JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The number of workplace fatalities dropped in 2018 compared to the previous calendar year while injury incidents and lost time incidents increased.
In 2018, there were 102 workplace fatalities, which is down from 118 in 2017. Injury incidents increased from 99,743 in 2017 to 101,877 in 2018 and lost time incidents increased from 8,246 in 2017 to 8,358 in 2018.
“Seeing a drop in fatalities at Missouri’s workplaces is a step in the right direction,” says Department of Labor Director Anna Hui. “It motivates us to increase efforts to drive the number down to zero. As part of the ongoing mission of the Department of Labor, we will continue partnering with employers and workers to increase awareness and consultations to promote workplace safety with the goal of preventing work-related injuries and fatalities across all Missouri businesses.”
The numbers are part of the collective workplace injury and fatality data compiled by the Divisions of Workers’ Compensation and Labor Standards.
Twenty-five of the 102 fatalities were automobile related in 2018. The industries with the most fatalities were construction (16), transportation and warehousing (15), and public administration (11).
August was the month with the most fatalities at 16, followed by July at 13. The day of the week with the most fatalities was Wednesday with 22, followed closely by Monday which had 21.
For the second year in a row, the manufacturing industry had the most lost-time injuries, followed by the healthcare and social assistance industry, which also once again had the most total injury incidents. Manufacturing had the second most total injury incidents.
The top cause of injuries reported to the Division of Workers’ Compensation in 2018 was lifting. The top nature of injuries reported was strains or tears.
These statistics are compiled as part of a larger effort to help businesses create safer and healthier workplaces. The data is included in the safeatwork.mo.gov web portal that launched in September 2018. The website provides a single resource for industry injury data, safety materials, and programs at no cost to employers. Since going live in September, the website has had more than 4,400 page views.
Alisha Shurr was a reporter for The Missouri Times and The Missouri Times Magazine. She joined The Missouri Times in January 2018 after working as a copy editor for her hometown newspaper in Southern Oregon. Alisha is a graduate of Kansas State University.
