Based on the preliminary numbers, BLS says the rate of fatal injury in 2007 was 3.7 fatal work injuries per 100,000 workers, down from the final rate of 4.0 per 100,000 workers in 2006, and the lowest annual fatality rate ever reported by the fatality census. Although workplace fatalities in general are down, BLS says that fatalities by certain incidents are up—workplace homicides involving police officers and supervisors of retail sales workers both saw substantial increases in 2007, and the number of fatal falls last year rose to a series high of 835--a 39 percent increase since 1992 when BLS initiated tracking work fatalities.
Overall, 90 percent of the fatal work injuries involved workers in private industry, and the construction industry continues to record the most fatalities of any industry in the private sector, BLS says.
