The Top 9 Reasons People Die On The Job

If you've ever thought you might die of boredom on the job, it turns out that's the least of your worries.

Thousands of people die in work-related incidents in the U.S. each year. Although today's workplace is the safest it's been since 1992, some 4,383 fatal work injuries were still reported in 2012, according to a report recently published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

We've combed though the data to find the top reasons workers die on the job:

Having enemies

In 2012, violence on the job accounted for 17% of all fatal work injuries. Overall, 767 workers were killed as a result of violence with shootings being the most frequent manner of death.

Living in Texas

The Lone Star State is the most dangerous place for workers with a reported 537 fatal injuries last year, an increase from the 433 work-related deaths in 2011.

California came in second with 339 work-related deaths, and New York (including N.Y.C.) was the third most dangerous with 196 work-related deaths, according to the BLS.

Working in mining

Driving

Transportation incidents accounted for at least two out of every five fatal work injuries last year. Pedestrians should be extra careful: About 16 percent of fatal transportation incidents involved pedestrians who were struck by vehicles, and 65 out of the 283 recorded incidents involving pedestrians took place in work zones.

Getting hit with an object

The number of workers who died after being struck by objects or equipment increased by 7% to 509 fatal work injuries in 2012, from 476 in 2011.

Falling

Last year, fatal falls, slips, and trips killed 668 workers, a slight decrease from 2011. About 81% of these falls happened when workers fell from one floor to a lower one.

Working with other people

The BLS reported 341 workers died from 142 multiple fatality incidents in 2012, meaning multiple workers were killed at the same time.

Working in construction

There were 775 deaths in the private construction sector during work hours, a 5% increase compared to the year before.

Immaturity

Work-related deaths dropped in all age groups, except for those under 16. There were 19 deaths among juveniles at work last year — the highest total since 2005.

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