In spite of enforcement initiatives by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and efforts by worker safety groups, there are still far too many people being injured or killed in workplace accidents in the United States every year. In 2010, there was actually an increase in the number of people who were killed in workplace accidents.
That year, according to a report by the AFL-CIO, 4,690 workers were killed in workplace accidents, compared to 4,551 workers the previous year. A total of 4,690 fatalities translates into an average of 13 worker fatalities per day. That number does not even include the number of people who die from occupational illnesses like benzene poisoning, and asbestosis every year.
The report also finds that as many as 50,000 workers suffer from occupational illnesses every year. In 2010, more than 3.8 million workers in America suffered injuries and illnesses that were reported by employers, with 3.1 million occurring in private industry.
You don’t have to be an attorney to know that those numbers are completely unacceptable. As any workplace accident lawyer knows, many states’ workplace accident and injury reporting systems are inadequate, and therefore, this number may actually be an underestimation.
2010 saw some major workplace disasters that really shook up their respective industries. Eleven workers died in an offshore oil rig explosion off the Gulf of Mexico, and that disaster has since resulted in the establishment of a new federal offshore safety agency, and new initiatives to protect workers. 2011 also saw the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion that killed 29 miners. The coal mining industry has since been under pressure to implement safer work practices.
It should not take a major disaster for employers or federal agencies to wake up to the need for safety measures. Unfortunately, this is what always happens.In spite of enforcement initiatives by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and efforts by worker safety groups, there are still far too many people being injured or killed in workplace accidents in the United States every year.
