West Virginia had the second-deadliest workplace fatality rate in the country, behind Wyoming, according to the AFL-CIO’s annual Death on the Job report released last month. It tracks the number of workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses per state.
The state’s workplace fatality rate is twice the national average, and 58 West Virginians lost their lives on the job in 2023, up from 48 the year before.
Josh Sword, president of the West Virginia AFL-CIO, a labor union that represents more than 80,000 people in the state, said West Virginia workers are more likely to be hurt or killed due to hazardous industries like mining, manufacturing and chemical production.
“This report is just more proof we aren’t taking workplace safety seriously in this state,” he said. “Clearly, we have more work to do to protect our workers.”
Labor leaders say more workers in the state could die due to cuts by the Trump administration that undermine worker safety.
The AFL-CIO report warned that Trump “has committed to repealing multiple regulations that protect workplace safety, as well as environmental and consumer regulations that protect Americans’ health and safety.”
Already, the administration has cut staff at an agency charged with keeping West Virginians safe on the job.
The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety is expected to lose 900 employees by July. The agency conducts safety research and recommends workplace policies.
This year marks 27 years since the AFL-CIO created Workers’ Memorial Day in 1998 to honor workers who were injured or killed on the job.
On a quiet Monday afternoon last month, a crowd of nearly 100 gathered on the banks of the Ohio River to commemorate the dozens of West Virginians who died on the job last year.
“If you really, really, really want to honor these fallen workers, don’t do it in a day,” Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, said to thundering applause.
After his speech, the names of the workers who died were read aloud, each followed by a bell toll.
Federal cuts are raising concerns
Last month, two-thirds of NIOSH employees were notified they’d be laid off by the summer.
Sword said he’s witnessed a surge in rollbacks of workplace protections across states, specifically targeting training and education programs.
“The work and research being done at NIOSH has been incredibly helpful,” Sword said. “It’s saved many lives.”
The agency works directly with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which enforces workplace safety rules. OSHA oversees inspections in the state by conducting investigations.
Like 27 other states, West Virginia does not have a state-approved OSHA plan and relies on federal regulations. But the agency only had six inspectors covering the entire state last year.
A U.S. Department of Labor spokesperson said the agency sets enforcement policies for workplaces that include targeted inspection programs. The agency is also in charge of responding to any fatalities and complaints.
“OSHA is a small agency with a large mission,” they said.
OSHA staff have helped to uncover dangerous working conditions in places like Hardy County, where a poultry plant had many violations and instances of serious worker injuries.
They’ve also issued thousands of dollars in fines for over a dozen safety violations for a timber company in Petersburg, including for an incident that resulted in an amputation. The company shut down last year.
However, because of the limited number of investigators, it would take OSHA 180 years to complete an inspection of every private workplace in West Virginia at least once, according to the AFL-CIO report.
