Labor Department - Deaths at work rise slightly in 2003

WASHINGTON -- Workplace fatalities in the United States rose slightly to 5,559 last year, with the most deaths occurring in the construction and transportation industries. Hispanic workers continued to have the highest on-the-job death rate, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

Fatalities in 2003 inched up from 2002, when 5,534 people died on the job -- the lowest on record since the survey began in 1992. For both years, the numbers translate to four deaths a year per 100,000 workers.

"American workers remain safer than they were just a few years ago," said John Henshaw, assistant labor secretary for Occupational Safety and Health.

The construction industry had the most deaths -- 1,126. The transportation and warehousing sector followed, with 805 deaths last year. When the number of workers in each industry was considered, the largest death rate was in mining, with about 27 per 100,000 workers. Construction had a death rate of 11.7, and transportation and warehousing's rate was 17.5.

The most frequent work-related deaths occurred on highways, with 1,350 last year, a decrease from 1,373 in 2002. Most of the incidents were vehicle and mobile equipment collisions.

"Transportation is a dangerous job," said Bret Caldwell, spokesman for the Teamsters union, which represents truck drivers and other workers in the warehouse, parcel and freight industries.

He criticized the Bush administration for pursuing "unsafe policies," including an effort to increase the time that drivers can work -- up to 11 straight hours, one hour longer, and a maximum of 77 hours over seven days, a 17-hour increase.

The rules were imposed in December and struck down in court. They also required drivers to take at least 10 hours off between shifts, two more than before, and reduced the maximum work day from 15 hours to 14.

"I don't think there are too many people on the highway who think drivers need to be on the road longer," he said.

Besides highway deaths, the report said the second most-frequent deaths were falls, which fell to 691 last year, from 719 in 2002. Homicides followed, with 631 in 2003 -- an increase from 609 the year before. Still, workplace murders were down from a high of 1,080 in 1994.

Hispanic workers died on the job more frequently than others, with a rate of 4.5 deaths per 100,000. Last year, 791 Hispanic workers were killed at work.