LITTLE ROCK — On-the-job deaths in Arkansas climbed by 6 percent in 2011, even though the nation as a whole saw work-related fatalities decline by 2 percent, according to state and federal labor department reports.

One reason for the disparity is that Arkansas has higher concentrations of jobs that tend to result in deaths or injuries to workers, according to a federal Bureau of Labor Statistics economist. Among them is transportation work, where more than half of Arkansas’ job fatalities occurred last year.

An Arkansas Department of Labor report shows 93 workers died on the job in 2011, up from 88 in the state the previous year. Nationwide, job deaths dropped to 4,609 last year, from 4,690 in 2010.

Fifty of Arkansas’ worker fatalities, or 54 percent, were the result of transportation sector events, according to a news release from the state labor department.

“I don’t think most people realize that transportation fatalities are almost always the leading cause of on-the-job worker death everywhere,” said Cheryl Abbott, regional economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics office in Dallas.

About 5.3 percent of Arkansas’ total employment is in the transportation sector, compared with a national figure of 3.8 percent, she said.

“Transportation incidents led all fatality events for the 18th year in a row in Arkansas,” according to a news release from the state labor department, which worked in cooperation with the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Thirty-six were roadway instances that included collisions with other vehicles, a vehicle striking objects on the side of road, or a vehicle jackknifing or overturning in the roadway, the release said.

Arkansas also has one of the nation’s highest concentrations of manufacturing employment, which also has a relatively high fatality and injury rate. The state is tied with Michigan for fourth-highest in concentration of manufacturing jobs, Abbott said.

“Your state does tend to have a higher concentration [of employment] in a number of industries that tend to be more dangerous: mining and logging, for instance, and manufacturing, agriculture and transportation,” Abbott said.

Other on-the-job fatalities in Arkansas last year, according to the state labor department report, were:

Eleven killed after being struck with objects or equipment. Five of those were hit by a falling object or equipment.

Six killed in falls.

Fourteen died from exposure to harmful environments or substances, including six electrocutions and five heat strokes.

Eleven died as a result of violence or injuries from people or animals. Those deaths included nine intentional injuries such as shootings, stabbings or assaults by vehicle.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t release information about individual worker deaths and injuries. However, the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration posts a weekly summary of fatalities at U.S. jobs. Both agencies are part of the U.S.Department of Labor.

A look at OSHA’s weekly report for Aug. 13, 2011, for example, shows four Arkansas workers died while at work. Two died in Helena-West Helena in a roofing accident when their aluminum ladder came in contact with an overhead power line. One died from a possible heat-related illness after working on a sawmill machine, and a road worker who was bent over marking a road was killed when a grader backed over him.

Final fatality counts for 2011 and the rate of job-related fatalities in Arkansas and other states won’t be available until April.

In 2010, Arkansas ranked seventh nationwide in the rate of fatalities according to hours worked, the federal agency’s survey showed. The rate that year for Arkansas was 7.6 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. The highest rate was in West Virginia at 13.7; the lowest was New Hampshire at 0.9.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles a census of all fatal worker injuries each year, the agency said. The information comes from sources such as death certificates, workers’ compensation reports, and other records from state and federal agencies.

Injury and illness rates, by contrast, are estimates. The agency conducts random samples of private and public industries. In Arkansas, more than 4,000 employers are surveyed each year.

In 2011, the rate of workplace injuries and illnesses was slightly lower in Arkansas than nationally, according to the state labor department. Arkansas recorded 3.6 illnesses and injuries per 100 workers last year, up from 3.4 in 2010. Nationally, the total injury and illness rate was 3.8 per 100 workers.

“Arkansas is not an exact match for what’s going on nationwide. But Arkansas also has an economy that is very different from the national average,” Abbott said.

Business, Pages 69 on 11/04/2012