August 11, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Fatal work injuries at seven-year low

The number of fatal work injuries fell to 6,026 in 1998 from a level of 6,238 in the previous year. The 1998 fatality total was the lowest count since the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries began in 1992.

Fatal occupational injuries by year, 1992-98
[Chart data—TXT]

An 18-percent decline in homicides accounted for much of the drop in job-related fatalities. There were 709 workplace homicides in 1998, compared to 860 in 1997. The number of work-related homicides in 1998 was the lowest in the 1992-98 period.

In contrast, worker deaths in 1998 from highway crashes, from being stuck by vehicles, and from contact with overhead powerlines were at their highest levels during the 7-year period. Highway crashes continued as the leading cause of on-the-job fatalities during 1998, accounting for 24 percent of the total.

These data are a product of the BLS Safety and Health Statistics Program. Additional information is available from "National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1998," news release USDL 99-208.