Work-Related Deaths Decline in Louisiana

The number of work-related fatalities in Louisiana decreased in 2016, despite an uptick in work-related fatalities nationally that year, according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

Citing the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, the LWC reported that work-related fatalities in the U.S. surged from 4,836 in 2015 to 5,190 in 2016, while the number fell in Louisiana to 95 in 2016 from 112 in 2015.

The state’s fatal injury rate in 2016 decreased to 5.0 from 5.8 in 2015, per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. Both the number and rate decreased for two consecutive years in Louisiana.

The United States fatal injury rate was 3.6 per 100,000 FTE workers in 2016, up from a fatal injury rate of 3.4 in 2015.

Louisiana industries with the most deaths in 2016 were trade, transportation and utilities with 24, followed by construction with 16, government with 16, natural resources and mining with 14, and leisure and hospitality with seven.

Work-related fatalities decreased in 2016 in Louisiana compared with 2015 in multiple industry sectors. Among the leaders:

• Construction — down 12 work-related fatalities
• Transportation and warehousing — down 8 work-related fatalities
• Mining — down 6 work-related fatalities
• Administrative and waste services — down 3 work-related fatalities.

LWC’s Office of Workers’ Compen-sation Administration (OWCA) collects workplace data in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.