Virginia sees surge in workplace fatalities
Virginia has seen an escalation in workplace fatalities in 2016, with three of the 29 deaths recorded from January to July occurring within the Verona field office region, which covers the area from Culpeper to Nelson County and includes Bath and Highland counties.
There were 29 preventable workplace injury or illness-related deaths, nearly matching 2015's total number of 31 workplace fatalities, according to the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. There were 31 recorded workplace fatalities in 2014, too.
Two of the regional deaths occurred in Greenville in July when a dump truck that was in reverse ran over the construction workers. The incident was referenced in the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health report on workplace deaths in 2016, with information about proper procedure for signal operation for vehicles and equipment.
"In the month of July alone, eight Virginia workers have lost their lives in workplace accidents, devastating families, friends, co-workers and businesses", said C. Ray Davenport, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry.
The report stated that if the increase in workplace deaths continues throughout the end of the year, Virginia will have experienced an 80 percent increase in fatal accidents investigated by Virginia Occupational Safety and Health, a program operated by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry.
Nine of the deaths this year have been in the construction industry, according to VOSH. Causes of death range from plywood giving way and falling through a hole to being pinned underneath a forklift and an incident where a father and son were electrocuted when their ladder touched an overhead high voltage line.
The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry said it is urging employers to review injury prevention plans and workplace safety standards to help prevent more incidents. The department offers lists of injury and illness prevention tips, hazard identifiers and most frequently cited violations for employers to view and use to help make the workplace safer.