Historic Low for Workplace Fatalities in 2019

Connecticut recorded its lowest number ever of workplace fatalities in 2019, when 26 workers lost their lives, the state Department of Labor said.

That’s down from 48 deaths in 2018 and from the state’s annual average of 39.

It gives Connecticut a rate of 1.4 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers—the lowest of any state for 2019.

The census of work-related fatalities began in 1992.

Connecticut’s transportation and warehousing industry had the highest number of deaths at eight. That’s nearly 31% of the 26 deaths recorded in 2019.

Construction was second with six deaths, or 23% of work-related fatalities. Other categories had one or two deaths.

Demographics

Worker characteristics of the 26 deaths include:

• 20 were wage and salary workers
• Six were self-employed
• 18 were Caucasian
• Five were Hispanic or Latino

In Connecticut, 42% of workplace fatalities were 55 or older, following the national trend of 38%.

While the Connecticut report did not indicate gender, nationally, 92% of work-related deaths in 2019 were men.

Connecticut recorded its highest number of workplace fatalities in 1998 with 57. The next highest was 55 in 2000 followed by 54 in 2004.

The previous low was 28 deaths in 2008 and 2016.

National Picture

Nationwide, 5,333 workers lost their lives to workplace injuries in 2019, up from 5,250 deaths in 2018.

The nationwide fatal injury rate of 3.5 per 100,000 equivalent workers did not change from 2018 to 2019.

Texas had the most work-related fatalities in 2019 with 608, followed by California with 451 and Florida with 306.

Vermont, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia had the lowest at 10 each.

In all, 28 states had more fatal injuries in 2019 than 2018, while 21 states had fewer.

Alaska had the highest rate at 14.1 fatalities per 100,000 workers and Wyoming was second at 12.

Industry Sectors

The construction industry with 1,061 deaths and the transportation and warehousing industry with 913 deaths comprised 37% of deaths nationwide in 2019.

Most workplace fatalities are transportation incidents, including 2,122 in 2019 that accounted for 40% of work-related deaths nationwide.

Falls, slips, and trips was second most common in 2019 with 880 deaths, or 17%, followed by violence and other injuries by persons and animals, 841 deaths, or 16%.

Workplace homicides claimed 454 lives in 2019 while suicides claimed 307.

Unintentional overdoses due to non-medical use of drugs or alcohol while at work increased for the seventh straight year to 313 in 2019.

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For more information, contact CBIA’s Phillip Montgomery (860.244.1982).