ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 17, 1996 TAG: 9608190023
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL STAFF WRITER
Virginia workplaces are safer, according to a study by the state Department of Labor and Industry that shows the number of on-the-job deaths dropped by 20 percent last year.
The Virginia Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, which for the last four years has tracked job-related deaths in the state, said 132 people were killed in on-the-job accidents in 1995, compared with 164 in 1994.
The construction industry reported the most deaths, with 30. But that figure is down from a year-earlier 34. Gail Supan, safety director at J.M. Turner & Co. Inc. in Roanoke, said construction companies and workers are more safety-conscious than they were five years ago.
"You have to get people oriented in this," she said. "And that takes a little time. But I see a definite change."
For some contractors, especially small ones with limited budgets, safety has been a cost issue, she said. But that's changing, too.
"It's so competitive now, in our work," Supan said. "But people are finding out that there are other ways of doing things that can save you time and money but are also safe."
Transportation accidents were the most common cause of death last year, with 60 fatalities. Half occurred on highways; 15 involved truck drivers. In 1994, 71 people were killed in transportation incidents.
Although the most recent census shows a marked decline in fatalities, the Labor and Industry Department isn't drawing any conclusions about workplace safety issues yet, said spokeswoman Nancy Jakubec, because the survey's four-year history hasn't provided enough time for trends to emerge.
The census was conducted in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by staff: Virginia fatal occupational injuries. KEYWORDS: MGR FATALITYby CNB