The most dangerous states in the US for workplace deaths and injuries have been revealed, and one state was much worse than all the others.
New data showed that 5,486 workers died on the job in 2022, 5.7 percent more than in 2021, while the number of non-fatal injuries and illnesses was 2.8 million, an increase of 7.5 percent from the previous year.
The most dangerous state in the United States for workers was North Dakota according to data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
For every 100,000 workers in North Dakota, 1.7 work-related deaths are reported. In 2022, there were 37 fatal workplace accidents, three more deaths than the previous year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The data also found that for every 100,000 workers there are a total of 2,772 reported deaths, injuries or illnesses in North Dakota, according to personal injury attorneys Triumph Law, PC.
The most dangerous states in the US for workplace deaths and injuries have been revealed, and one state was much worse than all the others. In the photo: builders at a construction site (archive image)
After North Dakota, Montana and Washington ranked second and third with 2,624 and 2,619 deaths, injuries or illnesses per 100,000 workers, respectively.
“It’s fascinating to see such a wide range of states in the top ten,” said Robert Carichoff, a personal injury attorney with Triumph Law, PC.
‘Hopefully this research will encourage employers in these states to ensure all the correct safety measures are in place.
‘This will not only benefit employees, but will also prevent loss of revenue to the business due to lost work days if employees are injured. Likewise, employees must ensure they follow procedures and use the safety equipment provided.
Utah was ranked the safest state in the nation, with 0.464 incidents of workplace deaths, injuries or illnesses per 100,000 workers.
Each state was given a final score out of 100, which represented OSHA’s work-related fatality classification, BLS nonfatal work-related injury classification, and work-related injury search classification.
North Dakota received a final score of 79.12, placing it in first place overall.
Georgia placed second overall, with a final score of 66.85. Peach State ranked 13th in work-related deaths and ranked first in work-related injury search volume data; for example, people searching for “how to file for workers’ compensation.”
He data found that the occupation with the most fatal work injuries was transportation and material movement, which accounted for 30 percent of the total.
Jobs in this field include air traffic controllers, bus drivers, railroad workers, truck drivers, and material moving machine operators.
Construction and extraction careers recorded the second highest number of fatal work injuries at 19 percent. These occupations include carpenters, construction and building inspectors, electricians, plumbers, and masonry workers.
Other industries reporting increased cases of fatal workplace injuries include installation, maintenance, construction, administration, protective service, agriculture, and food preparation and serving.
The most common non-fatal injuries suffered by workers were due to exposure to harmful substances in the environment (35 percent) and overexertion and bodily reactions accounted for 21 percent of the total. Falls, trips and slips also contributed to 17 percent of nonfatal injuries.
Data from Atticus, a law firm that tracks Bureau of Labor Statistics data and focuses on workplace safety, also found the most and least dangerous states for female workers.
The most dangerous state for female workers was Delaware, where 23 percent of fatal injuries killed women.
Georgia, Colorado, South Dakota, Indiana, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Maryland, Washington and Illinois accounted for at least 10 percent of fatal injuries to female workers.
The least dangerous states for female workers were Alabama and Louisiana, where only four percent of fatal injuries affected women. New Jersey, Utah, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York recorded fewer than six percent of injuries killing female workers.