Our Atlanta workers' compensation attorneys understand that there are simple safety steps that employers can take to help to keep workers safe and to prevent heat-related injuries. Each year, there are thousands of employees across the U.S. who are injured on the job by the summer heat. If these injuries are not quickly recognized and addressed, heat exhaustion can quickly turn to heat stroke, which can kill a person. Each year, about 30 workers have died because of these injuries since 2003. There are a number of job positions that can be affected by the summer's heat. Everyone is warned!

Labor-intensive jobs face some of the most serious risks. When the body temperature rises beyond normal temps, sweating just won't cut it. Heat illness can start as heat cramps or even heat rash, but within no time it can turn into heat exhaustion and then into heat stroke if no one around knows how to spot and treat the illness.

Some of the most common occupations affected by heat-related work injuries include landscapers, baggage handlers, farmers, construction workers, roadside workers, roofers, utility workers, etc. Employees are urged to drink plenty of water throughout the job and to take frequent breaks in the shade to stay cool and to avoid one of these injuries.

OSHA is releasing heat illness materials in both Spanish and English to help to spread the word. The Administration is also releasing materials to help employers to properly train employees on how to spot and deal with these kinds of accidents.

How to Prevent Heat-Related Illness:

-Three words: Water. Rest. Shade.

-Drink plenty of water during your shift.

-Take plenty of breaks.

-Take your breaks in the shade and work in the shade when possible.

-Start heavy work in the morning when it's cooler out.

-Employers should share precautions with all employees prior to the summer season.

-Workers should be acclimated to the weather. Never throw a new worker right into the heat.

-Train employees to spot symptoms of heat-related illnesses as well as what do when these symptoms are spotted.

-Plan for an emergency and know what to do. Acting quickly can save lives!

The Georgia Department of Labor and the federal government regulate child labor. These laws help to make sure that our teenagers are protected from accidents on the job and that they have enough time to complete their school work and other obligations as well.

Parents are urged to sit down with the teen worker in their life to make sure that they're aware of the rights that they have on the job. Oftentimes, because of their inexperience, teen workers are likely to overlook or ignore work-related dangers that could cause a potentially fatal work accident in Atlanta or elsewhere. For this reason, parents should talk to teens about what is required of them and what is required of their employer to help to ensure their safety on the job.

Our Atlanta workers' compensation lawyers understand that there were more than 17 million workers across the United States who were under the age of 24-years-old in 2010. These workers only represented about 13 percent of the workforce but accounted for some of the highest counts of work-related accidents.

One common cause for their high injury rate has to do with the positions that they hold, like those in restaurant where there are knives, slippery floors and dangerous equipment present.

Knowledge about job requirements and expectations can help to reduce the risks for an accident.

Workers age 16- and 17-years-old:

-Can only work 4 hours on a school day.

-Can only work 8 hours on a non-school day.

-Can only work 40 hours during a non-school week.

-May not work before 6:00 a.m.

-May not work after 9:00 p.m.

-May not work during school hours.

-Are to be properly trained by employees regarding the tasks that need to be completed on the job.

-Are to be provided with the proper safety equipment to perform the job.

-Should be treated without any form of discrimination.

-Should be encouraged to speak up about any on-the-job dangers.

There were nearly 400 employees under the age of 24 who were killed in work-related accidents in 2009. More than 25 of these fatalities happened to workers who were under the age of 18. In addition to these fatal accidents, there were nearly 1,000,000 injuries resulting from work accidents during the same year. The injury rate for these young workers is about two times higher than the rate among workers who are over the age of 24.

Nationwide, the Environmental Protection Agency reports Americans compost or recycle 82 million tons each year -- or about one-third of the nation's waste.

But with industry growth has come an increased risk of accidents. Recently the Occupational Safety & Health Administration cited Olde Atlanta Recycling with 23 safety and health violations. The citations are the result of numerous safety violations that OSHA alleges occurred at the company's Cumming facility.

Safety investigators conducted an inspection in November, based on a complaint. Proposed penalties total $69,200.

Among the allegations: failure to provide a program aimed at preventing machine startup during service; not requiring workers to wear seat belts on industrial trucks; transporting compressed air in PVC; inadequate exit signage; and electrical deficiencies.

The government also accuses the company of not doing enough to implement a noise-monitoring program; of not having enough respirator training, and of failure to do enough to prevent laceration hazards.

"This inspection has identified several safety and health deficiencies that need to be addressed by Olde Atlanta Recycling in order to protect its workers," said Bill Fulcher, director of OSHA's Atlanta-East Area Office. "It is the employer's responsibility to provide a safe and healthful workplace."

