Transportation top cause of worker death in Wyoming

Seventeen of the 32 worker deaths (53%) were transportation-related, the Wyoming Department of Employment's Research & Planning Section reported in the October edition of its newsletter Wyoming Labor Force Trends.

The national average of transportation incidents in 2002 was 43%.

Of the 17 transportation-related deaths in 2002, 12 occurred from highway traffic crashes while seven resulted from an overturned or jackknifed vehicle and three were the result of collisions between vehicles and mobile equipment.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic crashes in 1994 translated into $107 million in costs to Wyoming employers.

The other on-the-job deaths were attributed to contact with objects and equipment, falls and exposure to harmful substances or environments.