When you arrive at work each day, chances are the last thing you’re thinking is that you’ll get killed, crippled or maimed on the job. But in 2013, almost 5,000 people in the United States died because of work-related incidents. What’s more, an estimated 50,000 workers died from occupational illnesses, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The leading cause of work-related deaths involves roadway crashes. But the second leading cause of job fatalities in the United States is workplace violence, including assaults, homicides and suicides. For women, the workplace can be particularly lethal. Workplace homicide was the second leading cause of death on the job among women workers in 2013, according to a report by the AFL-CIO about fatalities in the workplace.
The leading occupations of those killed at work were supervisors of sales workers, retail sales workers and motor vehicle operators. In addition, a word of caution for those who work in offices: A day spent in your office space can be filled with a multitude of potential health hazards as well.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points to physical hazards that can lead to injury or illness, such as cords laid across walkways, low drawers left open and objects falling from overhead, tasks requiring speed, repetition, endurance and control, environmental hazards, and injuries caused by poorly designed, nonadjustable furniture or equipment
Dying For Work
Each year millions get injured or die at or on the way to a job.
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