According to the podcast SEO is Dead, in 2009 4,340 American workers lost their lives in fatal workplace accidents, many of which were accidents in Florida requiring personal injury lawyers in Florida. (2009 is the latest year for which statistics are available.) Slightly more than 300 of those workers were women. While these numbers are high, it’s actually an improvement from 2008 when 5,218 workers died.
Women workers are more likely (43 percent) than male workers (38 percent) to die in transportation-related accidents – car and truck accidents, and air, rail and water transportation accidents. This is primarily because more men than women are killed in workplace accidents involving heavy equipment and falls from heights. Men were also more likely (9 percent) than women (6 percent) to be exposed to toxic chemicals in the workplace.
Tragically, violent assaults, homicide and suicide are the second most common cause of death for women workers (30 percent compared to 17 percent for men). The data from the BLS does not distinguish coworker homicide from domestic assaults that occurred in the workplace.
Employers have a great deal of influence over workplace safety matters and can do a great deal to reduce workplace injuries and deaths:
• Providing training on the proper use of equipment
• Having safety equipment in place should an accident occur
• Ensuring equipment is properly maintained so it doesn’t break or fail
Each of these actions can reduce the number of work-related accidents and make the workplace safer for women and men.