OSHA is working across the green jobs industry to promote safety.

Most people instinctively see green jobs as safe, said Assistant Secretary of Labor David Michaels at a recent green jobs workshop. However, that's just not the case. New chemicals, new manufacturing processes and new technology all combine to present unknown dangers.

OSHA is primarily working green job safety in three core areas: Prevention through design of safe technology, creating standards and procedures, and giving voice to a green generation of employees.

One of the latest issues has been the rise in popularity of green roofs in urban areas throughout the United States. Some of these projects are designed and installed by companies with specific experience in green roof technologies. However, landscapers, roofers and other contractors are leaping into the fray. Workers dealing with green-roof technology face risks of accidents associated with falls; lack or proper personal protective equipment; exposure to silica dust; issues involving cranes, derricks and hoists; powered industrial truck accidents; electric injuries and injuries do to heat/cold stress.

Designing standards and implementing best practices will be critical as the advent and implementation of this technology moves through the 21st Century. As these companies continue to grow, and these manufacturing processes begin to dominate the economic landscape, the safety of tomorrow's workers will be at least in part be decided by what we are doing to ensure the safety of today's workforce.

Our Atlanta workers compensation attorneys understand that trench-related work accidents can be some of the most catastrophic of any industry. For this reason, there are a number of standards that trenching and excavating companies must meet to help ensure the safety of its employees. K.M. Davis Contracting Co. Inc. was busted for violating these national standards.

In the violation discovered by OSHA, employees were allowed to work in a trench that was nearly 10 feet deep that didn't have cave-in protection. This violation was categorized as a willful violation, meaning that the employer knew about it or should have known about it and disregarded the law.

In other words, the management was aware of the potential hazards to employees in the trench, but flagrantly ignored those hazards.

Under the current standards laid out by OSHA, employers are required to make sure all excavation and trenching projects which are done at a level of 5 feet or deeper be protected against cave-ins or collapses.

According to the Trenching and Excavating page on OSHA's website, excavating and trenching is easily one of the most dangerous and hazardous of construction operations. The safety standards were recently revised to help to make it easier for employers to understand and to protect workers in this field.

The top danger for workers in trenching and excavating projects is collapse. To help reduce the risks of a cave-in or a collapse, employers are required to conduct an analysis on the soil to figure out shoring, benching and sloping.

It's also important to keep an eye on the placement of heavy machinery, work materials and work-related traffic near the work site. Employers and employees also want to be cautious of natural gases and various electrical hazards stemming from power lines located underground.

K.M. Davis Contracting Co. Inc. can either pay the proposed penalties, request a conference with the area director or contest the investigation's findings. Regardless, they have 15 business days to do so.

There's even a page on the Safety and Health topics page regarding Respiratory Protection on OSHA's website. This page offers the information on the hazards associated with these industries, various training materials and details on the Respiratory Protection Standard.

Every year, there are about 5 million employees who have to wear respirators on the job. These workers occupy nearly 1.5 million work areas in the country. These respirators are used to protect employees against insufficient oxygen levels, gases, mists, smoke, harmful dusts, sprays and vapors. Some of these work environment hazards can potentially cause lung impairment, cancer, a number of other diseases and even death.

Employers are required to comply with OSHA's respiratory Protection Standard. Officials believe that this standard helps to reduce the risk of hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries and illnesses every year.

Respirators are specially designed to provide clean and filtered air to workers. The respirators work by filtering out the dangerous particles from the air that a worker might inhale.

Employees who have beards should be careful when using a respirator. If there is any chance your facial hair could somehow break the seal and allow unfiltered air into your lungs, there's a problem. Beards and sideburns can cause outside air to make it to the employee before being filtered correctly, increasing the injury risk.

If you're required to wear a respirator on the job, trim your facial hair so that it doesn't interfere with the seal.

You also want to make sure your mask isn't loose. You want a tight-fitting face mask to ensure outside air is making its way in.

Employees are urged to review the new videos and material that was recently released by OSHA. This information can help you stay safe on the job and avoid any unnecessary injuries or death. If you feel that there's a problem with work safety at your job, speak up! Point out hazards you observe to help to reduce the risks of an accident.

Oftentimes, inspections are conducted after OSHA catches wind of an irresponsible employer who fails to keep the work place safe for all employees. These types of reported tips can be provided to officials from concerned workers. If you feel that your safety is at jeopardy on the job, you are urged to report your concerns to your regional OSHA office.

