Hispanic on-the-job death toll rising

WASHINGTON, July 20 (UPI) -- Deaths of Hispanic workers on the job are rising even as such deaths overall are falling in the United States, statistics indicate.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said a record 937 Hispanic workers died on the job in 2007, the most recent year for which figures are available, representing a 76 percent increase over 1992, USA Today reported Monday.

Meanwhile, the number of on-the-job fatalities overall fell from 6,217 to 5,657 in 2007, indicating that Hispanics working low-wage jobs are particularly vulnerable to fatal accidents, analysts said.

"I am particularly concerned about our Hispanic workforce, as Latinos often work low-wage jobs and are more susceptible to injuries in the workplace than other workers," U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis told USA Today. "There can be no excuses for negligence in protecting workers, not even a language barrier."

The newspaper said officials at the Dallas office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating 50 Hispanic workplace deaths in Texas alone, including an incident in which three workers fell 11 stories to their deaths from a collapsed scaffolding last month in Austin.