A total of 92 fatal work-injuries were recorded in Minnesota in 2016, an increase from the 74 fatal work-injuries in 2015 and 62 fatal work-injuries in 2014, according to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. This is the highest number of fatal work-related injuries since 1996.

The 2016 total is 32 percent above the average of 67 cases a year for 2011 through 2015. Minnesota’s 2016 fatal injury rate is 3.4 fatalities per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers, versus the 2015 rate of 2.7 fatalities per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers.

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting recorded the highest number of worker fatalities, with 23 cases. Construction had the second-highest number of fatalities, with 15 cases, compared to nine cases in 2015. Transportation and warehousing saw an increase from six fatalities in 2015 to 11 in 2016.

Of the 92 Minnesota workers fatally injured, 84 were men.

Nationally, there were 5,190 fatally injured workers in 2016, a seven percent increase from the 2015 count of 4,836 workers. This is the highest total number of fatal work-related injuries nationally since 2008. The 2016 national rate is 3.6 fatalities per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers, an increased from 3.4 in 2015.

For more information, visit www.dli.mn.gov/RS/StatFatal.asp.