AFL-CIO releases annual workplace fatality report
Washington – Citing the 40th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the AFL-CIO called for stronger safety protections and higher OSHA penalties in its annual “Death on the Job” report (.pdf file).
Released April 27, the report raised concerns about efforts by business groups and a Republican-led House to block new regulations and cut OSHA funding.
The report cited fatal explosions at Upper Big Branch Mine-South in West Virginia; the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, WA; and the Kleen Energy power plant in Middletown, CT, as evidence of the need for more – not less – regulation.
Preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows 4,340 workers died on the job in 2009.
According to the AFL-CIO, Montana had the highest fatality rate (10.8 per 100,000 workers), followed by Louisiana and North Dakota (7.2). Once again, New Hampshire had the lowest fatality rate (0.9), followed by Rhode Island (1.4) and Arizona (1.8).
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