Workplace Fatalities and Hospitalizations
In Washington State, an average of 2 employees die each week from injuries or illnesses related to their work. Many others are hospitalized, sometimes with injuries or illnesses that will persist for a lifetime.
Underlying these deaths or hospitalizations are powerful messages about workplace hazard prevention. These messages can help keep other employees safe and working.
Learn what to do when a workplace death or hospitalization occurs.
Fatalities
Descriptions of recent fatalities
- A worker was fatally injured when run over by a baggage tug cart. (4/23/13)
- A worker was fatally crushed when a driver of a vehicle ran the worker over. (4/22/13)
- A worker was fatally crushed when a steel wing wall collapsed. (3/15/13)
- A worker was fatally injured while conducting an inspection of a crane and was crushed between the trolley cable roller assembly and the supportive structure of the "Pit" basket. (3/12/13)
- A Washington truck driver was found dead in California in the sleeping quarters of the trailer after using a gasoline fired generator with a homemade exhaust ventilation system inside the sleeping quarters. (3/1/13)
View summaries of other work-related fatalities.
Useful incident information for prevention
- Fatality Bulletins.
- FACE (Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation) Narratives.
- Fatality & Serious Injury Investigation Stories.
Video Library – search using the keywords and subjects
Research
- National fatality, injury, and illness statistics.
- Report on economic losses associated with fatal occupational injuries (NIOSH).
Worker Memorial Day - A solemn reminder
This annual ceremony is held during April to honor the memories of workers who die every year due to workplace hazards.
President Barack Obama's Declaration of April 28, 2011 as Worker Memorial Day (13 KB PDF).
Hospitalizations
Descriptions of recent hospitalizations
- A worker's pelvis, rib, chest, ankle and sternum were fractured from a 6 ton beam falling onto the worker. (5/16/2013)
- A worker was injured after slipping and falling while pouring gas into a manlift. (5/15/2013)
- A worker cutting a band on a stack of railroad ties received a leg fracture when 4 railroad ties fell onto the worker's leg. (5/15/2013)
- A worker's hand was caught and crushed between the back of a truck and a bed mechanism that lifts cargo from the ground into the truck bed. (5/15/2013)
- A worker's foot was injured when the worker fell 25 feet and hit a foot on the deck railing. (5/15/2013)
View summaries of other work-related hospitalizations.
Other Links
- National Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program (NIOSH).
- National Workplace Injury, Illness, and Fatality Statistics (OSHA).
- Pension and Survivor Benefits (booklet available in English/Spanish).
- History of Health & Safety — Why DOSH exists (online free course, PowerPoint).
