Minnesota employers and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration work hard to make working environments safe for each and every employee, but even when precautions are taken, tragic accidents can occur. And according to the latest statistics on fatal workplace accidents, there’s still plenty of work left to be done.
According to the latest statistics, which are traditionally released around Labor Day, one Minnesota worker died every 87 hours as a result of a workplace accident in 2017. That gives us a rate of 3.5 fatal injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, an increase from 3.4 in the previous year.
“After a steady decline over the more than nine decades since the Minnesota Safety Council was founded, we’re now seeing a concerning uptick in workplace fatalities,” said Minnesota Safety Council President Paul Aasen. “This means all of us – employers, government agencies, the Minnesota Safety Council and others – must continue to join forces to make our state’s workers safer.”
Nearly 200 Daily Workplace Injuries
Fatal work injuries weren’t the only cause for concern in the report. In 2017, an average of 198 Minnesotans sustained a workplace injury or illness every single day, 100 of which were severe.
Other highlights from the report include:
- 11 people are injured each day by a fall at work in Minnesota
- Minnesota has the third highest fall fatality rate for people over the age of 65.
- Minnesota’s injury rate was the same as the national injury rate of 3.5 per 100,000 FTE workers.
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and crop production were the most dangerous industries to work in during 2017.
- There were 533 concussions reported in 2017, and wage loss payments for these injuries were six times greater than what was paid out in 2009.
- The average workers’ compensation claim paid roughly $11,000.
You can view the full report by clicking here, but the statistics should showcase just how common workplace injuries are each day. Nearly 1,000 workers suffer an injury or illness on the job every week, and they are typically entitled to compensation. If you’ve suffered an on the job injury and want to see if you’d be eligible for a claim award, or if you are a family member of someone who was fatally injured on the job, reach out to the experienced legal team at Hey Workers today. We have a wealth of experience settling claims and winning awards in court, so trust your claim to us. For more information, give us a call today at (844) 439-9675.
