A Bright Side of the Recession

Grim as the economic downturn has been for many workers, a fair number of them may be alive because of it. In short, the wave of layoffs that started in late 2008 and lasted through 2009 meant that there were fewer workers around to get hurt. Based on preliminary results of its census of fatal workplace injuries, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported late last week that the number of workplace deaths dropped 17% last year, to 4,340, from 5,214 in 2008.