ILLINOIS WORKPLACE DEATHS SECOND LOWEST ON RECORD

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Although Illinois workplace fatalities rose in 2003 from a record low the previous year, the number of on the job deaths was still the second fewest recorded since the Illinois Department of Public Health began collecting statistics in 1992.

There were 200 workers killed in the workplace in 2003 compared to 190 in 2002 and 231 in 2001, according to the Department’s 12th annual census of on the job deaths. The highest number of occupational fatalities was 262 in 1996.

Workplace deaths are grouped into various categories, including occupation and industry, type of event, and the sex, race and age of the worker who died.

Nearly one-third of the fatalities in 2003 were caused by transportation incidents (65 deaths), including collisions, non-collisions and pedestrians struck by a vehicle. Violent acts were the second leading cause of workplace fatalities with 43 deaths, 37 of which were homicides, the same number recorded in 2002.

When compared by industry, the construction industry had the most deaths with 49 (24.5 percent) and the transportation and warehousing industry were next with 32 (15 percent).

Fatal workplace injuries were highest among men (185 deaths, 92.5 percent), workers 45 to 54 years of age (54 deaths, 27 percent), and whites (163 deaths, 81.5 percent). In 2002, men also suffered the most fatalities (173 deaths, 91 percent), workers 45 to 54 years of age (52 deaths, 27 percent) were the leading age group for occupational deaths and whites (154 deaths, 81 percent) had the most job-related deaths.

The self-employed accounted for 23.5 percent (47) of fatalities in 2003, up from 19 percent in 2001 and 2002.

The Department’s Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries is part of a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics effort to provide a complete count of fatal work injuries in all 50 states. Information is compiled from a variety of sources, including death certificates, worker’s compensation reports, transportation department reports, U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports and news media accounts.