A total of 4,836 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2015, a slight increase from the 4,821 fatal injuries reported in 2014, according to a report released last Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Although the rates have been falling in the last five years, the report outlines that fatal injuries involving Hispanic or Latino workers rose 12 percent in 2015 to 903 fatalities, up from 804 in 2014. The Hispanic or Latino worker rate also rose from 3.7 to 4.0 per 100,000 full-time workers in 2015 and was the highest rate among the racial/ethnic groups for which rates are calculated.  Specifically, the number of fatally-injured workers born in Mexico rose 22 percent in 2015 to 415 cases from 340 in 2014.

The leading cause to the most fatal work injuries involved transportation incidents: roadway incidents were up 9 percent in 2015, and accounted for 26 percent of all fatal work injuries. For non-roadway fatalities in 2015, the most frequent vehicle involved was a farm tractor.  

Falls, slips and trips made up the next most common major cause of workplace fatalities, resulting in 800 deaths last year.

The number of work-related suicides dropped to 229 in 2015 from 280 in 2014, that is a 18 per cent less. However, homicides grew 2 per cent from 2014 to 2015.