A total of 29 work-related fatalities were attributable to hurricanes and their aftermath in 2005, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported August 15.
Hurricane-related fatalities were concentrated in three States — Mississippi (10 fatalities), Louisiana (8 fatalities), and Florida (8 fatalities). Virtually all of the hurricane-related cases in Mississippi and Louisiana were attributed to Hurricane Katrina, while about half of fatal work injuries attributed to hurricanes in Florida were associated with Hurricane Wilma.
Of the 29 cases identified by the fatality census, nine involved workers who were struck by objects, eight involved transportation-related incidents and five resulted from falls.
The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program, provides the most complete count of fatal work injuries available. For more information on fatal work injuries, see "National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2005," news release USDL 06-1364. Data for 2005 are preliminary. While all data from the fatality census are subject to revision, data on work-related fatalities attributable to hurricanes were especially difficult to collect and verify, and therefore may be subject to a larger than normal revision.
