(April 28, 2025 Milwaukee, WI) – Today on Workers Memorial Day, the Wisconsin AFL-CIO is highlighting the 34th annual AFL-CIO Death on the Job report, a comprehensive analysis of safety and health protections for America’s workers. This report features national and state information on workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses, as well as workplace safety inspections, penalties, funding, staffing and public employee coverage under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). It includes information on the state of mine safety and health, key topics such as workplace violence, musculoskeletal disorders and heat illness prevention, and transitions in policies on government occupational data reporting, transparency and equity.
This report focuses on the most recent data available from several different sources: job fatality, injury and illness data from 2023, and enforcement data from FY 2024.
The report found that 112 Wisconsin workers died on the job in 2023. Of those workplace deaths, 15 were from assaults and violent acts, 37 from transportation incidents, 17 from falls, 19 were due to exposures to harmful substances or environments, and 23 were from contact with objects or equipment.
“Every worker in Wisconsin has the right to a safe job,” said Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale. “We need collective bargaining rights and strong unions for all to best ensure that safety concerns are adequately and timely addressed in the workplace. The AFL-CIO’s Death on the Job Report and Workers Memorial Day observed on April 28 are stark reminders of the grave importance of protecting funding for the federal agencies charged with worker protection, workplace safety, and safety enforcement.”
Findings of the 34th AFL-CIO’s Death on the Job report include:
- 385 workers died each day from hazardous working conditions.
- Inadequate workplace safety laws and policies resulted in the deaths of 5,283 workers on the job in 2023 and an estimated 135,304 workers died from occupational diseases.
- Black and Latino workers are disproportionately dying on the job, both at rates higher than the national job fatality rate.
- The report shows 659 Black worker deaths, the second-highest number in more than two decades.
- The report also shows 1,250 Latino worker deaths, making Latino workers the group at the greatest risk of dying on the job among all demographics.
- At least 55 workers died from heat on the job, a 28% increase from 2022.
The report, which includes data on the worker fatality rate in all 50 states as well as the most affected industries, also lays out recommendations for strengthening federal agencies tasked with enforcing worker safety.
To view the full report, including the Wisconsin data mentioned in this release, click here.
Wisconsin unions will call attention to this report and honor all workers killed on the job last year at local Workers Memorial Day Observances across Wisconsin:
Madison Workers Memorial Day Commemoration and Press Conference: Monday, April 28, 10:15 am, Madison Labor Temple, 1602 S Park Street.
Milwaukee Workers Memorial Day Ceremony: Monday, April 28, 5:00 pm, Zeidler Union Square Park, 301 W Michigan Street.
Eau Claire Workers Memorial Day Event: Monday, April 28, 2025, 5pm Event Start, Speaking Program Begins at 5:30pm, Eau Claire Labor Temple/Brickhouse Building, 2233 Birch Street.
La Crosse Workers Memorial Day Event: Monday, April 28, 2025, 5:00pm – 6:30pm, Green Island Park – Workers Memorial Grove, 2312 7th St S.
Wausau Workers Memorial Day Observance: Monday, April 28, 5:30 PM, Workers’ Memorial Site, 388 River Drive.
