State work-related deaths drop, still above national average

Deaths in Nebraska caused by work-related injuries were down in 2013, according to a report released last month by the state Department of Health and Human Services.

While reported work-related injuries and illnesses were also reduced compared to the previous year, hospitalizations were up slightly. Despite the reductions, the state is still above the national average when it comes to occupational deaths and injuries.

Transportation incidents accounted for 21 of the 39 work-related fatalities in 2013, the most recent year data are available.The year before, 48 workers died from workplace injuries. During the past six years, 2009 was the deadliest when 57 individuals died from fatal on-the-job injuries.

In 2010, funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health was used to establish the Nebraska Occupational Safety and Health Surveillance Program. The program tracks workplace safety through 21 health indicators.

DHHS Epidemiologist Derry Stover said annual reports based on the information allow the state to track the status of worker health and safety.

“When we look at long-term trends, going back even before 2010, overall, there are general decreases when we look at total worker illness and injury rates,” he said.

But hospitalization rates do not follow that trend, he added.

“What does that mean?” he said. “We don’t know. It’s something that myself and others are looking at this year.”

According to the report, there were 24,700 total work-related non-fatal injuries and illnesses among Nebraska workers. Hospitalizations climbed from a rate of 61 per 100,000 workers in 2012 to 70.2 per 100,000 workers the following year.

With the exception of 2010, work-related amputations have remained on par with the U.S. average since 2009, with a rate of six amputations per 100,000 workers since

Stover explained Nebraska has an industry makeup that has more high-risk jobs and workplaces.

“That’s kind of unique to Nebraska,” he said. “There are probably many reasons for the elevated worker fatality rate. One of them could be because we have more of those high-risk industries.”

According to the report, 1-in-5 Nebraska workers are employed in an industry that is considered high risk, and the high number of transportation-related worker deaths in the state follows a national trend, Stover added.

“Transportation incidents are a common cause or event that lead to occupational fatalities,” he said. “In terms of Nebraska, we do have a considerable transportation sector – a lot of farm equipment and large trucks, and we also have Interstate 80.”

Nebraska Safety Council Executive Director Laurie Klosterboer said the report makes clear the safety of workers in the transportation sector must be addressed.

“We talk all the time about making sure people are wearing seatbelts away from work,” she said, “but at work, it’s still the No. 1 issue.”

Beverly Reicks, CEO for the National Safety Council of Nebraska, said it’s troubling that many indicators in the report are above the national average.

“But also, the number of injuries and fatalities are going the right direction – just maybe not as quickly as we’d like,” she added.

In a historical context, worker safety has been improving for decades.

“I think it’s progress being made,” she said. “Take a look at the last 100 years in workplace safety: definitely there is a dramatic downward trend. It takes a while to develop a culture of safety in a company, and I think companies are starting to receive value – not only economic but keeping employees safe.”

To view the 2014 Nebraska Occupational Health Indicator Report, visit http://dhhs.ne.gov/publichealth/occhealth/.