Worker Memorial Day was first declared in 1970 as a special day of remembrance by The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). It also celebrates the first day of operation by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that started operations in 1971. The United States officially started recognizing the day in 1989 by Presidential Proclamation. Worker Memorial Day is set aside to honor workers that have lost their lives on the job. It is a day recognized internationally as well. There is a slogan for Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember the Dead - Fight for the Living.

2016 data on Michigan workplace fatalities from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) reported 43 work related fatalities. 2016 is the most recent year this data is available. This is 3.5 per 100,000 workers. The national average is 3.6 per 100,000 workers.

Fatalities in Michigan are tracked by MIOSHA and several other sources, including the Employer Basic Report of Injury, Worker Disability Form 100, and MIOSHA telephone reports. A fatality in Michigan does not include deaths resulting from suicides, highway personal motor vehicle trips, in-flight aircraft accidents, and non-work-related heart attacks. This method of tracking both injuries and deaths is prescribed by Michigan law (PA 154 of 1974).

This differs from how the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks worker fatalities. A report put out by the AFL-CIO using the federal statistical count found 162 Michigan workplace deaths in 2016. A significant difference to the 43 reported by MIOSHA. The BLS fatality count comes from federal Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

The federal report fatality count covers fatalities that are outside of MIOSHA jurisdiction.

2016 workplace injuries reported in Michigan averaged 3.3 per 100 workers. This rate was above the national average of 2.9 per 100 workers. MIOSHA reported total Michigan occupational injuries and illnesses in 2016 were estimated at 105,300 injuries and 6,400 illnesses.  MIOSHA reported that injury and illness in the private sector during this time was 3.3 per 100 workers and in the public sector 4.1 per 100 workers.

The federal statistic reported 97,000 private sector injuries in Michigan. Total numbers from the federal report of Michigan public sector injuries and illnesses were not available for 2016.

A recent report put out by the AFL-CIO cites the federal fatality statistics for Michigan workplace deaths. This report was published in anticipation of Worker Memorial Day.

Source: Gongwer News Service, AFL-CIO Report Shows 162 Deaths, 97,000 Injuries Last Year

Michigan Report April 27, 2018. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2016 Non-fatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses By Industry (Case Counts).