The North Carolina workers' compensation attorneys at Auger & Auger have learned from the North Carolina Department of Labor that fatal accidents in the workplace are on the rise.
According to the Department of Labor, 53 people were involved in fatal work-place accidents in North Carolina in 2011. This is an increase from 2010, when 50 people had died in work related accidents.
There were 5 deaths in Mecklenburg County in 2011, down from 7 in 2010. Wake County led the state with 6 fatal job site accidents.
The majority of work place fatalities involved men (52 out of the 53 were men) and occurred in construction jobs (16 fatalities), followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing (10). Next were transportation and public utilities (5), government (5), and wholesale trade(5). There were 4 fatalities in retail trade and the service industry. There were only 3 fatalities in the manufacturing field. No fatalities were reported in the fields of real estate, insurance, and finance.
One third of fatal work place accidents involved a vehicle or equipment striking an employee, and another third happened when a worker fell from a height. Heat related accidents accounted for 4 deaths in 2011, and this was following a heat safety initiative from the Department of Labor.
The Department of Labor acknowledges that these fatalities could have been avoided and recommends that all employers take advantage of the services (safety training) that are offered by the Department of Labor. The Department of Labor has also speculated that some of these accidents were caused by distraction. But it is more likely that these fatal workplace accidents happened as the result of cost cutting by employers, and failure to have and maintain proper safety gear.
If you or a loved one has been injured at work, free consultations are available by calling Auger & Auger at (704)364-3361.
