A total of 5,559 fatal work injuries were recorded in the U.S. in 2003, a small increase from the revised total of 5,534 fatal work injuries reported in 2002, according to the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Despite the increase, fatal work injuries for both 2003 and 2002 were the lowest ever recorded by the fatality census, which has been conducted each year since 1992.
According to BLS, fatal work injuries resulting from highway incidents, falls, and electrocution were all lower in 2003 than in 2002, while fatal injuries involving homicides, fires and explosions, and being struck by objects increased.
Fatal highway incidents were down in 2003 for the second consecutive year, but continued to account for the highest number of fatal work injuries. The 1,350 fatal highway incidents recorded in 2003 accounted for about one out of every four fatal work injuries.
You can access the BLS census at www.bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.nr0.htm.
Council’s Workers Comp Update 2004 and 2005 and The Complete Survival Guide to Workers’ Comp are programs that can provide you with risk-prevention and claims-management best practices, critical compliance tips, and cost-cutting strategies. For agendas, dates, and locations, click on the links above.