Each year the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation partners with the Division of Labor and Industry and the U. S. Department of Labor to compile a report of all workplace accidents throughout the state. The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses gathers data on not only how workers became injured or ill, but which industries they were working in at the time of the incident. This is a massive undertaking because the SOII survey looked at an estimated 2.3 million workers throughout the state.
The latest available SOII report from 2011 says that almost 65,000 workers were reported to have suffered nonfatal work-related injuries and illnesses that year. That number represents a decline in injuries and illnesses from the previous year by 9,200. Incidentally, Maryland ranks 11 percent lower than the national average in total reported cases. The 2011 incident numbers in the SOII report was also the lowest numbers of total reported cases in Maryland in 40 years.
-- Construction in mining-related jobs in 2011 numbered 51,000 nonfatal accidents.
-- Regular construction jobs resulted in 800 nonfatal accidents in 2011.
-- Manufacturing reported 3,300 nonfatal accidents.
-- Trade, transportation and utilities reported 13,300 nonfatal accidents
-- Transportation and warehousing reported 3,100 nonfatal accidents
Certainly, this is not an exhaustive list of all the various types of industrial accidents. However, it should convey the fact that working at an industrial job in Maryland may sometimes result in you suffering an injury or illness.
Sometimes, industrial accidents are preventable such as incidents like forklift collisions due to a lack of mirrors, factory explosions because of poor storage policies and injuries caused by using defective tools or equipment. Depending on the circumstances, if you are a worker who had been injured or made ill by a negligent employer, you may be entitled to sue those responsible for compensation of your injuries.
