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DEATH ON THE JOB: THE TOLL OF NEGLECT  
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AFL-CIO
April 25, 2024
the Stand
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_ AFL-CIO report finds that workers of color are dying on the job at
increasingly higher rates. Black workers’ job fatality rate is the
highest it’s been in nearly 15 years. Latino workers continue to
face the greatest risk of dying on the job. _

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 25, 2024) — Ahead of Workers Memorial Day on
April 28, the AFL-CIO released its 33rd annual report, Death on the
Job: The Toll of Neglect [[link removed]]. This
annual report serves as a national and state-by-state profile of
worker safety and health, offering direction to policymakers and
regulatory bodies as they strive to address the scourge of working
people facing death, injury and illness at work.

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Among the report’s startling data are the disproportionate rates of
Latino and Black workers at risk of dying on the job. Black workers
are facing the highest job fatality rates in nearly 15 years and
Latino workers continue to face the greatest risk of dying on the job,
compared to all other workers.

The report also sheds light on the enormous cost of job injuries and
illness on our society—an estimated $174 billion to $348 billion a
year—and the flat-funded budget for job safety agencies to fulfill
their growing duties, which do not even keep up with inflation. It
also outlines key strategies to address this crisis, including a
renewed commitment to regulatory oversight agencies, improved data and
transparency, stronger deterrents against employer retaliation, and
prioritizing standard-setting and enforcement.

“Despite workers’ hard-won safety and health rights, this report
shows the fight is far from over,” said AFL-CIO President Liz
Shuler. “Too many workers face retaliation for reporting unsafe
working conditions or injuries, while low penalties fail to deter
employers from following the law. The alarming disparities in
workplace fatalities among workers of color are unacceptable,
symptomatic of deeply ingrained racial inequity and the need to pay
increased attention to the dangerous industries that treat workers as
disposable. As we honor those who have fallen this Workers Memorial
Day, we remain committed to holding corporations accountable so that
all jobs are safe jobs—where every worker can return home safely at
the end of the day.”

“This report exposes an urgent crisis for workers of color and
reaffirms what we’ve long known: When we talk about justice for
workers, we must prioritize racial equity,” said AFL-CIO
Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond. “The fact that Black and Latino
workers continue to die on the job at disproportionate rates demands a
reckoning with the failure of employers to protect them. We must honor
the lives lost on the job with action, as we recommit ourselves to
advancing safety, health and equity for all workers.”

This year’s report reveals that in 2022:

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344 workers died each day from hazardous working conditions.

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5,486 workers were killed on the job in the United States.

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An estimated 120,000 workers died from occupational diseases.

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The job fatality rate increased again to 3.7 per 100,000 workers.

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Workers of color die on the job at a higher rate: Black and Latino
worker job fatality rates are disproportionate compared with all other
workers and are continuing to increase.

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Black workers’ job fatality rate was the highest it has been in
nearly 15 years—4.2 per 100,000 workers.

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Latino workers’ job fatality rate increased again to 4.6 per 100,000
workers—meaning they continued to face the greatest risk of dying on
the job than all workers, at 24% higher than the national average; the
rate marked a 24% increase over the past decade.

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Employers reported nearly 3.5 million work-related injuries and
illnesses, an increase from the previous year.

These sobering findings stress the urgent need for immediate action to
prioritize worker safety and shed light on the escalating challenges
facing workplace protections. Progress has been hindered by growing
opposition from big corporations to workers’ rights and protections.
Extremist politicians have also unnecessarily politicized critical
issues such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, which has
created more challenges to longstanding problems of heat and
infectious disease exposure in the workplace, and the lack of funding
has left our agencies scrambling to keep up.

And in this critical election year, the stakes are even higher for
those who need safe working conditions. The stark difference between
the Biden and Trump administrations’ worker safety and health
records underscore this significant moment for workers. While the
Biden administration has issued strong standards and enforcement
initiatives and has tirelessly worked to rebuild and fortify job and
safety agencies after years of neglect and erosion, the prior
administration’s actions led to severe understaffing, the repeal of
essential worker safety laws, restrictions on public access to vital
information and weak enforcement against employers who violate the
law.

In light of these report findings and obstacles we continue to face,
the AFL-CIO remains committed to prioritizing the prevention of
injury, illness and fatalities at work, advocating for strong
standards and organizing for safer working conditions while supporting
leaders like President Biden who champion workers’ rights to a safe
job. While there is still much work ahead, our advocacy for policies
that protect workers and hold employers accountable remains steadfast.
Collaboration with lawmakers, activists and allies will continue to
advance workplace safety initiatives, ensuring that every worker has
the opportunity to thrive in a safe and healthy environment.

Read the full report here [[link removed]].

 

_A service of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO (WSLC
[[link removed]]) and its affiliated unions, The STAND was
launched on May Day 2011 to feature news about — and for — working
people. Its reports and opinion columns focus on creating and
maintaining quality jobs, joining together in unions, improving our
families’ quality of life, and promoting public policies that will
restore shared prosperity._

* Workers Memorial Day
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* workplace safety
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* Health and Safety
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