LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that 43 work-related fatalities occurred in Nevada in 2021.
The newly-issued report reveals that the number of fatal workplace injuries in Nevada has gone up from the 37 reported in 2020. In 2016, the bureau reported 54 work-related fatalities in Nevada, which remains the highest number of deaths in the state's recent history.
According to the report, transportation incidents accounted for 19 fatal workplace injuries in 2021, with the next highest categories being "falls, slips, trips" and "violence or injuries by persons or animals."
Overall, the percentage of transportation-related deaths in Nevada (44%) in 2021 is up from the previous year, during which only reported 14 deaths in that manner were reported. Additionally, transportation incidents in Nevada topped the national average in 2021, reporting 6 more deaths than the 38 national deaths.
The only reported category to drop from the previous year was "falls, slips, trips," which fell by eight deaths from 2020.
The report identifies Nevada's private construction industry sector as the occupation with the most fatal workplace injuries at 13 fatalities. Furthermore, specialty trade contractors — a subsection of the "private construction industry" — accounted for 9 of the 13 fatal workplace injuries.
In Nevada, White non-Hispanics accounted for 53 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 60 percent of work-related deaths.
Also, workers aged 25 to 54 years old accounted for 56 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2021, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
The report also indicates that, of the 43 fatal work injuries in Nevada, 88 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed.
