China says 83,196 people lost their lives in work-related incidents last year.
China’s State Administration of Work Safety reported 380,000 incidents in the workplace that caused death or injury.
How does that stack up compared to the U.S.? To put the situation into perspective, the U.S. has a workforce of 155 million, while China has over five times that amount, at about 801 million.
The U.S. reported 5,071 worker deaths in 2008.
So the number of workplace fatalities in China is 16 times that of those in the U.S.
Approximately 14 workers die per day in the U.S. compared to 228 in China.
Coal mining accounted for 2,631 deaths last year in China — 7 deaths per day. China relies on coal for 70% of its energy needs.
One thing China and the U.S. have in common regarding this topic: Both countries’ safety agencies make sure to point out the declining number of workers dying per year. China points out it had almost 8,000 fewer worker deaths in 2009 than in 2008.
