Chicago Workers' Compensation Attorney Blog

Our Chicago workers' compensation lawyers would like to take a closer look at the recently released 2010 preliminary fatal workplace injury report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2010 preliminary report reveals that 4,547 workers died from injuries occurring on the job. Let's examine deadly work injuries by the type of incident:

Fires and explosions
There was a 65 percent increase in workers killed by fires and explosions in 2010. In 2009, 113 workers were killed compared to 187 last year. The significant contribution to the increase was deaths due to fires rose 106 percent from 2009. 82 of the 187 deaths happened in multi-fatality incidents. Illinois had 7 deaths as the result of fires and explosions

Workplace homicides
Homicides in the workplace during 2010 dropped by 7 percent compared to the previous year. The 2010 preliminary total is 506 cases, which is a decrease of over 50 percent from the all time high of 1,080 cases in 1994. In spite of the decrease, homicidal incidents involving women rose 13 percent in 2010. Workplace suicide cases were down from 263 in 2009 to 258 in 2010. Even though there was a decrease in the number of suicides the 2010 preliminary count is the 3rd highest total for the fatal work injury poll.

Falls
There was a 2 percent decrease in fatal falls in 2010. In 2009, there were 645 fatal falls; in 2010 there were 635. In 2007, there were more than 840 fatal falls; coincidentally, there has been a 25 percent decrease in the total over the last few years. The construction industry (private) has seen more than a 40 percent drop in the number of fatal falls since 2007 but it is likely due to the drop off of construction projects due to a weathered economy. It was reported that 31 Illinois workers fell to their death in 2010.

Struck by objects or equipment
In 2010, 402 workers were killed as the result of being struck by objects or equipment, which is a 4 percent decline from 2009. Being struck by objects or equipment caused the deaths of 39 Illinois workers.

Exposure to harmful substances or environments
There was a slight increase for fatal work injuries involving workers being exposed to harmful environments or substances, although electrocutions did see a decrease. A total of 15 Illinois workers died from exposure to harmful environments or substances in 2010.

Transportation
In 2010 almost 2 out of every 5 deadly work injuries involved a transportation incident. This is a small decline from 2009. Incidents involving non-highway accidents (off road), railway and pedestrians had increases compared to 2009. Aircraft and watercraft occupational fatalities were both down in 2010. (Transportation counts are expected to rise since all data was not yet available for the preliminary report.) Transportation incidents accounted for 72 deaths in Illinois.

2010 deaths by occupation saw the following results:

-Fatal injuries in extraction and construction work fell by 9 percent. This is the lowest it has been since 2006 which was a record high.

-Fatalities dropped 15 percent to 530 for construction trade workers; there has been a steady decline (46 percent) since 2006. Construction laborers are the most deadly sub group of workers but in 2010 deaths declined by 16 percent to 193. Due to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and Upper Big Branch Mine incidents extraction worker deaths rose from 59 in 2009 to 91 in 2010.

-There was a 9 percent increase in fatal work injuries in fishing, forestry and farming workers.

-Agricultural worker fatalities increased to 156 from 127 in 2009 and logging worker deaths grew from 36 in 2009 to 59 in 2010.

-Researchers noted a drop in fatal injuries among fishing industry workers.

-After a 2-year drop, fatalities among protective service occupations rose by 6 percent. Police officers deaths were up 40 percent since 2009, with 134 officers losing their lives.

-Deaths to resident military personnel dropped 44 percent in 2010.

-There was a 5 percent increase in the number of deaths to workers in the material moving and transportation occupations and made up about 25 percent of all occupational fatalities.

-A 6 percent increase in sales workers and truck drivers led the way of transportation and material moving subgroups with the most fatalities.