4500 US employees killed in 2010

More than 4,500 U.S. workers died from occupational injuries and approximately 49,000 deaths were attributed to work-related illnesses in 2010, officials say. In 2010, 4,547 U.S. workers died from occupational injuries and approximately 49,000 deaths were attributed to work-related illnesses, officials say. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported approximately 3.1 million workers in private industry and 820,000 in state and local government had a non-fatal occupational injury or illness. An estimated 2.7 million workers were treated in emergency departments for occupational injuries and illnesses, and approximately 110,000 were hospitalized, said a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Recent research estimated the cost of fatal U.S. worker injuries at $6 billion and the cost of fatal illnesses at $46 billion, but economists are working to calculate the costs associated with occupational injuries and illnesses in the United States. Non-fatal injuries and illnesses were estimated to cost $186 billion and $12 billion annually, a study in the Milbank Quarterly reported. Workers Memorial Day, set for Saturday, recognizes workers who died or sustained work-related injuries or illnesses.