Many New Jersey residents work in dangerous occupations. It may come as no surprise to them that 4,821 people died from work-related injuries in the United States in 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The figure was revised upward from the 4,679 deaths listed in a preliminary report released in September 2015. Overall, there were 3.4 injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2014, which is up slightly from 2013’s injury rate of 3.3. The uptick represents the first time the fatal injury rate has increased since 2010.
The final statistics also reflected a net increase of 25 fatal work injuries in the private construction industry, with a revised death count of 899. The figure is 9 percent higher than 2013’s total and marks the biggest jump in private construction deaths since 2008. The private mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction industries also suffered their highest death totals since 2007, with 183 reported fatalities.
According to the final report, 804 Hispanic or Latino workers died in 2014, which is down slightly from 817 in 2013. Meanwhile, 475 non-Hispanic Black or African-American workers suffered fatal workplace injuries, and 3,332 non-Hispanic white workers lost their lives. Workers age 55 and above suffered their deadliest year on record, with 1,691 reported fatalities in 2014.
Every year, thousands of American workers suffer debilitating injuries in workplace accidents. People who have been injured on the job may want to speak with an attorney to learn about the procedures that are involved in filing a claim for workers’ compensation benefits, which can provide the medical care and treatment that is required along with partial wage replacement in some cases.
Source: For Construction Pros, “Private Construction Industry Deaths Jumped 9% in 2014,” April 22, 2016
