Report: Wyoming Sees Rise in Occupational Deaths in 2019

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming has one of the worst rates of workplace-related deaths in the country, with three times more fatalities than the national average, a report said.

The Wyoming Department of Workplace Solutions revealed in the report that 32 workers died while on the job in 2019, an increase of one death compared to 2018, The Casper Star-Tribune reported Sunday.

The report said 65% of the deaths were a result of transportation incidents, including “highway crashes, pedestrian vehicular incidents, aircraft incidents and water vehicle incidents.”

Meredith Towle, the state occupational epidemiologist, said transportation incidents accounted for more than half of all deaths at workplaces across all industries in Wyoming from 2003 to 2019.

About a quarter of the workplace deaths last year occurred in the natural resources and mining sector, department officials said.

The Research and Planning Division of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services analyzed the federal data through its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Program.