Injured workers are not the only ones that impactful workers’ comp issues can come up for here in California. Such issues can also arise for families of workers who lost their life on the job. This is because death benefits are among the benefits that can be pursued through the state’s workers’ comp system. How issues related to death benefits are handled can have major impacts on families following a loved one being taken from them by a workplace accident. Skilled California workers’ comp attorneys can advise families of killed workers on the process of pursuing such benefits.

Unfortunately, it appears that California workplaces saw an increase in deaths last year. That is what recent statistics point to.

Reportedly, in 2015, there were 388 worker deaths in California. This works out to around 2.2 deaths for every 100,000 workers in the state. Both in raw number and in rate, this was an increase over 2014. That year saw 344 worker deaths and a worker fatality rate of 2.0 fatalities per 100,000 workers. As a note though, the 2015 numbers were still lower than those from 2013.

California also saw more multi-fatality workplace accidents in 2015 (13 accidents) than it did in 2014 (6 accidents).

Some of the common causes of California workplace fatalities in 2015 were transportation incidents, slips/trips/falls and workplace violence.

Why do you think worker deaths were up in California last year? What would you like to see California employers do to improve workplace safety in the state?

Source:

Insurance Journal, “California Worker Fatalities up in 2015, Report Shows,” Dec. 16, 2016