A report from the national AFL-CIO saw more Wisconsinites die at work in 2022 than any year since 2006, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. The news reverses a three-year trend of decreasing workplace fatalities.
The report examined workplace deaths nationwide and found that Wisconsin had 125 in 2022, the same number as in 2006. Other recent highs came in 2013 and 2018, when 114 workers died on the job.
Of the 2022 Wisconsin workplace fatalities, 19 were due to assaults and violent acts, 42 resulted from transportation incidents, four were from fires or explosions, 17 were due to falls, 20 came from exposure to harmful substances, and 23 resulted from contact with objects and equipment.
Wisconsin ranked 30th for fatalities out of all 50 states, with a rate of 4.3 deaths per 100,000 workers — above the national average of 3.7.
The report also noted that Wisconsin had 41 federal OSHA inspectors and zero state-level inspectors as of 2022 — or one for every 70,000 workers. The AFL-CIO recommendation is one inspector for every 10,000 workers.
