11 Americans Die At Work Each Day, Some Of Them Even While Sitting Behind A Desk
Work hazards are a common phenomenon and almost all employees who put in long hours at work take the good with the bad and seldom complain. However, the stress continues to build up. Now a census of fatalities at work has revealed a startling statistic; 11 American workers die while at work each day in the United States. Incidentally, just because you are working on a 9 to 5 schedule behind a comfy desk, doesn’t mean you are immune to the threat of dying while at work.
Data compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor showed that, an average of 11 Americans die on the job every single day. Another 50,000 or so, die annually because of illnesses they contracted on the job. If you do the math, you will realize that ‘working’ kills about 54,000 Americans every year. Interestingly, this number doesn’t include countless more who are injured while doing their job. So much for “Hard work never killed anyone.”
Why are these numbers alarming? These statistics border on sounding unreasonable or unacceptable because as a nation America can no longer digest the fact injuries and fatalities are a routine part of the cost of doing business. With so many policies and safeguards in place, one would surely expect the number to be quite low to negligible. However, the actual figures are quite alarming.
So who’s at highest risk? While it is common knowledge that construction, mining, agriculture, transportation and warehousing jobs tend to have the highest risks, those working behind a comfy desk aren’t exempt from giving up the ghost, revealed the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts 2014 report.
More than 400 people in both, professional and business services jobs, died at work in 2012. Moreover, even government employees are immune to the emotional and physical work hazards. The job types which would normally be considered ‘safe’ but aren’t, include accountants, lawyers, engineers and architects, reported Market Watch.
What’s the major cause of death at work? Transportation is by far the number one cause of work related deaths. Personnel logistics alone has killed 2,000 people while at work in 2011. According to the National Safety Council, the most common incidents of work-related deaths involved on-the-road car accidents.
Transportation was trailed by violence at the work-place, which typically consisted of premeditated violent acts performed by another person. However, 37 cases the violent acts were committed by animals.
Despite the rather bleak outlook, the overall scenario is improving. In 1992, 4.2 workers per 100,000 died at work, while in 2013 this number dropped to 3.2. Hence if you do not aggravate someone severely and follow safety-rules like wearing a seat-belt or helmet, in all probability, you are safe.
[Image Credit | BoldSky]
