The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS) State Occupational Epidemiologist Dr. C. Mack Sewell released a report Thursday outlining workplace fatalities and their circumstances by industry for 2012. Dr. Sewell said  the "unique combination of Wyoming’s prevalent industries, its climate and geography create challenges for safe working environments.”  He added that he hopes the report will "provide insight into areas where improvement needs to be made.”

The report shows that transportation sector deaths (16) account for more than half of all workplace fatalities, followed by agriculture (5), construction (3) and oil and gas (3). Through the surveillance system he developed, Dr. Sewell noted that the 2012 work-related fatalities were disproportionately older males who are non-residents working in some form of transportation or with heavy equipment.

Construction leads the industry classification in hospitalizations, high medical cost claims and long term disability claims. Mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction, and construction lead the industry categories for amputations followed by manufacturing and transportation and warehousing. Additionally in the report, Dr. Sewell notes that total claims activity has been on a downward trend since 2005.

 

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