NCDOL releases workplace fatality figures

Each year, the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Division of the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) reports on the number and nature of workplace fatalities in the state. Unfortunately, this year's report shows an increase in fatalities, matching a decade high.

Fatalities increase

Workplace fatalities increased in North Carolina from 41 in 2018 to 53 in 2019. This number tied with 2011 for the most in any year of the decade. 2013 had the fewest fatalities with just 23. The average number of annual fatalities for the decade was 44.

Not all work-related fatal incidents fall within the jurisdictional authority of the OSH Division and therefore are not included in its count. Traffic accidents, for instance, account for most work-related deaths each year and fall outside the division's jurisdiction. Traffic accidents, along with homicides and suicides, are inspected by law enforcement.

The OSH Division fatality count also excludes deaths investigated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and sole proprietorships as well as other exemptions in which the department doesn't have the authority to investigate, such as on farms with 10 or fewer employees that haven't had temporary labor camp activity within the previous 12 months.

Most common causes. According to the NCDOL, falls caused the largest number of work-related fatal incidents in the Tar Heel state in 2019, accounting for 17 of the 53 deaths. Struck-by incidents followed closely, accounting for 15 workplace deaths last year.