Census Shows Decrease in Fatal Occupational Injuries

In a response to an August 20, 2008 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report announcing a decline in worker fatalities, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao issued the following statement:

“In addition to a decline in the overall number of fatalities, the rate for 2007 declined to 3.7 fatalities per 100,000 workers. This is the lowest fatality rate in recorded OSHA history.”

The BLS report showed that the number of worker fatalities declined 6% from 2006. Although final results for 2007 will be released in April 2009, the preliminary figure for 2007 is 5,488 fatal injuries recorded in the United States compared to 5,840 reported for 2006.