At Least 20 Maine Workers Died from Work Related Injuries in 2024

PHOTO: Attendees at a past Workers Memorial Day dinner in Rumford displaying the names of Maine workers who died of work-related injuries.

April 28 is nationally recognized as Workers' Memorial Day, a day to remember those who have died on, or as a result of, their job.

"In 2024, at least 20 Maine workers died while either on the job, traveling to or from the job, or as a result of an injury or illness connected to their work," Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman said in a statement. “The people who died included farmers, construction workers, mail carriers, shipyard workers, road construction workers, and arborists. They were also veterans, parents, grandparents, siblings, community volunteers, musicians, hunters, fishers, and Patriots fans. Our communities benefited from the gifts they shared, and we mourn their loss.”

This week is the fifty-fourth anniversary of the federal Occupational Safety & Health Actgoing into effect, promising every worker the right to a safe job. This was following decades of tragic and preventable losses of American workers lives. In 1970, it is estimated, around 14,000 American workers were killed on the job.

Nationally in 2023, the latest year for which there is a complete record, there were 5,283 fatal work injuries, a 3.7 percent decrease from the previous year. There were 3.5 fatal injuries per 100,000 FTE workers, or one worker died every 99 minutes.