CWS 3.0: April 30, 2014

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Avoid Workplace Fatalities. Keep Your Temps Safe.

The number of temporary workers who died from workplace injuries rose in 2012, according to revised numbers released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics last week. Workplace fatalities are a concern for everyone, and staffing buyers are often fined when such incidents occur. 

The number of “contractors” fatally injured on the job in the U.S. rose to 715 in 2012 from 542 in 2011, according to the BLS’ 2012 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. A contractor is defined as a worker employed by one firm but working at the behest of another firm that exercises responsibility for operations at the where the worker was fatally injured. Contractors represented 15.5 percent of all fatal occupational injuries in 2012, up from approximately 11.6 percent in 2011.

Staffing buyers should make sure safety procedures are followed to ensure temporary worker safety, especially in light of the rising numbers. The BLS only started listing fatal workplace injuries for contractors in 2011. However, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has prioritized temporary worker safety; its website features a page with a news ticker on temporary worker fatal injuries.

Men accounted for the bulk of the fatalities in 2012. Of the 715 workers who died from workplace injuries, 701 were male and 14 were female.

Texas posted the most fatal injuries of contractors in 2012 with 119, up from 56 in 2011. California followed with 54 occupational injuries involving contractors in 2012, up from 42 in 2011. Florida was third with 50 in 2012, down from 51 in 2011.

For more information, click here.

Overall, there were 4,628 fatal work injuries in 2012 among all types of workers (not just contractors), according to the BLS report, which was originally released in August 2013 and revised this month. That was the second-lowest annual total since the fatal injury census was first conducted in 1992.