N.J. tops ‘Safest State To Work In’ list

Have you ever thought about how physically dangerous it is to go to work? For some, it’s a daily reality, and for those living in New Jersey, apparently not so much.

According to Business.org, after analyzing the most recent data on the increase of fatal and non-fatal accidents across the United States, New Jersey is second safest state to work in.

More than 5,000 people suffer fatal work injuries every year, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As a business owner, data like this can be an important factor to decide things such as how much workers compensation coverage is needed.

In New Jersey:

• In 2016, there were 101 fatalities;
• In 2017, there were 69 fatalities;
• From 2016-2017, there was a 31.7% decrease in work fatalities;
• The state scored a total of 97.2 out of 100, resulting in the #2 score.

Here are the Top 10 safest states to work in:

1. New Hampshire;
2. New Jersey;
3. Rhode Island;
4. Nevada;
5. Delaware;
6. California;
7. Connecticut;
8. Hawaii;
9. Washington;
10. Virginia.

It’s interesting to note that higher populated states like California (No. 6 safest) and New York are more safe than their less-densely populated counterparts like North Dakota (No. 1 most dangerous) and Alaska (No 2. most dangerous).

More findings:

• California had 376 work fatalities in 2017;
• Vermont saw a 120% increase in fatal accidents from 2016 to 2017, making it the third-most dangerous state to work in;
• North Dakota is the No. 1 most dangerous state to work in, with 38 deaths in 2017. Meaning 6.6 out of every 100,000 workers experience fatal accidents.

Here are the Top 10 most dangerous states to work in:

1. North Dakota;
2. Alaska;
3. Vermont;
4. South Dakota;
5. Mississippi;
6. Wyoming;
7. Montana;
8. District of Columbia;
9. West Virginia;
10. Louisiana.

Business.org said it used BLS data to look at the number of fatal workplace injuries per 100,000 residents 18 and older (75%) with a lower value positively impacting the score. The company also factored in the percent of change from 2017 to 2017 with a lower value positively impacting the score.