The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration is a state plan that was created by the Tennessee General Assembly under a section of the Occupational Safety and Health Act which gives states the option to enforce their own health and safety standards, so long as they are equal to or stronger than the federal Occupational Safety and Health Acts.
Unfortunately, most on the job injuries and deaths are highly preventable, while serious changes will need to take place to reduce the total number of deaths caused on the job. According to the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Workers Compensation Division of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, there were a total of 165 on the job deaths in Tennessee during 2011 and 2012.
Of the above fatalities, half of these deaths were caused in the manufacturing, construction and transportation industries, while agricultural occupations have double the death rate in Tennessee than anywhere else in the United States. In fact, Tennessee's fatality rate is 39 percent higher than the national average.
The following table demonstrates the Tennessee workplace fatalities by industry during 2011 and 2012.
| Industry | Number of Fatalities |
| Transportation | 39 |
| Construction | 37 |
| Manufacturing | 24 |
| Service | 17 |
| Security / Enforcement | 12 |
| Retail Trade | 10 |
|
Agriculture / Forestry |
11 |
| Public Administration | 7 |
| Finance / Insurance | 2 |
| Wholesale Trade | 5 |
| Mining | 1 |
These statistics have been retrieved from the federal OSHA and the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Developments Workers Compensation Division.
Greg Coleman Law - Knoxville workers compensation lawyers. Ph: (865) 247-0080.
