Increase in Fatalities in the Workplace–Training Needed

Workplace safety is a top priority for any business, particularly those involved in inherently dangerous activities. For office-dwellers, the risk of serious bodily harm or death may seem remote. Even for those engaged in dangerous work, these risks are not always top of mind. However, recent data point to an alarming increase in the number of workplace fatalities in the United States. Here are some interesting statistics and trends found in recent analyses of workplace fatalities.

According to Insurance Journal, “There were 5,190 workplace fatalities reported in the U.S. in 2016, a seven percent increase over the previous year.” The organization cites data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Census of 2016 Fatal Occupational Injuries, which shows that the fatal injury rate increased from 3.4 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2015 to 3.6 in 2016.
Insurance Journal notes that 2016 marked the third consecutive annual increase and the first time in almost 10 years that the total topped 5,000 deaths. Transportation incidents accounted for the largest proportion of deaths—one in four—while workplace violence was the second largest. Alarmingly, deaths attributed to workplace violence rose by 23 percent from 2015 to 2016.
According to the BLS, deaths from overdoses rose sharply in 2016 as well. The number of fatal overdoses from alcohol and illegal drugs spiked 32 percent from 165 in 2015 to 217 in 2016. Some observers correlate this increase to the rise in heroin and opioid addiction across the country in recent years.
Any death on the job is one too many. And when data point to a rise in such deaths, it should be cause for concern and should warrant a serious look at how safety training is handled in the workplace, both from a planning and an execution standpoint.
What should you train on (from drugs to driving, lockout to ladders)? What training is effective? How do I make sure trainees are following my rules and policies?