Coleman Natural Foods Citations:

-Neglecting to install machine guards on equipment in which employees could be injured by moving parts.

-Failing to seal off electrical enclosures to help to avoid any type of corrosion.

-Failing to offer adequate strain relief on electrical components.

-Not providing an ammonia detector to sniff out gas unsafe amounts of gas that has been released into in the air.

-Not providing the proper training to employees who work among hazardous materials.

-Not fixing hydraulic fluid leaks that were started by slippery floors.

-Machine guards were not provided.

-The fire extinguishers on the premise were not regularly inspected.

The second inspection of unsafe Georgia workplaces was of the Newnan facility of NuTech Powder Coaters LLC. This company was issued 20 citations by OSHA for failing to keep work places safe for all employees. These various citations came with a combined proposed fine of more than $55,000. The inspection in which OSHA officials discovered these violations happened after a previous inspection in August.

NuTech Powder Coaters LLC Citations:

-Neglecting to ensure employees were provided with and using the proper protective clothing for working in dangerous conditions.

-Failing to provide workers with the proper eyewash/shower unit for those who had been exposed to corrosive materials.

-Neglecting to create and implement a confined space program.

-Failing to post permit-required confined space signage.

-Letting powder coating material to gather.

-Exposing employees to electronic, fall and other combustible dust hazards.

-Failing to create a respiratory protection program.

"Companies of all sizes must take their responsibilities seriously when it comes to workers' safety and health, and implement controls that ensure all employees are protected from hazards," said Andre Richards, director of OSHA.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are a common hazard in any and all occupational settings. A work-related fall accident can happen during the simple task of climbing or walking a ladder to change a light bulb, as well as more dangerous circumstances like working in complex conditions like those that iron workers endure.

Most commonly, fatal fall accidents on the job happen to who work within the construction industry, which has the highest rate for fatal work-related fall accidents. Additionally, the healthcare industry and the those who work in the wholesale and retail industries experience the most fall accidents in which an injury results.

Common conditions that lead to on-the-job fall accidents:

-Slippery or wet floors.

-Cluttered areas.

-Unstable walkways.

-Unprotected edges.

-Floor holes.

-Ladders that are positioned improperly.

-Inadequate fall protection.

-Wall openings.

The federal government provides workers and employees with specific standards and recommendations that must be used to help to prevent these types of accidents. When work sites are not kept in a safe condition for employees, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) will step in to reprimand employers and to establish safer working conditions.

Every year, these types of accidents cost the country nearly $100 billion.

Our Georgia workers compensation lawyers are asking all employers and employees to work together to help to reduce the risks for fall accidents in 2012. While these accident have decreased with each passing year, there are still far too many workers injured and killed in these preventable accidents. If you think you're facing risks for a fall accident on the job, be sure to voice those concerns to a supervisor or the owner of the company. Fall accidents are completely preventable if everyone takes the proper safety precautions. Make 2012 the safest year yet!

A person who loses his or her eyesight in a Georgia workplace accident can have their lives altered forever. This type of catastrophic work injury can require the need for a workers' compensation claim in Georgia in order for the worker to get the care they need to recover from such an ailment.

Our Georgia workers' compensation lawyers can't help but cringe when we hear about workers in our community who are injured and lose their eyesight. It is one of our five perhaps we most rely upon for survival, but we take it for granted.

For those who have had it and lost it, they know how important being able to see is. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 2,000 people each day in the United States suffer from a work-related eye injury.

Nearly one in three of these eye injuries require hospital emergency room visits and nearly five percent result in time lost at work. Most of these injuries are a result of airborne particles that cause major irritation or cuts that can cause permanent injuries. The most common are metal slivers, wood chips, cement chips and dust that break off from the use of power tools.

Critically important to preventing these injuries are the use of eye protection, including goggles or sturdy masks that cover the entire face, such as those used by welders. The eyes can also be exposed to catching infectious diseases, especially those working in laboratories, with animals and in health care settings. The eyes are particularly susceptible to catching illnesses.

Here are some tips to keeping your eyes safe at work:

• Create a safe work environment by minimizing debris, ensuring tools work correctly and workers know how to use them. Keep non-workers outside of the area.
• Look over safety hazards and identify where improvements can be made.
• Make sure the correct eye and face protection is used for the job at hand. Determine that the protection is in good condition and not susceptible to breaking while a power tool is in use.
• Take the right approach to keeping your eyes safe by cleaning off eye protection, the face, hair and forehead before removing the protection to ensure debris don't fall down; don't rub your eyes with dirty clothing and take steps to clean the eyewear regularly.
• Make sure there's an eye wash station nearby and available to all workers in case of emergency.

