Death on the job

The AFL-CIO has released its 14th annual Death on Job report, providing a national and state by state profile of workplace fatalities.

The report lists 5,559 workplace deaths due to traumatic injuries in 2003, a slight increase from 5,534 in 2002.

The construction sector had the highest fatality rate (1,126), followed by transportation and warehousing (805) and agriculture (707).

The number of workplace homicides increased for the first time since 2000.

In 2003, 4.4 million injuries and illnesses were reported in private sector workplaces, a slight decrease from 4.7 million in 2002.

Fatalities among Hispanic workers rose 48 percent between 1992 and 2003, while overall workplace fatalities dropped 11 percent. Hispanic men have the greatest overall risk of fatal occupational injury of any race/ethnicity group.