Employees in Colorado can take a number of interesting facts away from the 2014 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in September 2015. There were 4,679 fatal injuries in the workplace during 2014, increasing by 2 percent from the previous year. The rate of fatal workplace injuries increased by 13 percent among women, but they only accounted for 8 percent of the total recorded in 2014.
On average, there were 3.3 fatal workplace injuries for every 100,000 full-time equivalent employees. The rate of fatal workplace injuries among employees who were at least 55 years old reached an all-time high during 2014. A most significant increase occurred in slips, falls and trips, which was about 10 percent higher than the previous year. The largest increase in the rate of fatal work injuries was realized by police officers, climbing 19 percent from 2013.
The rate of fatal injuries increased by 17 percent for the mining industry and by 14 percent in the agriculture sector. During 2014, fatal work injuries among construction workers increased by 6 percent, and by 9 percent in the manufacturing industry. Fatal workplace accidents also increased by 10 percent for self-employed workers. Contracted workers accounted for 17 percent of all the fatal workplace injuries that occurred during 2014. Approximately 40 percent of the fatal work injuries during 2014 involved a transportation-related incident.
Many employees who are injured in a workplace accident are eligible to file a claim for workers' compensation benefits. These can include the furnishing of necessary medical care and treatment as well as a replacement of a percentage of any lost wages resulting from the accident. An attorney who has experience with these matters can often be of assistance in preparing and filing the claim.
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