NUMBER OF NORTH CAROLINA WORKERS KILLED ON THE JOB NEARLY
DOUBLED LAST YEAR. NORTH CAROLINA IS
ALSO ONE OF THE TOP FIVE STATES WITH THE HIGHEST TRAFFIC DEATHS
By Richard Stradling
January 22, 2015
RALEIGH — The number of workers
killed on the job in North Carolina nearly doubled last year compared to the
year before, according to preliminary data released by the state Department of
Labor on Thursday.
Forty-four people died in work-related accidents last year,
up from 23 in 2013. It was the highest number of worker deaths since 2011, when
53 died, according to the Labor Department.
All but one of the workers killed last year were men, and
all were classified as “laborers” by the Labor Department. Their average age
was nearly 44; the youngest was 20, and the oldest was 82.
The construction industry accounted for some of the
increase. Nineteen workers were killed at construction sites last year, 12 more
than in 2013.
According to the Labor Department, other industry data show
that many construction accidents occur within the first 60 to 90 days that a
worker is on the job and in some cases on the first day of work.
“To hear that workers are getting injured on the first day
or between 60 and 90 days on the job sends a red flag that the workers are not
getting the necessary training prior to starting the work,” Labor Commissioner
Cherie Berry said in a statement. “Whether the workers are new to the industry
or returning after the lull in construction that began in 2007, the workers
need training or refresher training before starting the job.”
Berry said the department detected a spike in construction
accidents in 2014 and worked with Builders Mutual Insurance Company to create
public service announcements about some of the most common hazards on the job.
The ads began airing on Univision, the Spanish-language cable television
channel, late in 2014 and will continue through March.
Worker deaths in manufacturing increased from 4 in 2013 to 9
last year, while service industry deaths rose from 1 in 2013 to six last year.
Five of the deaths occurred in the Triangle, including a
worker struck by an arm of a wheel loader in Chatham County, a worker struck by
a tree in Johnston County and three construction workers who fell in separate
incidents in Wake County.
Worker safety has improved in the state and nationwide,
largely because of state and federal worker safety rules and the requirements
of workers’ compensation insurance programs. The number of workplace illnesses
and injuries in North Carolina dropped to 2.7 incidents for every 100 full-time
workers in 2013, the most recent year available, according to the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics. That’s down from 5.7 per 100 workers in 1999.
It’s not clear what impact last year’s increase in worker
fatalities will have on the injury and illness rate.