Many people spend most of their time at work during the week so it’s conceivable that accidents will occasionally happen in the workplace. Unfortunately, some accidents are deadly, and it seems that some days, some months, and some locations are more dangerous than others. The US Workplace Accident Report from NiceRx Health analyzed 2018 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine workplace fatality trends. They were then able to breakdown statistics regarding fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries across different states, and split the fatal occupational injury data by age, sex, day, month, industry and affected body part.
Forget the Sunday Scaries
While it might be normal to experience a bit of anxiety before the beginning of the work week, the scariest day off the week might actually be Thursday. Thursday is the most dangerous day of the week in terms of occupational injuries according to the data with 922 fatalities being recorded. Wednesday is a close runner up with 906 fatalities, while Monday and Tuesday are tied for third place with 852. Friday is the lowest weekday for fatalities with 826. Numbers drop significantly over the weekend while fewer people are at work with Saturday clocking in at 551, and Sunday at 341.
Summer Safety
Injuries in the summer months seem to occur more often than in cooler ones. May, June, July, and August are all in the top five for most dangerous months according to workplace fatality trends. NiceRx posits that that this could be due to hot weather making people tired and clumsier, or people being more relaxed and therefore paying less attention. Perhaps it’s a combination of both. August was the most dangerous month with 493 fatal injuries at work. July followed in second place with 488, then May with 475, and June with 472. Colder months like November, December, January, and February were at the bottom of the list, with February and December being the only months with fewer than 400 fatalities recorded.
State by State
Looking at the cases of fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers shows that the top three most dangerous states for fatal accidents are Wyoming, Alaska, and South Dakota. While only 31 deaths were recorded across Wyoming, their small population brings their fatal injury rate per 100,000 workers to 13.0. Alaska follows with a fatal injury rate of 10.7, and South Dakota finishes the top 3 with 7.8.
