Workplace Deaths Rise as Regulation Softens

A new study from the AFL-CIO found workplace deaths have climbed in the wake of the Trump administration's repeal or abandonment of regulations and policies designed to protect employees, reports Business Insurance . Bureau of Labor Statistics data estimated that 5,190 U.S. workers died on the job in 2016, up from 4,836 the year before, and the job fatality rate rose to 3.6 per 100,000 workers from 3.4 per 100,000 workers. "President Trump has moved aggressively on his deregulatory agenda, repealing and delaying job safety and other rules, and proposing deep cuts in the budget and the elimination of worker safety and health training and other programs," the AFL-CIO says. Workplace violence is currently the second-leading cause of workplace death, rising from 703 worker fatalities to 866, and was responsible for more than 27,000 lost-time injuries. "More workers are dying from workplace violence incidents than from falls, which is very sobering," notes AFL-CIO official Margaret Seminario. In the final weeks of the previous administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it would initiate rule-making for a federal standard to protect healthcare and social assistance workers who are disproportionately affected by workplace violence. But Trump has "sidelined" this effort by moving it off its main regulatory agenda and placing it on a long-term actions. "This obviously does not bode well for the federal government taking action to put in place a standard," Seminario says.