Washington state sees increase in job-related deaths

Tumwater, WA – Workplace fatalities in the state of Washington increased roughly 32 percent in 2010, according to a Feb. 17 report (.pdf file) from the state’s Department of Labor and Industries.

Preliminary data indicates 86 workers were killed in 2010 – 21 more than in 2009. The agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry experienced the most fatalities with 20, the report said. Seven farm workers died in tractor roll-over incidents, which prompted L&I to issue a hazard alert (.pdf file) for the agriculture industry in January.

The April explosion at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes accounted for an additional seven deaths, and seven workers also died in a series of plane crashes.

In contrast to the overall increase, fatalities in the construction industry remained low at seven, the same as the year before.