COVID was the primary cause of WA job-related deaths in 2021. Memorial set for Thursday
COVID-19 continued to be the primary cause of work-related deaths for the second year in a row, according to the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries.
L&I issued a statement Wednesday that 106 workers in total died as a result of their job in 2021. Of those, 26 deaths were related to COVID-19, after those individuals contracted the virus from their workplaces. That total was an increase from COVID-19 work-related deaths in 2020. However, fewer workers died overall in 2021 than in 2020.
“Even as we believe that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, we find ourselves looking back on another year where COVID was the leading cause of job-related deaths,” L&I director Joel Sacks said in the statement. “We will not forget those who lost their lives to COVID or other causes. We all need to do everything in our power to ensure every worker goes home safe at the end of the day.”
In an email to McClatchy, a spokesperson for L&I said that six of the workers who died from COVID-19 worked in the healthcare industry, including one at a dentist’s office. Four worked in social services including a psychiatrist, a wheelchair van driver and two caregivers. Three corrections officers and two police officers also died as a result of COVID-19 contracted on the job.
Food workers, laborers, manufacturers, an orchard worker, a retail worker, and a transit driver were also included in the breakdown.
Other “occupational illnesses” claimed the lives of another 15 workers, the agency said.
The agency said that 22 workers were killed in the construction industry in 2021, making it the most dangerous industry last year.
Agriculture deaths saw a decline from 21 killed in 2020 to 11 in 2021.
The number of workers killed in vehicle crashes totaled 21 in 2021, tripling the previous year’s number of crash-related deaths.
L&I will host its annual Worker Memorial Day ceremony virtually at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 28, to honor fallen workers. The event can be watched live on the department’s website.
The agency has hosted the event for 29 years and all are invited to attend.
Virtual attendees can expect to hear remarks from Gov. Jay Inslee, representatives from the Association of Washington Business, the Washington State Labor Council, and the Washington Self-Insurers Association. Casey Yeager, who lost their father Terry to COVID-19 contracted at his job, also will speak.
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 1:48 PM with the headline "COVID was the primary cause of WA job-related deaths in 2021. Memorial set for Thursday."
