Workplace Deaths
Worksafe has a downloadable database of all workplace deaths since 2011. There have been 771, which is of course far too high. Going through the database I was interested in the classifications as some workplace deaths are clearly avoidable (falls) while others much harder to minimise (assaults causing death).
Here’s the number of workplace deaths by type:
- Trucks/Utes 126
- Christchurch Earthquake 63
- Quad Bikes 56
- Hit by falling objects 53
- Falls 50
- Trapped between moving and stationery object 41
- Tractors 37
- Slips, trips, tumbles 30
- Drowning 29
- Hit my moving object 27
- Aviation Transport 26
- Cars 22
- Mobile plant rollover 22
- White Island explosion 21
- Machinery 17
- Electric Shocks 13
- Assaults 11
- Motorbikes 10
- Hit or bitten by animals 9
If you exclude White Island and the Christchurch quake, the numbers by year are:
- 2011: 73
- 2012: 69
- 2013: 72
- 2014: 65
- 2015: 59
- 2016: 73
- 2017: 79
- 2018: 63
- 2019: 87
Far too many for a country our size.