And
we must never forget that.”
LATEST NUMBERS
2011
Fatal Work-Related Injuries
(Preliminary)
Total fatal injuries (all sectors):
4,609
Roadway incidents (all sectors):
1,075
Falls, slips, trips (all sectors):
666
Homicides (all sectors):
458
Non-fatal injuries and illness
Private Industry, U.S.
Total recordable cases:
2,986,500
Cases involving days away
from work:
908,300
Median days away from work:
8
Cases involving sprains, strains,
tears:
340,870
Cases involving injuries to the
back:
182,270
Cases involving falls, slips, trips:
225,550
From the Occupational Injuries (CFOI) pro-
gram conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
PAGE 10
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
APRIL 19, 2013