According to recent data, companies throughout New Hampshire have done an excellent job fending off workplace deaths. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries stated that in 2010, New Hampshire had the least amount of workplace injuries resulting in death in the entire country. New Hampshire also recorded the lowest amount of deaths in the workplace since the United States Bureau of Labor started to keep track of such statistics in 1992.

But, that's not to say that New Hampshire has rid itself of these deaths all together, leaving room for additional progress. In 2010, five men suffered workplace fatalities. That slightly improved upon the previous year that saw six deaths in the workplace. New Hampshire has come a long way since earlier years, particularly 1997 and 1998. Both years saw 23 people die on the job. This was the highest total recorded in New Hampshire.

Two of New Hampshire's workplace deaths this year came via an explosion at a factory that produces substitutes for gunpowder. The explosion also injured another, which prompted an investigation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The organization noticed that workers at the factory were forced to improperly handle gunpowder. OSHA buried the company under citations that totaled $1.2 million in fines. The factory eventually shut down and its owner was never allowed to produce explosive products since.

Another New Hampshire workplace death occurred when a paper roller machine killed an employee at a paper mill. OSHA fined the paper mill $288,000 for forcing the man to feed the machine by hand.

Large states like Texas and California topped this year's list for most workplace fatalities with 456 and 302 deaths respectively. In the New England region, Massachusetts and Connecticut led the way in this tragic category with 51 and 49 deaths respectively.

Source: New Hampshire Business Review, "N.H. workplace deaths lowest in U.S. in 2010," Kathleen Callahan, Dec. 16, 2011