According to the latest Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the electrical industry has suffered an increase in fatally injured workers. In 2014, electrician deaths rose by 14 to 78 compared with the 2013 study.


Released in September, the preliminary results for all occupations show that, in 2014, the fatal work injury rate was 3.3 per 100,000 full-time workers. Compared with 2013, the rate has not changed even though it has risen in the industry totals have risen. 


Total fatal work injuries actually rose to 4,679 in 2014 from 4,585 in 2013. However, the rate hasn’t changed because the BLS also reported an increase in workers.


The BLS data has shown that preliminary counts of total fatalities have crept up an average of 2 percent each year since 2011.


With regard to the entire construction industry, total fatalities rose 6 percent. Combined with extraction occupations, it is the highest total since 2008. At the same time, the BLS also observed an overall increase in construction employment here as well.


The rate of fatal injury for construction and extraction workers was 11.8 per 100,000, a slight decrease from 2013’s 12.2 per 100,000. For all contracted workers, 9 percent of the deaths resulted from exposure to electricity.


“Far too many people are still killed on the job—13 workers every day taken from their families tragically and unnecessarily,” said Thomas E. Perez, U.S. Secretary of Labor, in a press statement. “These numbers underscore the urgent need for employers to provide a safe workplace for their employees as the law requires.”


Transportation incidents were the most common fatal work injury, accounting for 40 percent of all fatal workplace injuries. Including roadway incidents, 57 percent of all worker fatalities occurred on the road. The BLS also expects these numbers to rise as revised statistics are released in spring 2016. The BLS also noted a 10 percent increase in slip, trip and fall fatalities. Falls to a lower level were up 9 percent.


The report underscores the fact that fatalities in construction occupations are much higher than in most sectors, and it serves as a reminder that employers should strive to send all employees home safely at the end of every work day.