While fatality rates are declining according to preliminary results from the 2011 Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, it's startling to know that an average of 13 people die on the job every day. The most dangerous workplace activity is driving, with accidents on the road representing almost one-quarter of all work-related deaths.
The 10 deadliest occupations, according to the data are:
Demographics
Fatal work injuries were higher for workers 20 to 24 years of age, rising to 288 in 2011 from 245 in 2010, an increase of 18 percent. For workers 55 years of age or older and workers under the age of 18, fatal work injuries were down. Fatal work injuries involving women increased slightly in 2011 to 375, but declined by two percent for men to 4,234 in 2011 from 4,322 in 2010. Men, by far, experienced most of the fatalities overall at 92 percent (4,234 deaths).
The number of fatal work injuries in 2011 involving non-Hispanic white workers (3,257) declined slightly, and rose slightly for black workers (433). For black workers, this increase follows three years of declining numbers of fatal injuries.
Fatal work injuries among Hispanic workers rose to 729 in 2011 from 707 in 2010, an increase of three percent. The higher count in 2011 was the first increase in fatal injuries for Hispanic workers since 2006. Of the 729 fatal work injuries involving Hispanics, 500 (69 percent) involved foreign-born workers. Overall, there were 823 fatal work injuries involving foreign-born workers in 2011, most of whom (338 or 41 percent) were born in Mexico.