If you are like many people who work in Arizona, you are deeply disturbed when you reports about a person who has died in a work-related accident. Every industry and job type has specific safety rules to which it is supposed to adhere. These rules are designed to protect employees and ensure they have a safe environment in which to perform their jobs. Unfortunately, too many workers are injured and die on the job every year.

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 5,147 workplace fatalities were recorded across the nation in 2017. A staggering 40% of those deaths involved transportation in some fashion, with 2,077 people dying in incidents in which transportation was a factor. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries has tracked 26 continuous years of workplace deaths and in 2017, falls were involved in more of these deaths than in any of those 26 years.

In looking at Arizona specifically, the state experienced 90 workplace fatalities in 2017. Once again, transportation played a significant factor in many deaths with 37 people losing their lives in incidents in which this was a noted factor. Falls, slips or trips were involved in 12 of the deaths and 10 fatalities involved the contact with some type of object. Hazardous exposure was listed as a factor in nine deaths.

If you would like to learn more about how you or someone you know can get help after a serious workplace accident or injury, please feel free to visit the injured or ill employee’s assistance page of our Arizona workers’ compensation website.