Bureau of Labor Statistics Study Shows That One U.S. Worker Dies on the Job Every 96 Minutes

The United States workforce has been through tough times in recent years with government shutdowns due to virus scares and other occurrences.

Many companies have been forced to close their doors due to financial reasons and others have been forced to change the way they do business, simply to stay afloat in difficult market conditions.

Recently, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed news on deaths in the workplace and a ‘significant jump’ was shown, according to the latest reports.

Workplace Deaths Reach Highest Levels in Years 

A report from the website Truth-Out revealed the latest news on the situation. The report stated that workplace deaths have risen to their highest level in ten years.

A 5.7 increased was recorded during the 2021-2022 Census period, the report stated. Nearly 6,000 U.S. workers died on the job according to the report. Another 2.8 million were injured or sickened.

Startling Number of Workers Killed Per Minute 

The findings showed that a U.S. worker was killed on the job every 96 minutes in 2022. Black and Latino workers died on the job in disproportionate rates, the study found.

Black workers were far more likely to be victims of homicide during the workday, especially retail workers, as were women. Over half of Latino workers who died were foreign-born.

Occupations in the farming, fishing and forestry industries had the ‘highest fatality rate” of “23.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time workers,” which was “up from 20 fatalities per in 2021.”

Agricultural chemicals like Roundup, glyphosate and dicamba are among those that have been linked to cancer and sickness in farm workers. Tractor turnovers and other transportation accidents are the number one cause of death among farm workers according to the CDC.

University Professor, Chairperson Responds

Chairperson and professor of the Safety Sciences Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) Tracey Cekada said that the issue is one that must be addressed, and is not being taken seriously enough.

“Fatalities among foreign-born Hispanic or Latino workers need to be addressed, as we are seeing a growing number of Spanish-speaking employees enter the workforce,” she said.

“Communication barriers put workers at risk,” Cekada added.

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