A recent report looking at workplace fatality statistics is a stark reminder of the risks some workers face every day on the job. The report, published by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, found that an average of 4,628 workers died on the job in 2012, and that an estimated additional 50,000 workers died from work-related diseases.
Based on these numbers, it is believed that an average of 150 workers die each day because of their work environment. In terms of the total number of work-related injuries and illnesses in 2012, the reported number was 3.8 million. This number, though, is mostly likely low due to underreporting.
Work-related injuries, the report also highlighted, have a high cost, with medical expenses and lost productivity adding up to between $250 billion and $350 billion per year. Employers, for their part, understand the costs of workplace injury well and sometimes make obtaining workers’ compensation difficult for injured employees in order to avoid additional costs.
There are a variety of ways in which employers may choose to oppose workers’ compensation claims. Sometimes, for instance, employers try to argue that an injury is not work-related when it really is. In other cases, employers argue that the injury existed prior to the work incident that really caused it.
Whenever an employer makes obtaining workers’ compensation difficult on an injured employee, that employee needs to understand his or her workers’ compensation rights. Working with an experienced attorney in such cases helps ensure one’s interests receive the advocacy they deserve.
Source: Think Progress, “150 Workers Die Each Day From Doing Their Jobs,” Bryce Covert, May 8, 2014.