Work-related fatalities rise 47 percent in North Dakota

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Along with reaping the benefits of its ascent to becoming an oil-rich state, North Dakota is also a more dangerous place to work.

Aided in part by the western North Dakota Oil Patch boom during recent years. the number of work-related fatalities in the state rose by 47 percent from 2010 to 2011, according to information released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor.

During the calendar year 2011, 44 workers killed while on the job in North Dakota, dwarfing the total of 30 from the previous year. The increase was the largest over-the-year jump for North Dakota since the BLS began tracking workplace fatalities data in 1992, according to the release.

The majority of fatalities occurring in 2011 (52 percent) happened because of transportation incidents. Men accounted for 42 of the 44 fatalities while workers in the age range 25-54 made up 23 (or 52 percent) of fatalities.

Since 2002, North Dakota’s previous high in workplace fatalities was 31 in 2006. Nationwide, fatal work injuries were down slightly from 4,690 in 2010 to 4,609 in 2011. Eighteen percent of 2011 fatal accidents occurred within the category of natural resources and mining, a jump of more than 40 percent from 2012.

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