Workplaces in Minnesota are getting safer but, by at least one measure, workers here still get hurt on the job more often than workers elsewhere.

As unions around the world prepare for Workers Memorial Day on April 28, here?s a glance at how well we?re doing at ensuring that workers who go to work come home from work in one piece:

Fatalities
In Minnesota, 72 workers lost their lives in 2003, the most recent year for which complete statistics are available from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is a decrease from 2002, when 81 workers died on the job.

In the previous 10 years, an average of 83 Minnesota workers died each year on the job. In the United States, worksite fatalities increased slightly in 2003: A total of 5,559 workers died on the job, compared with 5,534 in 2002. That ends five straight years in which worksite fatalities decreased.

Though mining remains the occupation with the highest fatality rate nationally, the largest number of deaths occur in construction, transportation and the combined outdoor occupations of agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting. Those three categories account for more than 47 percent of all workplace fatalities.

Injuries
Workplace illnesses and injuries declined in Minnesota and the nation in 2003, according to BLS statistics.

Nationally, the total number of reported injuries in the private sector fell from 4.7 million in 2002 to 4.4 million; in Minnesota, total injuries in both the private and public sectors fell from 120,500 in 2002 to 111,600 in 2003. The injury rate, based on 100 full-time equivalent workers, fell from 5.3 to 5.0 in the U.S. and from 6.2 to 5.5 in Minnesota.

That statistic suggests Minnesota workers are injured at a higher rate than the national average. But it?s not that simple, says Brian Zaidman, senior research analyst at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.

Minnesota workplace safety experts say the discrepancy can be explained, in part, by the likelihood that workers and employers in Minnesota make sure that injuries actually get recorded on safety logs. ?In general, our reporting seems somewhat better in Minnesota,? Zaidman said.

He notes that for the most-serious injuries ? those that keep workers off the job ? Minnesota?s injury rate is comparable with states that have a similar mix of industries. In fact, that rate is actually below the national average for private industry.

It is only when all injuries are factored in that Minnesota?s injury rate exceeds the national rate, Zaidman said. One potential explanation: Minnesota OSHA puts a heavy emphasis on prevention, especially in industries that have high injury rates. That frequently means Minnesota OSHA inspectors work with employers to develop safety plans.

Those plans can increase record-keeping and enforcement, Zaidman said, which means more injuries that don?t require extensive medical treatment may be reported, even as the number of fatalities and serious injuries decreases.

Federal enforcement weakens
President George W. Bush?s 2006 budget continues to reduce the federal government?s commitment to protecting workers? safety and health, the AFL-CIO says, and continues to promote voluntary compliance by employers rather than government enforcement of safety.

For example, Bush?s proposed budget eliminates worker safety and health training programs entirely, and freezes funding in real dollars to OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Since Bush took office in 2001, his administration has killed dozens of worker safety initiatives developed by the federal agencies, including:

? Rules on cancer-causing substances, reactive chemicals, and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.
? A rule requiring employers to pay for individual protective equipment for workers.
? Ergonomics standards designed to address injuries caused by heavy lifting and repetetive motion, the largest sources of workplace injuries. The Bush administration not only repealed the standards, it also eliminated requirements that employers keep track of musculoskeletal injuries at all.

?American workers need a strong workplace safety agency that puts workers, not employers, first and protects safety and health, not corporate interests,? the AFL-CIO said.

Adapted from The Union Advocate, the official newspaper of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org The AFL-CIO contributed to this article.