2013 Workplace deaths in Oregon, March 20

Twenty-nine people covered by the Oregon workers’ compensation system died on the job during 2013, the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) announced. It’s a slight decrease from 2012’s figure of 30 deaths and continues a downward trend seen in recent years. The year 2010 marked the state’s all-time low of 17 deaths. That figure was likely tied, in part, to the economic downturn. In 2011, there were 28 deaths and, in 2009, 31 people died on the job. Construction saw the largest concentration of deaths in 2013, with seven workers killed in that industry. Logging resulted in six deaths. The construction industry also accounted for a significant number of deaths in 2012 (five total), illustrating the high hazard nature of the work.