Injury and Death Rates for Mechanics Exceed National Average

(Akron/Tire Review) The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) has released an article in Compensation and Working Conditions Online that concludes automotive technicians are more likely to be killed or injured on the job than the average U.S. worker. The article reports that from 2003 to 2005, 147 technicians were fatally injured at work – a death rate of 5.3 per 100,000 workers.

The fatality rate for all occupations is 4 per 100,000 workers. Additionally, there were 15,560 non-fatal injuries and illnesses to technicians in 2005, down roughly 10 per cent from 2003. There were around 954,000 U.S. technicians during this time.

Most of the injuries and illnesses reported during 2005 were due to contact with an object or equipment or overexertion. Assaults and violent acts accounted for 30 per cent of workplace fatalities in 2003-2005.