Are Fatal Workplace Accidents On the Rise?

Ohio has fallen into an unacceptable and tragic trend: a worker suffers a fatal workplace accident almost every week in the state, according to reports from federal workplace safety investigators. These deaths include:

1. Two men falling off of a water tower;

2. An electrocution in a metal recycling plant;

3. An unlucky victim of a slip-and-fall accident who died during surgery for injuries;

4. A bowling alley maintenance worker who was crushed by a pin-setting device;

5. A construction worker killed by a collapsing bridge, an incident still under investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

All of these deaths occurred since the beginning of the federal government’s budget year, in October 2014. The trend shows roughly a 10 percent increase in fatal workplace accidents, a statistic that opposes the national trend of decreasing worker fatalities. Total fatalities in Ohio found 45-48 victims in each year from 2012 to 2014.

To circumvent this terrible trend, OSHA is increasing its efforts to promote safety. The organization provides free on-site consultations to small employers as well as a ton of educational materials and training. Its enforcement powers include citations and monetary penalties.

You can learn more about workers’ compensation laws in Ohio through Larrimer & Larrimer’s Facebook page.

Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus Workers’ Comp Attorneys

Source: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/number-of-fatal-workplace-accidents-on-the-rise/njwFy/

Did You Know? Fatal work-related injuries have declined from 5,764 in 2004 to 4,628 in 2012 nationwide, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ohio, strangely, has bucked this trend.