Workplace fatalities up in Idaho

Pipefitter in Idaho Falls

Idaho saw an increase in workplace fatalities between 2016 and 2017, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Fatal work injuries in 2017 totaled 37 in the state, up from 30 fatalities the previous year. Since 1996, fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 62 in 1996 to a low of 19 in 2012, according to a BLS news release.

Transportation incidents caused the most work-related fatalities in Idaho, with 17 deaths reported, followed by 10 deaths related to contact with objects and equipment.

Among industry sectors, the highest number of fatalities were reported in the private agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector, with 15 deaths reported, followed by the crop production sector, which reported eight deaths.

Men accounted for 97% of the workplace fatalities in the state, and slightly less than one-quarter of the employees who died on the job in 2017 were self-employed, according to the release.