Work-related deaths were down in Colorado in 2012, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The agency said that according to preliminary data from the 2012 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 80 work-related fatalities were reported, down from 92 fatalities in 2011.
The report said transportation-related deaths continued to be the leading cause of work-related deaths in Colorado, with 32 accounting for 40 percent of the 80 deaths.
Of the 32, 20 were roadway incidents that involved autos and seven were pedestrians hit by a motor vehicle.
Transportation and material-moving occupations had the most deaths, with 20. Of these, 14 were heavy-equipment and tractor-trailer drivers.
Construction and extraction occupations were the second-most hazardous, with 19 deaths. Of these, nine were construction trade workers and five were first-line supervisors.
Protective-service occupations had 12 deaths, with seven being law enforcement workers.
Overall, 67 fatalities occurred among private industry and 13 occurred among government workers.
Men accounted for 67 worker deaths in 2012.
There were 15 deaths from violence in 2012. Of these, six were self-inflicted, intentional injuries, said the report.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939, hpankratz@denverpost.com or
