Workplace Deaths in Massachusetts Last Year Surge Up 65% Over 2002

81 Deaths in 2003 is the Second Highest Total Since 1994

Workplace-related deaths in 2003 saw an alarming upsurge over last year, according to a report released this week from the Mass AFL-CIO and the Massachusetts Coalition on Occupational Safety and Health.

That report, entitled DYING FOR WORK IN MASSACHUSETTS: The Loss of Life and Limb in Massachusetts Workplaces 2003 shows that 81 workers died on the job in 2003 – many under easily preventable circumstances – which is an increase of 32 deaths from 2002, and one of the highest totals since records started being kept in 1994.

The release of the report coincides with the 16th observance of Workers Memorial Day, on April 28, 2004, which is a day set aside for the remembrance of workers who have been killed, made ill or injured on their jobs. On Workers Memorial Day, the labor movement reflects on the work-related tragedies that have befallen workers, their families and their communities in the previous year, and renews its commitment to the fight for safe and healthy workplaces for all.

"That 81 people in Massachusetts lost their lives in the workplace is an absolute disgrace," said MassCOSH Executive Director Marcy Goldstein-Gelb. "This report demonstrates that the cost of cutting corners on safety is paid in human lives."

(Read more...)