Report: Latino Workers in More Danger of Dying on the Job than Other Workers

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Are Latinos workers in more danger than other workers?

Latino workers have a 19% higher workplace fatality rate than the national average—a number that is rising, while declining for all other groups of workers, statistics show.

That’s why, for Workers Memorial Day on April 28, 2015, the unions of the AFL-CIO pause to remember those who have suffered and died on the job, and renew efforts for safe workplaces, especially for Latinos.

The fatality rate for Latino workers actually declined significantly from a peak fatality rate in 2001, but is increasing again. In 2013, there were 797 Latino worker deaths, compared with 748 deaths in 2012.

Most Latino workers who died on the job in 2013 were immigrant workers.

“Immigrant workers have a disproportionate rate of injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the workplace largely because they work in dangerous industries and may be particularly vulnerable due to their immigration status, and may be subject to employer exploitation,” according to the AFL-CIO.

The AFL-CIO urges people to hold memorial services for those who’ve died on the job, conduct workshops to educate workers on job safety and job rights, and more.

Find a memorial event near you or read their English and Spanish fact sheet.

“On Workers Memorial Day we commemorate all those who have perished on the job,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. “No worker should be exposed to fatal injuries and illnesses at work, yet every day 150 men and women die from a work injury or occupational disease. Their deaths remind us that Americans still—in 2015—face too many dangers at the workplace.”