At first glance the 2009 Fatal Occupational Injury Statistics, issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) last week, appear encouraging. The BLS reports 4,340 workplace fatalities in 2009. That number is significantly fewer than the 5,214 fatalities reported in 2008.
However, while it is undeniably good news that so many fewer workers died and so many families were spared the agony of their untimely deaths, it is important to understand that this decrease in fatalities may be temporary.
It appears that the decrease in fatalities is due, at least in part, to the downturn in the economy and not due to better safety practices in dangerous industries. For example, the number of workers and the hours that they worked decreased during 2009 because of the national recession and, therefore, a decrease in fatalities makes sense.
Despite the significant decrease in fatalities, it remains as important as ever for each industry to analyze the occupational fatality statistics provided by the BLS and to take the necessary safety precautions to prevent future tragedies.
