The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its 2003 Census of Fatal occupational injuries which showed a small increase in the number of job fatalities in 2003. 5,559 workers were killed in 2003, compared with 5,534 in 2002. The fatality rate remained unchanged at 4.0 per 100,000 workers.

Although the BLS changed the industry classification codes making direct industrial comparisons difficult, the AFL-CIO estimates that fatalities in construction remained about the same, manufacturing fatalities went down and deaths in mining rose. Homicides rose for the first time in several years.

Fatalities among Hispanic workers declined overall, although fatalities among US born Hispanics rose, while deaths among foreign born Hispanics declined for the first time. Fatalities among African-Americans, Asians and Whites increased. Hispanic workers continued to have the highest on-the-job death rate, at 4.5 fatalities per 100,000 workers.

The full report can be found here.

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