Many professionals in Pennsylvania have had to accept a degree of risk in return for earning their income. People tend to assume that work is relatively safe now things to state and federal regulations. However, industry safety data from across Pennsylvania in 2022 paints a different picture.
Specifically, the state saw a significant increase in on-the-job fatalities between 2021 and 2022, like much of the rest of the country. There were 183 fatalities while on the job reported across Pennsylvania in 2022. Many of those deaths occurred due to transportation incidents, although some involved falls, contact with equipment and exposure to hazardous materials or environments.
People in any profession can get hurt or die while working, but some careers come with far more risk than others. For example, the following professions tend to have the highest degree of risk for workers in Pennsylvania.
Transportation and warehouse work
Of the $183 workplace deaths reported in 2022 in Pennsylvania, 54 of the people who died worked in either the transportation industry or a warehouse. In other words, nearly 30% of all fatalities involved workers involved in the storage and distribution of goods and materials.
Construction work
There are many reasons why construction work is dangerous. From performing a job at a significant elevation to working with heavy equipment, there are many job risk factors that are hard to ignore. 28 of the deaths reported in 2022 involved workers in the construction industry.
Employment in other dangerous industries
No other sector stands out as significantly as transportation, warehouse work and construction. That being said, several industries did have multiple deaths reported among professionals in 2022. Those sectors included education, health services, manufacturing, waste management, retail and maintenance work. Many workplace fatalities occur due to a failure to adhere to workplace safety regulations. Often, those left behind after a workplace tragedy may need to look into survivor’s benefits through workers’ compensation.
There were also roughly 123,000 non-fatal injuries reported across Pennsylvania in 2022. Workers hurt on the job may require medical coverage and disability benefits. Filing a workers’ compensation claim can be a smart move for both injured employees and those who lose loved ones to professional hazards.
