There is a bad trend in Wisconsin: Deaths on the job are on the rise.
Specifically, OSHA (on December 18, 2017) issued a release that there were fiveWisconsin worker deaths in the last 22 days!:
- (Madison): On November 27, 2017, a 26 year old employee was abrasive blasting and cut his inner thigh (femoral artery) with the abrasive blasting nozzle. Reference OSHA’s Abrasive Blasting web page for safety and health related information regarding abrasive blasting operations.
- (Eau Claire): On December 1, 2017, a 60 year old employee working on a logging site was struck by a backing forwarder (skidder) machine. Reference OSHA’s Logging web page for safety and health related information regarding logging operations.
- (Milwaukee Area Office): On December 5, 2017, a 32 year old employee was struck in the head when an approx. 50 lb. part being worked on flew out of a CNC machine.
- On December 5, 2017, a 59 year old employee was struck in the abdomen by a piece of wood that had kicked back from a table saw. Reference OSHA’s Woodworking web page for safety and health related information regarding woodworking operations.
- (Milwaukee Area Office): On December 9th, 2017, a 36 year old employee was struck-by a materials van and pinned between the van and loading dock the van was being backed up to. Employers are encouraged to review dock areas to identify hazards and take necessary corrective actions. Reference OSHA’s e-Tool on Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklift) for information on dock safety.
These recent workplace deaths are in the same year as the devastating plant explosion in Cambria, Wisconsin, on May 31, 2017, resulting in the death of 5 workers and injuring many more. OSHA proposed a $1.8 million fine related to this fatal explosion.
Sadly, these workplace deaths are on the rise in our country as a whole. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released its latest report on fatalities in the workplace, with data through 2016. Unfortunately, the number of fatalites is the highest ever since 2008. An informational chart can be found here.
While employers indicate there are ever-increasing safety measures at workplaces, accidents-even catastrophic ones-still happen. And they are happening with more frequency.
Under Wisconsin worker’s compensation law, there are no pain and suffering damages for those family members left behind by the deceased worker. A dependent (generally a surviving spouse or children under the age of 18) can bring a claim for death benefits-which are four times the worker’s annual earnings. This amount can be (and can feel) woefully inadequate following a worker’s death.