While work emergencies such as eye injuries are typically considered risks that construction workers take, these can happen at any business. Every office probably has some type of hazardous chemicals that can lead to injuries, so take proper precautions.

Our Georgia workers' compensation attorneys understand that solid waste collection continues to rank as the fifth most dangerous job in the state. This occupation produces an alarmingly high rate of fatalities every year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 60 workers die in this field every year. Every year, the industry experienced more and more fatalities.

"NSWMA will be exploring the reasons for the increase in reported fatalities. NSWMA will redouble its efforts to prevent fatal accidents, including the release of an updated Safety Manual in 2012," said David Biderman, the Safety Director for the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA).

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers these tips to workers who work in solid waste management and on garbage trucks:

-Employees should ride only in the vehicle's cab or on the steps that have been specifically designed for riding.

-Employees should only ride on the steps when making short trips and when riding at a speed under 10 miles per hour.

-Stay in or on the vehicle until it has come to a complete stop.

-Drivers should make sure that there are no riders on the back of the truck when the vehicle is reversing, driving over 10 miles an hour or traveling farther than 0.2 miles.

-All riding steps should be slip-resistant surfaces.

-Riders should be provided with handles that can withstand 500 pounds.

-All vehicles should have warnings posted above or on the riding steps that remind riders of the safety rules.

-All vehicles should come with an audible warning device that sounds off when the vehicle is operating in reverse.

Additional safety tips from the National Solid Waste Management Association's (NSWMA) Manual of Recommended Safety Practices:

-Drivers and workers should keep visual contact with one another at all times, especially when backing up.

-Drivers should continuously check mirrors when reversing.

-Drivers should use the assistance of a spotter when backing up for help with blind spots.

-Drivers should use hand signals when reversing.

-Stop the truck if the spotter needs to move.

-Stop moving the vehicle if the spotter is lost.

-All workers should move away from the vehicle when it's backing up.

Motorists are asked to be cautious when driving near these vehicles. Solid waste management workers face high risks for traffic-related accidents and passing motorists need to practice extreme caution when driving near.

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration recently released guidelines for employers in the retail industry to follow in order to reduce the risk of work-related injuries during sales events or throughout the holiday shopping season. Employers should tackle crowd control management to induce a safe work environment in three phases: planning, set-up and day of event.

Planning
-Hire trained security or police officers for large crowd events.

-Assign workers to a specific area of the store and make sure you have plenty of staff on hand for the event.

-Provide a training seminar to employees so they know how to handle large crowds and can ask questions regarding safety or how to prevent injuries.

-Obtain needed permits or licenses from fire code inspectors as well as alert emergency services of the event.

-Place signage in visible areas that help customers know where to go or what store hours are.

-Prepare an emergency plan in case a dangerous situation arises during the event.

-Advise staff of the emergency plan and make sure they are aware of crowd management procedures.

Event Setup:

-Make sure barricades or rope lines are setup securely before the doors open.

-Keep barricades away from store entrances so that bunching does not occur in sales lines where customers are trying to enter the building.

-Have enough staff available to help with directions and guidance to certain lines.

-"Hot" sales items should be advertised as online sales only to prevent a mad rush of customers getting to the desired sale.

-Keep shopping carts gathered in one location rather than spread out all over the parking lot.

-Prepare pamphlets or flyers indicating where entrances, exits, and special sales items are located.

-Provide staff with communicative devices such as radios or cell phones to relay emergency situations.

Day of Sales Event:

-Have crowd control personnel in place before the doors open.

-Never place crowd control managers in the center of where crowds are entering. Position them along both sides of the line.

-If the store has reached maximum capacity, barricade or rope off the line until customers have left and there is more space available.

-Allow people with disabilities to enter a different location.

-Remind staff to be in constant communication with customers, as well as, other co-workers.

Retail employers have a responsibility to keep workers and consumers safe during large crowd events. Preparedness with crowd control management helps employers to reduce the risk of injury and provide a safe environment for everyone.

Our Atlanta workers compensation lawyers hope that this new guidance will help employers make some much needed changes to help to ensure the safety of all employees. Nail gun-related injuries are preventable. Employers are asked to take all of the proper safety precautions to keep workers safe on the job. Accidents can happen when we let our guard down. It's important for employers to stay one step ahead of the game and to remove all potential hazards before they're able to harm workers.

