DENVER — Work-related deaths in Colorado saw a slight decrease from 2016 to 2017, but the number of fatalities in the construction industry increased by almost 60 percent.
According to new data from Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 77 people died from fatal work injuries in Colorado in 2017. That is a 5 percent decrease from the 81 reported fatalities in 2016.
Injuries that involved transportation were the most common cause of a work-related death, with 38 fatalities in the state in 2017, according to the study. The second most common cause were falls, slips or trips — that accounted for 14 deaths.
The data revealed that 19 people in the construction industry died at their workplace in 2017, which is a 58 percent increase from the previous year.
On Wednesday, a construction flagger in Adams County was killed after being hit by a Jeep on Lowell Boulevard. Authorities are still investigating this incident.
Of the 77 total deaths in 2017, 76 were men.
Read the full study, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ website here.
