Deaths on the Job in Federal Workforce Increased
October 31, 2014
Categories:
Workers' Rights, Labor
Fatal work injuries among government employees went up 5% from 453 in 2012 to 476 last year. But the job fatality rate in the federal workforce shot up 19% to 124 during the same period, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs related to national security accounted for most of the fatalities – 75 deaths while the Postal Service accounted for 19.
"Certainly any increase is a cause for concern," said AFGE Occupational Health and Safety Specialist Milly Rodriguez. "It does make us want to look more deeply and more carefully at what might be causing some of these."
It was the opposite in the private sector, which saw 6% fewer fatalities in 2013. Transportation incidents made up 40% of workplace fatalities, followed by falls and being stuck by equipment or objects.
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