Resources & Insights

Worker Deaths at Highest Level Since ’08

January 16, 2018

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Loren Sweatt summed it up best:

“America’s workers deserve better,” she said in a statement last month.

Sweatt was responding to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics saying that 5,190 people were killed on the job in 2016, the most since 2008.

What’s more, the rate of fatal injuries for full-time workers rose to 3.6 per 100,000, the highest since 2010.

Some of the details from the report:

  • Transportation incidents were the most common, making up 40% of all workplace deaths.
  • Fatal injuries among leisure and hospitality workers were 32 percent higher in 2016 than 2015.
  • Deaths from falls, slips or trips increased 6% to 849; up more than 25% for roofers, carpenters and tree-trimmers, as well as truck drivers.
  • Drug and alcohol overdoses jumped to 217 cases, the fourth straight increase of at least 25%, amid the nation’s opioid epidemic.

Sweatt said OSHA was committed to finding “new and innovative ways of working with employers and employees to improve workplace safety and health.”

We welcome that, of course, but, given that we’re at the beginning of a new year, would also suggest it’s a good time for a top-down review of your safety practices.

Related: CCIG Client Wins Colo. Workplace Safety Award

CCIG’s Risk Control Service team can help your company understand your operational exposures, tighten procedures and help ensure safety protocols are understood by your employees. In the process, we’ll:

  • Review your safety programs and procedures.
  • Analyze loss data to identify specific areas that generate the greatest claim frequency.
  • Recommend areas of safety training.

We’ll also introduce you to our Risk Management Center, which can help you to:

  • Train employees online.
  • Track and report incidents.
  • Comply with OSHA and other regulatory bodies.
  • Protect against liability through certificate of insurance management, and much more.

The essential point on all this? CCIG does more than make sure you’re properly insured. Our team can help you develop the policies and training needed to keep your workers safe and claims down.

Don’t just stay safe, folks. Be safe!

Sam Abrahamsen is a Safety Resources Coordinator at CCIG. Reach him at 720-330-7941 or SamA@thinkccig.com

Is Your Safety Plan Doing the Job?

Training, protective equipment, engineering controls, safety protocols and other solutions can help to prevent workplace injuries. Need help figuring things out? Don’t hesitate to use the form below to reach out to our Risk Control and Prevention team.

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