Washington has third lowest worker fatality rate in nation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – New numbers show Washington state has the third lowest worker fatality rate in the country.

In 2011, 60 workers were killed on the job, bringing the state’s rate to 1.9 people per 100,000 workers. An AFL-CIO report said the national rate dropped to 3.5 deaths per 100,000 workers.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says 4,693 workers were killed on the job in 2011, or about 13 workers every day. Work-related injuries vary from 7.6 to11.4 million a year. The cost of on-the-job injuries and illness cost an estimated $250-$300 billion annually.

The risk of job fatalities and injuries varies widely from state to state—from 12.4 fatalities per 100,000 workers in North Dakota to 1.2 fatalities per 100,000 in New Hampshire. Latino workers continue to be at increased risk of job fatalities, with a fatality rate of 4.0 per 100,000 workers in 2011.