Texas, Louisiana See Uptick in Fatal Occupational Injuries

Preliminary data show that there was a 3 percent increase in fatal occupational injuries in Texas in 2014 over the previous year, state workers’ compensation insurance regulators report. Louisiana also saw a slight hike in work-related fatalities.

The Texas Department of Insurance-Division of Workers’ Compensation said there were 524 fatal occupational injuries in Texas in 2014, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). There 508 fatal work-related injuries in 2013.

In Louisiana, 120 workers died on the job in 2014, six more than in the previous year. The BLS found the largest number of such deaths in Louisiana — 37 — were in the trade, transportation and utility sectors. That was followed by natural resources and mining with 23, construction with 19, government with 12, professional and business services with seven and manufacturing with seven, the Associated Press reported.

Nationally, there were 4,679 fatal occupational injuries last year.

Transportation incidents were the leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in Texas, accounting for 45 percent in 2014, the DWC said.

In Texas, the transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of fatalities, with 172 incidents. This was a 6 percent increase from the 163 incidents in 2013. Of these, 65 percent were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, with 112 incidents. This was a 2 percent increase in fatal injuries from the 110 such incidents in 2013.

The construction and extraction occupations had the second highest number of fatalities with 124 incidents. Of these, 57 percent were construction trades workers (71 incidents), a decrease of 12 percent (81 incidents) from 2013. More than a quarter (27 percent) involved extraction workers (34 incidents), an increase of 21 percent from 2013 (28 incidents).