Workplace
Fatalities for Latinos and Immigrant Workers on
the Rise
[Posted 05/02/2008]
A new
AFL-CIO study, “Death on the Job: The Toll of
Neglect” reports that on-the-job fatalities for
Latino works increased by seven percent between 2005
and 2006. The rate of fatal injury for Latino
workers in 2006 was 5.0/100,000—25 percent higher
than the rate for the US workforce as a whole. Fatal
injuries to foreign-born workers also increased
dramatically, and in 2006, were the highest ever
reported. The increase in fatalities for Latino and
immigrant workers was due almost entirely to an
increase in the number of fatal work injuries in the
construction industry.
In
2006, 5,840 workplace injuries in the US resulted
in death, on top of an estimated 50,000 to 60,000
deaths due to occupational diseases.
"It's
clear that the workplace safety net has more holes
than fabric, and it is costing too many American
workers their lives," said AFL-CIO President John
Sweeney.
Related Links:
AFL-CIO Press Release
AFL-CIO Report "Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect"
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