Many construction workers, especially those working within residential construction, use nail guns daily. These tools are vital on many work sites. While they're extremely easy to use and speed up productivity on every site, we have seen numerous reports of both internal and external bodily injuries from these devices.

Common causes of nail gun-related injuries:

-Unintended nail discharge.

-Ricocheting nails that bounce off hard surfaces.

-Missing work pieces altogether and being shot into the air.

-Disabling a nail gun's safety feature.

A recent study concluded that roughly two out of five residential carpenter apprentices have experienced at least one nail gun-related injury in the last four years. Many times, when these types of accidents happen, they are not reported or given the proper medical treatment.

Research has concluded that the risk of an injury from a multi-shot contact trigger is twice as high as when a worker is using a single-shot sequential trigger nailer.

All supervisors, builders, subcontractors and construction contractors are urged to review the new guidance to help reduce the risks of these types of accidents.

Consider these six practical steps that can help all contractors to avoid a nail gun-related accident:

-Be sure to use full sequential trigger nail guns.

-Make sure all workers are provided with the proper training.

-Make sure that all work sites and work crews understand nail gun procedures.

-Make sure all workers have personal protective equipment (PPE).

-Set up a system to ensure injuries, accidents and close calls are reported.

-Be sure that all injuries are treated with first aid care or medical treatment.

Since the Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted in 1970, employers have been held responsible for making sure that all work sites are healthful and safe for employees. Some of the most routine and simple activities can turn deadly if simple safety steps are not taken.

Our Atlanta workers compensation attorneys understand that there are large amounts of trenching violations that continue to occur within this industry. Workers are urged to report any violations to project managers and to OSHA to help ensure work site safety. An attorney can play a key role in fighting for your rights if you or a loved one has been injured in one of these accidents.

The new educational material that OSHA has provided will be used to help educate employers about the vital precautionary steps that must be taken throughout these types of projects. Employers are urged to review this information and to share it with supervisors and employees to help reduce a risk for a trenching accident. Many trenching accidents are preventable when proper safety precautions are taken.

The three new guidance products:

-"Trenching and Excavation:" This fact sheet provides an overview of a number of dangers that a trenching worker can face. It also provides workers and employers with safety precautions to help prevent accidents.

-"Working Safely in Trenches:" This QuickCard is a simple guide to work against safety hazards.

-"Do Not Enter an Unprotected Trench!:" This is a poster that can be used in workplaces to help educate employees about preventative safety measures to use to make sure everyone is safe near and in a trench.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were more than 270 workers who died from a trenching or an excavation cave-in from 2000 through 2006.

Although the dangers associated with trenching and excavation are typically preventable, we continue to see far too many injuries and fatalities in this field or work. These accidents can be prevented by safe work practices, protective equipment and engineering controls.

A Doraville-based masonry contractor received several citations and fines of more than $164,000 for safety violations at several work sites in Conyers and Sugar Hill. Of these violations, four were received for repeat issues. These included failing to provide platforms and guardrails to prevent workers from falling; lack of toe boards; lack of ladders; lack of face and eye protection; and exposing workers to dangerous mixer blades.

They were also issued numerous violations for failing to enact a hazard communications program, for not keeping copies of safety information sheets and for failing to discuss hazardous chemicals with workers. Lastly, they were given an other-than-serious citation for neglecting to make sure that all industrial truck operators were trained and certified.

This concrete producer in Gainesville was handed nearly 20 health and safety violations that totaled more than $120,000 for failing to protect employees from a work-related accident. One willful safety violation was issued because the company made employees perform maintenance on vehicles and equipment within three feet of an open and unguarded pit. OSHA felt that these conditions made their risks of a fall accident extremely high. They were also handed six repeat violations for neglecting to properly mark the signs at the facility's fire exit doors; neglecting to remove equipment that was blocking exit routes; failing to provide proper tagout/lockout training to workers who perform maintenance on equipment and machinery; failing to block off an unused opening in an electrical panel; and for not properly protecting workers from various electrical shock hazards.

The company's Tifton construction site was cited 14 times and fined more than $55,000 because the company failed to protect workers from various fall hazards; failed to use ladders that extended more than 36 inches past the upper landing surface of a roof; used an extension ladder that was cracked and had missing and broken parts; and failed to require employees to wear eye protection when needed. These were all repeat violations. It was also handed a number of serious violations for exposing workers to fall hazards; letting forklift workers go without a lanyard and a body belt; and didn't require employees to use head protection in hazardous areas.

