The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released its National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2016, which reports 5,190 workplace fatalities in 2016 — a 7 percent increase from 2015. The fatal injury rate also increased from 3.4 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2015 to 3.6 in 2016.
More workers lost their lives in transportation incidents than any other event in 2016, accounting for about two out of every five fatal injuries. Workplace violence injuries increased by 23 percent, making it the second most common cause of workplace fatality. The report also shows the number of overdoses on the job increased by 32 percent in 2016. For OSHA’s statement on the data, see the news release.