Mondays are hard on everybody, but statistically will likely be worse if you work in North Dakota. That’s the state where you’re most likely to be hurt at work, according to data analyzed by personal injury lawyers Triumph Law, P.C.
The firm took a look at Occupational Safety and Health Administration data from all 50 states, and determined the Peace Garden State had 2.77 injuries or even worker deaths per 100,000 hours worked from 2020 through 2022. The firm says North Dakota accrued some 564 million hours worked in that period, racking up some 15,638 work-related deaths, injuries or illnesses.
Coming in second was Montana, with 2.62 deaths and/or injuries and illnesses from work per 100,000 hours; Washington was a close third with 2.61.
Rhode Island was fourth on the list with 2.5/100,000 hours, and Vermont rounded out the top five with 2.4/100,000 hours.
According to the law firm’s data, the safest state to work was Utah, with just 0.4 incidents per 100,000 hours worked.
While you might not be a professional logger or oil roughneck — as those in the rankings’ most dangerous states are — your safety should be your employer’s top concern, says one of the firm’s attorneys, Robert Carichoff. “Hopefully, this research will encourage employers in these states to ensure all of the correct safety measures are in place. This will not only benefit the employees, but will also prevent loss of revenue to the company through lost working days if employees were to be injured,” he says.
Methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.