Workplace Deaths in Iowa Rise in 2007

The number of people killed on the job in Iowa is up.

According to a preliminary report by the U.S. Department of Labor, 88 people died in work-related accidents in 2007. That’s an increase of 17 over 2006.

The report, by the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows the most frequent on-the-job deaths involved highway crashes, with 27.

Twelve people were killed when they were struck by an object or equipment, and 10 died in nonhighway transportation incidents, such as on a farm or industrial site.

Together, the three categories accounted for more than half the workplace deaths in Iowa last year.

Nationwide, there were 5,488 fatal job injuries in 2007, a decrease of 6 percent from a revised total of 5,840 in 2006