Oregon Workplace Injuries Decline More Than 50%

Seventeen people covered by Oregon’s workers’ compensation system died on the job during 2010, the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) announced.

The total represents an all-time low in Oregon and is likely tied, to some degree, to the economic downturn and increased unemployment, DCBS said.

Statistics for the past decade illustrate a continuing and positive trend. In 2009, there were 31 fatalities, which is also among the lowest numbers reported since the state started tracking workplace deaths in 1943. In 2008, 45 people died on the job (eight workers were killed in a firefighting helicopter crash) and in 2007, the fatality total was 35. That compares to an average of 55 workplace deaths per year in the 1990s and 81 in the 1980s.

On-the-job injuries have also been declining in recent decades. The statewide rate of reported workplace injuries and illnesses has decreased more than 50 percent since the late 1980s.

“Employers and workers deserve credit for focusing their efforts on reducing accidents and injuries over the past several years,” said Scott Harra, DCBS acting director. “We must remain committed to minimizing workplace risks, especially as the economy improves and people new to trades or industries enter the workforce.”

Trucking, logging, and manufacturing industries saw the largest concentration of deaths in 2010.

There were no construction deaths in 2010 – a significant improvement from 2007 when 12 fatalities occurred.