State sees a four percent increase in workplace fatalities in latest reporting period

TOPEKA – According to the most recent data available, 76 workplace fatalities occurred in Kansas in 2009, the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) reported today. This is a 4.1 percent increase from 2008.

Natural Resources and Mining was the industry sector with the most fatalities in 2009—accounting for 47 percent of the total. This sector includes the agriculture, forestry, and fishing and hunting industry, which accounted for 31 of the 36 fatalities in the sector.

Incidents involving transportation continue to be the leading cause of work-related deaths in Kansas, accounting for 43.4 percent, or 33 of the 76 total fatalities in the state in 2009. Highway accidents accounted for 23, or 69.7 percent of these transportation fatalities.

The occupational group with the highest number of worker fatalities, agricultural managers, had 23 recorded deaths, representing 30.3 percent of the total. Miscellaneous agricultural workers’ occupations had the second highest number of fatalities with five, or 6.6 percent.

Other statistics highlighted by the 2009 CFOI report include:

• Men accounted for 72 of the year’s 76 work-related fatalities.
• White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 66 of the 76 fatalities.
• Workers aged 65 and older accounted for 22 of the workplace fatalities, followed by 18 workers in the 45-54 age group and 14 in the 25-34 age group.
• October 2009 had the greatest number of fatal work-related injuries with 11, or 14.5 percent, of the 76 fatalities. August followed with 10 fatalities and September had 8.
• Fatal workplace injuries in 2009 occurred more frequently on Wednesdays with 17, or 22.4 percent. Mondays and Thursdays had 15 fatal workplace injuries each.