Workplace Deaths by Sex
Graph of the Week
This week’s graph, courtesy of a report by the National Center for Health Statistics, illustrates the number of workplace injury deaths in the United States in 2021 (most recent report).
Key Points
• In 2021, a total of 4,840 individuals in the United States died from an injury at work.
• The number of males (4,389) who died from a workplace injury was nearly 10 times higher than the number of females (451) who died from a workplace injury.
• In 2021, males made up 90% of deaths caused by injuries sustained at the workplace.
Source: Murphy SL, Kochanek KD, Xu JQ, Arias E. Deaths: Final data for 2021. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 73 no 8. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2024.
Bonus Commentary
Workplace death is primarily a men’s health issue. Yet, rarely do we hear it communicated as a men’s issue. Not only does this show a lack of empathy for men but it also shows a lack of appreciation for the type of work that men do. If 10 times more women than men were dying due to workplace injuries, we would probably hear about it constantly – how it is a major societal issue, how significant funds should be invested into workplace technologies to reduce fatalities, how we should establish a day of observation for those who died on the job, etc.
An analysis of fatal occupational injuries from 1992 to 2003 is now available here at The Nuzzo Letter.
Related Content at The Nuzzo Letter
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