What state has the lowest rate of workplace fatalities? California’s rank may surprise you!

California had the fourth lowest rate of workplace fatalities in the nation in 2015-16, federal stats show.
California had 376 people die on the job in 2016, down 12 from 2015, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Yes, that’s the nation’s second-highest count of fatalities. But to fairly compare states, one must account for California’s status as the nation’s biggest jobs engine. So, workplace safety experts also track accidents on a per-capita basis.
That means fatal workplace injuries occurred in California at an average rate of 2.2 deaths for every 100,000 full-time workers in 2015-16. Only three other places fared better in the nation in this deaths-to-worker ratio.
No. 1 was Rhode Island at 1.5 fatalities per 100,000 workers. The District of Columbia was second with 1.9 fatalities per 100,000. Third was Connecticut at 2.1 fatalities per 100,000. Right behind California was a tie between Delaware and Washington at 2.25 fatalities per 100,000.
Worker deaths may be just one measure of how safe one feels at work, but they’re an eye-catching benchmark.
Please note fatality rates vary among states for numerous reasons from the type of work commonly done (goods-producing industries, such as construction or factory jobs, are deadlier) to the level of economic activity (more employment, more chance for accidents) to violent crime patterns (yes, folks are murdered at work.)
Plus, workplace safety advancements and the amount of regulation are factors in fatality patterns, too.
For example, ponder the key industries in the 10 states with the highest fatality rates: 20 percent of their private industry workers are in goods-producing jobs such as manufacturing and building trades. The 10 states with the lowest fatality rates had just 14 percent of workers in those more dangerous jobs.
Also, you’ll see regions with concentrations of energy production, another dangerous trade, among the highest fatality rates.
Tops for 2016-15 was Wyoming, 12.15 per 100,000 workers with 34 deaths in 2016, same as 2015. Next was North Dakota (9.75 per 100,000), then Montana (7.7 per 100,000) and Alaska (7.35 per 100,000). No. 5 was Mississippi at 6.55 per 100,000.
PS: The state with the most workplace deaths in 2016 was Texas with 545, up 18 vs. 2015. Its fatality rate of 4.45 per 100,000 ranked it 23rd best and was double California’s rate. Curiously, Texas doesn’t have a lot more goods-producing work than California, with 18 percent of its jobs in those riskier industries vs. 16.8 percent in California.
Source: Oc Register