West Virginia
West Virginia ranks second in the nation for workplace fatality rate. Cuts could make it worse.
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.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history, compiled by the West Virginia Humanities Council from its online encyclopedia, e-WV.
April 19, 1896: Writer Melville Davisson Post was born in Harrison County. His best-known works are the Randolph Mason series, published in three volumes, and the more successful collection Uncle Abner: Master of Mysteries.
April 19, 1902: Author Jean Lee Latham was born in Buckhannon. She wrote a number of children’s books, including Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, which won the 1956 Newbery Award.
April 20, 1823: Gen. Jesse Lee Reno was born in Wheeling. He graduated from West Point in 1846 with another cadet from western Virginia, Thomas J. Jackson, later known as “Stonewall.” Reno was the highest-ranking officer from present West Virginia killed in the Civil War.
April 20, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation that in 60 days, West Virginia would become a state. The occasion was marked 100 years later during the state’s Centennial celebration with a special ceremonial session of the West Virginia Legislature on April 20, 1963, in Wheeling.
April 20, 1909: Fiddler Melvin Wine was born near Burnsville in Braxton County. A favorite of old-time music enthusiasts nationally, he was chosen as a National Heritage Fellow in 1991 by the National Endowment for the Arts — the highest recognition given to a folk artist in the United States.
April 20, 1939: Poet Irene McKinney was born in Belington, Barbour County. Gov. Gaston Caperton appointed her state poet laureate in 1993, and she served in that capacity until her death in 2012.
April 21, 1908: Musician Phoeba Cottrell Parsons was born in Calhoun County. Parsons’ traditional clawhammer banjo style, unaccompanied ballad singing, riddles and storytelling have influenced countless younger musicians.
April 21, 1936: President Franklin Roosevelt established the Jefferson National Forest. The West Virginia portion of the forest includes about 19,000 acres in Monroe County.
April 22, 1908: Marshall “Little Sleepy” Glenn was born in Elkins. Glenn coached basketball at West Virginia University from 1934 to 1938 and football from 1937 to 1940. He was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.
April 22, 1948: Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and musician Larry Groce was born in Dallas, Texas. He is best known as the longtime host and artistic director of the Mountain Stage radio program.
April 22, 2003: Activist Judy Bonds, a Raleigh County native, received the Goldman Environmental Prize for her fight against mountaintop removal mining. Her efforts inspired thousands and turned a local West Virginia issue into a national cause.
April 23, 1857: Andrew S. Rowan was born in Gap Mills, Monroe County. Rowan, a military officer, was chosen as the messenger when President William McKinley wanted to send a message to Cuban Gen. Calixto Garcia during the Spanish-American War. The 1899 pamphlet A Message to Garcia made the incident famous.
April 24, 1865: McNeill’s Rangers surrendered to Union troops at New Creek — now Keyser. The Confederate guerrilla force probably never numbered more than 100 men at any time but managed to inflict regular damage on Union operations.
April 25, 1863: In what became known as the Jones-Imboden Raid, about 1,500 Confederate soldiers under Gen. William “Grumble” Jones advanced through Greenland Gap, a deep pass through New Creek Mountain in present Grant County. The Confederates encountered 87 Union soldiers who held off several assaults before finally surrendering.
April 25, 1923: Union leader Arnold Ray Miller was born at Leewood on Cabin Creek in Kanawha County. In December 1972, he defeated Tony Boyle to become president of the United Mine Workers and served until 1979.
e-WV is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council. For more information, contact the council at 1310 Kanawha Blvd. E., Charleston, WV 25301, call 304-346-8500 or visit wvencyclopedia.org.
During the Gold-Blue spring game on Saturday, the West Virginia coaching staff named wide receiver Cyrus Traught the recipient of the 2026 Tommy Nikolich Award.
The award, which is always given out at the end of spring ball, recognizes a walk-on team member who has distinguished himself through his attitude and work ethic. The award is presented in memory of Tommy Nickolich, a former WVU player (1980-82) who passed away from cancer in 1983.
Traugh is a Parkersburg native and graduate of Parkersburg South High School. He began his career at Youngstown State before transferring back home to play for the Mountaineers last season. In his final year with the Penguins, he logged 36 receptions, 409 yards, and a team-leading five touchdowns, two of which came against Pitt.
During the 2025 campaign with the Mountaineers, he saw action against Robert Morris and Kansas, playing 10 snaps against the Jayhawks, but did not record any stats.
Head coach Rich Rodriguez has mentioned him twice this spring as someone who has been doing some good things and making progress. Wide receivers coach Ryan Garrett also showed him some love during his press conference last week.
The Mountaineers completely revamped the wide receiver room this offseason, upping the level of talent at both inside and outside receiver spots, but perhaps Traugh can work his way into the mix if he puts together a strong summer and fall camp. If he’s not a regular in the rotation, he’ll serve as a quality depth piece who can play special teams.
Past Nickolich Award winners:
2025: Clay Ash, RB
2024: Avery Wilcox, S
2023: C.J. Cole, WR
2022: Nick Malone, OL
2021: Graeson Malashevich, WR/H
2020: Osman Kamara, S
2019: Jake Abbott, LB
2018: Evan Staley, K
2017: Nick Meadows, LS
2016: Jon Lewis, DL
2015: Justin Arndt, LB
2014: Michael Calicchio, OL
2013: Connor Arlia, WR
2012: Tyler Anderson, DE
2011: Ryan Nehlen, WR
2010: Matt Lindamood, FB
2009: Josh Taylor, DL
2008: Adam Hughes, LS
2007: Andy Emery, LB
2006: Tim Lindsey, LS
2005: George Shehl, H/DB
2004: Jeff Noechel, LB
2003: John Pennington, WR
2002: Moe Fofana, RB
2001: Jeremy Knapp, TE
2000: Ben Collins, LB
1999: Bryan Lorenz, LB
1998: Mark Corman, TE
1997: David Lightcap, DB
1996: Matt Ceresa, OL
1995: Rob Keys, DB
1994: Randy Fulmore, DB
1993: Matt McCulty, WR
1992: Brett Parise, WR, Ray Wilcox, LB
1991: Keith Taparausky, RB
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