Study shows inverse relationship between injury and death rates at workplace

05/18/2012

A new study suggests that states which report a low number of injuries occurring in the workplace don&#39;t necessarily experience fewer fatalities, and vice versa.<br/><br/>The study found that among construction companies, workplaces that reported a low number of fatalities also had a high number of non-fatal injuries, research group the RAND Corporation indicates. Meanwhile, among those that had a high number of deaths on the job, non-fatal injuries tended to be lower.<br/><br/>Researchers Rachel Burns and John Mendelhoff, both affiliated with RAND, based their analysis on data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics with the numbers coming from 2003 to 2005 and 2006 to 2008. The states with the highest number of nonfatal injuries and lowest number of fatal injuries were Arizona, California, Maine, Washington and Wisconsin. Tennessee, Louisiana, Kentucky, Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama were the states with the highest number of workplace fatalities and lowest number of nonfatal injuries.<br/><br/>The study&#39;s authors speculate that the inverse relationship may stem from the extensiveness of companies&#39; workers&#39; compensation benefit programs.<br/><br/>Professional liability insurance can protect businesses from financial issues should they be sued by a former employee or family member who alleges the workplace wasn&#39;t safe enough.