For immediate release, December 19, 2024
Contact:  Roger Kerson, roger@nationalcosh.org, 734.635.0535

LOS ANGELES:  Leaders of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) said today that the high toll of workplace fatalities – more than 5,200 deaths in 2023 – can be reduced or eliminated through common-sense preventive measures. 

“We know from long experience that the surest way to make our workplaces safer is to put workers at the center of the conversation,” said Jessica E. Martinez, executive director of National COSH. “Workers know their jobs. They know where the hazards are and how to eliminate them. 

“Every worker deserves to come home safe and sound at the end of every shift. The way to achieve that goal is to listen to workers, take action and put their ideas into practice.”

A union contract, with negotiated and enforceable safety protections, is a tested and successful way to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities. In non-union workplaces, a joint workplace safety committee can also be effective, if workers are empowered with real decision-making authority. 

The 2023 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), shows 5,283 deaths from sudden workplace trauma in 2023, a decrease from over 5,400 fatalities in 2023. 

“More than 5,200 deaths on the job is still way too many,” said Martinez.  “We are also deeply concerned that Black and Brown workers continue to suffer from a higher rate of occupational fatalities, a sign of the persistent effects of discrimination in our workplaces.” There is a long history of workers of color receiving the dirtiest and most dangerous job assignments.

The rate of deaths from sudden workplace trauma was 3.5 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2023. For Black workers, BLS data show 3.6 deaths per 100,000 workers, while the rate for Hispanic or Latino workers stands at 4.4 deaths per 100,000 workers. Immigrant workers suffered more than 800 deaths on the job in 2023, accounting for two-thirds of the fatalities among Hispanic or Latino workers. 

The CFOI, a nationwide count of workers who die after workplace injuries, accounts for deaths from sudden, traumatic events, such as a fall from a height, a collision with machinery, and other preventable workplace incidents. A far greater number of workers, estimated at 95,000 per year in the United States, die from diseases caused by long-term exposure to toxic chemicals and other preventable occupational hazards.

Not all deaths from occupational exposures are properly recorded, said Martinez. A recent investigation by the Tampa Bay Times found that more than half of the deaths from extreme heat in Florida during the past decade were never reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as required by law.  

As a new administration prepares to take office, said Martinez, the safety and well-being of America’s workers must remain a top priority.

“The Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed in 1970 with bipartisan support in Congress and signed into law by a Republican president,” said Martinez. “Today, both Republicans and Democrats say they care about working people. To make those words real, we need fully-funded and rigorous enforcement of our existing safety laws, as well as new standards and regulations to protect against emerging hazards such as extreme heat, infectious disease, and workplace violence.”