The AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor federation, released a study Wednesday on workplace deaths that said that North Dakota is the dangerous state for workers, and also found that the overall number of on-the-job fatalities had increased from the previous report.
The annual report, titled “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect,” said 4,386 people died from workplace injuries in 2015, the most recent year for which data was available. That was up from 4,821, according to federation’s previous report, which used 2014 data. That national rate for fatal injuries remained the same at 3.4 per 100,000 workers.
Wednesday’s study also said North Dakota had 12.5 on-the-job fatalities per 100,000 workers. It was followed by Wyoming (12), Montana (7.5), Mississippi (6.8) and Arkansas and Louisiana, which were tied for fifth (5.8 each).
“Corporate negligence and weak safety laws have resulted in tragedy for an astonishing and unacceptable number of working families,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. He used the report to slam the recent deregulatory push by the Republicans.
“Instead of working for stronger protections, too many Republican politicians in Washington, including the Trump administration, are trying to roll back commonsense regulations that enable workers to return home safely to their families. These are more than numbers; they are our brothers and sisters, and a reminder of the need to continue our fight for every worker to be safe on the job every day,” he said.
Despite the uptick in workplace fatalities between 2014 and 2015, the report congratulated the Obama administration for “a strong track record on worker safety and health, strengthening enforcement, issuing key safety and health standards.”
