New Jersey employees may be interested in some of the findings contained in data that was recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on fatal workplace injuries. The agency’s annual report found that in 2014, the number of people who died as a result of a work-related injury was 2 percent higher than in the previous year.
The report also provided statistics regarding fatal work injuries for 2013 and 2014 for various occupations. Police officers had 103 fatal injuries during 2014, which was a 17 percent increase from the previous year. Other occupations reflecting an increase in fatal on-the-job injuries involved manufacturing, construction and agricultural industries. The mining industry experienced a steep rise of 17 percent in fatal work-related injuries as well.
Regarding the cause of many fatal work-related injuries suffered by employees during 2014, 40 percent were linked to transportation occurrences. Of this number, nearly 60 percent were connected to transportation accidents and roughly 20 percent were linked to pedestrian-vehicle accidents.
Further findings show that almost 20 percent of the entire amount of fatal work-related injury cases for 2014 involved contracted workers. During that year, nearly 800 contracted workers died because of a work-related injury, which is a 6 percent increase from the amount reported in 2013. While about a third of those injuries were caused by a fall, many workers died after being struck by a vehicle, a piece of equipment or an object. About 10 percent died in an electrical-related accident.
Family members of those who died in a workplace accident may be eligible to file a claim for workers’ compensation death benefits under their loved one’s employer’s insurance policy. An attorney who has experience with these matters can often be of assistance in describing the types of benefits that may be available and in the preparation and filing of the claim.
Source: Claims Journal, “Latest Fatal Workplace Industry Figures for 2014 Reveals 2% Increase Over 2013”, Sept. 29, 2015