More Wisconsinites Died at Work in 2022 Than Any Year Since 2006

Wednesday, May 1st, 2024 -- 12:00 PM

(Joe Schulz, Wisconsin Public Radio) More Wisconsinites died at work in 2022 than in any year since 2006, reversing a three-year trend of declining workplace fatalities. 

According to Joe Schulz with Wisconsin Public Radio, that’s according to a new report from the national AFL-CIO that examined workplace fatalities across the country. The report found that Wisconsin had 125 workplace deaths in 2022.

The last time the state had 125 workers die on the job was in 2006. The state’s most recent previous highs came in 2013 and 2018, when 114 workers died on the job.

“The fact that Wisconsin has the highest number of Wisconsin workers killed on the job in 2022 is really shocking,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, president of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “It should send a wake up call to all employers in the state to double down on their efforts to keep workers safe at work.”

Of the Wisconsin workers who died on the job in 2022, 19 died from assaults and violent acts, 42 from transportation incidents, four from fires or explosions, 17 from falls, 20 from exposure to harmful substances and 23 from contact with objects and equipment, the report says.

Out of all 50 states, Wisconsin ranked 30th for fatalities with a rate of 4.3 deaths per 100,000 workers, above the national average of 3.7 deaths per 100,000 workers, the report said. That’s down from the state’s ranking of 24th out of 50 states.

“No worker should go to work and not be able to come home at the end of the day, safely, to his or her loved ones,” Bloomingdale said. “These are preventable deaths and preventable injuries.”

The report also provides data on how many Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, inspectors each state has. It found Wisconsin had 41 federal inspectors and zero state-level inspectors as of 2022. That translates to one inspector for every 70,000 workers.

The AFL-CIO recommends one inspector per 10,000 workers. The report estimates it would take OSHA 119 years to inspect each Wisconsin workplace once. Bloomingdale said the data shows OSHA needs more resources to address safety issues in state workplaces.

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