Although it may seem rare for someone to die at work, there were 80 on-the-job deaths in Colorado last year. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has recently released the data from its annual Census of Fatal Occupation Injuries, which documents all the work-related deaths for 2010.
While the data shows various trends and statistics about how people died, it is clear that transportation was one of the main causes of workplace deaths in 2010. In total, 34 percent of the Colorado workplace fatalities were transportation-related; 17 of the 27 deaths happened on the highway. Last year, of the recorded transportation-related deaths, 24 were highway-related.
Other statistics indicate that approximately 26 percent of on-the-job deaths were the result of an assault or violent act, much higher than the 19 percent of deaths caused by contact with an object or piece of equipment. It is unclear whether these statistics are higher or lower than previous years.
Surprisingly, the construction field had relatively few recorded deaths, as compared to natural resources and mining and trade and utilities. In 2010, 10 construction workers, 15 natural resources employees and miners, and 19 trade and utilities workers died.
For a family who has lost a husband, wife or parent in a workplace accident, there are specific workers’ compensation death and dependency benefits available. The last thing any family member wants to do after a tragic accident, however, is figure out the confusing workers’ compensation procedure. Working with an experienced death and dependency benefits’ attorney will allow a family to worry about one less thing during a difficult time.
Source: The Denver Post, “Report: 34% of 2010 workplace deaths in state tied to transportation,” Nov. 22, 2011