Employers are required to take all of the proper safety precautions to help prevent work-related accidents that could injure or kill anyone on a work site. If a company fails to take any of these precautions, it will be cited by OSHA and the company will be required to pay the consequences.

Our Georgia workers compensation attorneys understand that OSHA decided to withdraw from its commitment to update these provisions because it required more resources and more public outreach than they had originally anticipated. They stated that the administration was going to have to do a little bit more research on work-related noise hazards and prevention strategies before it was able to make any changes to the provision.

Now, OSHA released a statement saying it was going to hold an informal OSHA stakeholder meeting to encourage suggestions and comments about work-related, hearing-loss prevention tactics. OSHA is asking stakeholders to share their thoughts and ideas for potential hearing conservation programs, which could include engineering controls and advances in personal protective equipment. The stakeholder meeting will be held Nov. 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Washington, D.C.

It is estimated that nearly 25,000 workers lose their hearing because of work-related incidents every year. To help to prevent these types of accidents, OSHA is asking for input from public health professionals, noise control experts, workers and employers.

Meeting Information:

Location: Frances Perkins Building, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-4437 A/B/C/D
Address: 200 Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C.
Contact: You can Register online. Or call (781) 674-7374 or send a fax to (781) 674-7200.
Fax Cover Letter: "Attention: OSHA Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss Stakeholder Meeting." Be sure to include the stakeholder's name, contact information and the affiliated company or organization.

All participants must complete the registration information before Oct. 27.

OSHA pulled the interpretation's proposal back in January, but said it would continue to:

-Thoroughly review all of the comments and concerns that are submitted in response to the Federal Register notice.

-Hold the stakeholders meeting.

-Work closely with experts from the National Academy of Engineering and the National Institute for Occupational Safety for more research on the topic.

-Continue to research and enforce current regulations in an effort to make sure that the guidance and information regarding controls for dangerous noise levels are effective and inexpensive for employers and employees.

Hearing-related work accidents are very serious and can change a workers life forever. If you've experienced an accident on the job, it is critical for you to contact an experienced attorney to help you to fight for the compensation you deserve.

That amounts to about a fatal work injury rate of 3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent employees for U.S. workers for the year.

Our Atlanta workers compensation attorneys understand that the final 2010 data for this information will not be released until the Spring of 2012. Until then, this is the most recent information available. It's no surprise that a number of economic factors play a role in the number of fatal work injuries sustained every year. These factors include total hours worked, which was up slightly in 2010 in comparison to both 2008 and 2009.

According to the newly released data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:

• There was a 5 percent decrease in the number of work-related fatalities experienced by those who were self-employed. This workforce experienced nearly 1,000 fatal work injuries in 2010.
• The private mining industry experienced nearly 200 fatal work injuries in 2010. This amounts to an increase of nearly 75 percent from the previous year. The rate of fatal work injuries in this industry was nearly 20 per 100,000 FTEs in 2010.
• The private construction industry was fortunate enough to experience a 10 percent decrease in the number of fatal work injuries from 2009 to 2010. The number of these injuries is down approximately 40 percent from 2006.
• The number of work-related injuries caused by fires more than doubled from 2009 to 2010. There were more than 100 of these incidents in 2010, which is the highest number on record.
• The number of workplace homicides involving women increased by more than 10 percent from 2009 to 2010. Although this number increased for women, the number for all workers decreased by about 7 percent from the previous year, which is the lowest number ever recorded.
• Fatal work injuries among African-American and non-Hispanic workers declined by nearly 10 percent from the previous year, although the number of these incidents increased by more than 2 percent within the non-Hispanic worker category.
• Work-related deaths involving Latino or Hispanic employees has declined nearly 5 percent.
• Police officers experienced an approximate 40 percent increase in the number of fatal work accidents from 2009 to 2010. These workers experienced less than 100 fatal work accidents in 2009, but the number spiked to more than 130 in 2010.
• The total number of worked hours for those both hourly and salary employees increased in 2010. Unfortunately, these hours decreased for those who are self-employed.
• The number of fatal work injuries sustained by women increased by more than 5 percent, but decreased by only 1 percent for men.

The number of work injuries sustained by employees who were under the age of 18, workers age 25 to 34, and workers ages 55-years-old and older recorded a decrease in the number of these accidents.

There are twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia that reported to have experienced an increase in the number of fatal work injuries from 2009 to 2010. Only 23 states reported to have experienced a decrease in the number of these fatal accidents.