State counts 35 on-the-job deaths in '07

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1210812919148680.xml&coll=7

Thursday, May 15, 2008

NEWS UPDATE: OREGON WORKPLACE

State counts 35 on-the-job deaths in '07

The state's count of Oregon workers who died on the job last year hit 35, mostly in construction.

The Department of Consumer and Business Services announced Wednesday that the 2007 total is the third-lowest tally since the state started keeping track in 1943. Agency Director Cory Streisinger credited Oregon employers for creating safer workplaces.

"But as the numbers show, not every Oregonian gets to come home to their family safely at the end of their shift," Streisinger said, "which means we must all continue to focus on safety each and every day."

In its annual report, the department counts only the deaths of workers who are covered by the state's workers' compensation system. The department excludes the self-employed, Portland police and firefighters, federal workers and workers whose employers are out of state. About 1.8 million Oregon workers were covered by workers' compensation in 2007.

According to the AFL-CIO, which released its annual report on workplace deaths last month, 87 Oregonians died on the job in 2007. The labor federation used numbers from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The state agency said the sector with the most deaths last year, 12, was construction. It was followed by the agriculture, forestry or fishing category, with five.