The Tennessee business community is looking at dramatically reducing the rights of Tennessee workers who get killed or injured on the job. There is a certainty that legislation will be introduced at the next legislative session that will make it more difficult for Tennesseans who are hurt at work to recover money for their losses.
It is interesting that this discussion is underway at the very same time that the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has produced a report telling us how many people are killed at work. Here are a few of the shocking figures from 2011"
- 4,609 people were killed while at work.
- This is equivalent to 3.5 of every 100,000 workers.
- 17% of the deaths were caused by violence in the workplace.
- deaths in the private truck transportation area were up 14%
- Fatal injuries among workers in the 20 – 24 age group were up 18%
- 143 workers were killed by fire or explosions.
- 120 Tennessee workers died on the job.
- 10 Tennessee workers died from fire or explosions
All Tennesseans are urged to keep up with proposals that will make it more difficult for Tennessee workers and their families to receive worker’s compensation benefits and to speak out against these efforts by contacting legislators.