At Matt Fendon Law Group, we encourage workers in Arizona to be vigilant and to prioritize safety. This is especially the case for workers who have built careers in fields that are often considered dangerous, such as construction workers, truck drivers and factory workers.
One of the ways that we can better prepare for a safe year is by analyzing the last worker safety report issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With 2018 hardly behind us, the last report issued was for 2017 and the findings were not encouraging.
Few things have changed
One of the most discouraging aspects of the new report is that it is remarkably like all the others. This indicates a disturbing trend of not sufficiently learning from our mistakes. Thus, for the coming year, employers should spend more time looking at the main contributing factors to workplace injuries and fatalities and plan accordingly.
For 2017, and it appears, for several years prior, the top causes of work-related fatalities are as follows:
- Roadway incidents involving motor vehicles
- Falling to a lower level
- Assault or violence
- Motor vehicular incidents involving pedestrians
- Intentional self-harm
- Unintentional overdose
Men are at much greater risk than women
The rate of job fatalities for men is 9.5 times as high as it is for women. The main reason for this may be that jobs that are more hazardous tend to be male-dominated. This includes jobs such as agriculture, logging and fishing. However, in a society where men, for a number of reasons, are generally higher earners than women, this may present serious socioeconomic problems for the families left behind, to add to the devastation of losing a family member.
Workplace injuries and fatalities are an unfortunate risk of being gainfully employed, no matter the industry. Thankfully, workers’ compensation system helps to provide a safety net for workers who have fallen victim to unsafe conditions at work. For more information about workers’ compensation for injured and disabled workers, take a look at our webpage.
