Colorado saw fewer work-related fatalities in 2022, bucking a trend that saw workplace deaths rise nationally, according to an update from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment on Thursday.
Colorado recorded 89 worker deaths on the job last year, which is a 7.3% decrease from the 96 workers who died on the job in 2021, according to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries program, which is a collaborative effort between the CDLE’s Office of Labor Market Information and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Last year, 5,486 workers died from a work-related injury nationally, a 5.7% increase from the 5,190 workers who died in 2021.
Of the 89 workers who died on the job in Colorado, six were self-employed compared to 12 in that category in 2021. Men accounted for 81 of the total deaths, while women represented 8. Workers aged 35 to 44 were the single largest bracket at 19, followed by those aged 55 to 64 at 18.
Ten deaths were recorded for workers aged 20 to 24, the first time that age group had enough deaths to release a number since 2018 when three incidents were recorded.
Transportation accidents remained the leading cause of death among workers in Colorado and those went counter-trend, rising from 25 in 2021 to 33 in 2022. Transportation has led all workplace fatalities for the past decade.
Violence and other injuries on the job represented the second leading cause of worker fatalities in the state last year, but it dropped from 23 to 18, a decline of 21.7%. That category covers violence from people, as well as deadly incidents involving animals.
Falls, slips and trips were the third leading cause of fatalities in 2022, accounting for 15 fatalities last year versus 17 in 2021.
Deaths because of exposure to harmful substances or environments, which fell from 13 incidents to seven, had the largest percentage decline of any category at 46.2%. Contact with objects or equipment cost a dozen workers their lives, but those incidents were down 29.4%.
Transportation and material moving jobs led the state with 34 deaths last year, followed by 23 deaths in construction and extractive occupations, such as mining. A half dozen workers died in protective services, which includes police and fire.
