In North Carolina, Latinos make up just over one in 10 residents, yet they account for between 15% and 23% of workplace deaths, according to recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2022 to 2024.

The disparity shows that although the Latino population is a minority in the state, Latino workers are dying on the job at a significantly higher rate.

Fatal workplace injuries totaled 196 cases in North Carolina in 2024, including 30 reported Latino workers, representing 15% of all workplace deaths, according to the latest report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, released in March.

Overall Increase in Worker Fatalities

In the reporting.Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee said the number of work-related deaths in the state increased 10.7% compared to the 177 fatalities recorded in 2023.

According to the report, the fatal workplace injury rate was 4.1 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers (FTE) in 2024, up from a rate of 3.7 in 2023.

Nationwide, there were 5,070 workplace deaths in 2024, a 4.0% decrease from the 5,283 reported in 2023. These figures come from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

Double Vulnerability

Between 2017 and 2024, there were 8,881 Latino worker deaths from occupational causes nationwide, rising from 903 to 1,229 per year, according to data from the National Safety Council (NSC) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Although growth has slowed, fatalities increased by 13% between 2017 and 2019, then by 1.5% in 2020. In 2021 and 2022, they rose by 5% and 10%, respectively, reaching approximately 1,200 deaths annually, said Jhon Quintero Bonilla, director of public relations at Quiroga Law Office.

“After a serious accident or death, some families choose not to report it because they fear immigration consequences or losing their source of income,” he said.

“This creates a double vulnerability: They are not only dealing with the loss or injury, but also with barriers to accessing justice and compensation,” said Héctor Quiroga of Quiroga Law Office.

Focus on Prevention and Compliance

In 2024, transportation incidents accounted for 33% of cases (407 deaths), followed by falls, slips and trips at 24% (298 cases), and contact with objects or equipment at 18% (217 cases). Together, these categories represented 75% of all workplace deaths.

For attorney Quiroga, “when incidents stem from repeated patterns, the focus should be on prevention and effective enforcement of safety standards, but also on creating safe conditions so workers and their families can report concerns without fear.”

Which Industries Carry the Greatest Risk?

BLS reports show that the leading causes of fatal workplace injuries continue to be:

• Falls under construction
• Transportation accidents
• Heavy machinery incidents
• Exposure to hazardous environments

Latino workers remain disproportionately represented in:

• Roofing felt
• Structural construction
• Agriculture
• Landscaping
• Transportation
• Industrial processing

PODCAST

After the storm

A year ago, Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina. The Latino community responded with something stronger than the storm: solidarity. 

🎧 In this episode, learn how Latino organizations transformed crisis into resilience.

▶️Press play to listen!

Republish This Story

Republish our stories for free on your website or newspaper. We follow the Creative Commons license. Click the box and follow the instructions.

close window

Republish this article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

"This article may be republished for free under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Enlace Latino NC authorizes the reproduction of this content in newspapers and digital platforms, provided that the integrity of the text is maintained and that it is cited Enlace Latino NC and the author of the story to be republished as the primary source. If you publish the story in a digital news outlet or website, you must include a link to our website: www.enlacelatinonc.org

If you wish to make edits to the content to be republished, please contact our editorial team at walter@enlacelatinonc.org to obtain the corresponding permit."

Nearly One in Four Workplace Deaths Involve Latinos in North Carolina

by Walter Gomez, Enlace Latino NC
June 8, 2026

Enlace Latino NCJune 8, 2026 In North Carolina, Latinos make up just over one in 10 residents, yet they account for between 15% and 23% of workplace deaths , according to recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2022 to 2024. The disparity shows that although the Latino population is a minority in the state, Latino workers are dying on the job at a significantly higher rate. Fatal workplace injuries totaled 196 cases in North Carolina in 2024, including 30 reported Latino workers, representing 15% of all workplace deaths, according to the latest report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, released in March. Overall Increase in Worker Fatalities In the report , Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee said the number of work-related deaths in the state increased 10.7% compared to the 177 fatalities recorded in 2023. According to the report, the fatal workplace injury rate was 4.1 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers (FTE) in 2024, up from a rate of 3.7 in 2023. Nationwide, there were 5,070 workplace deaths in 2024, a 4.0% decrease from the 5,283 reported in 2023. These figures come from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). Double Vulnerability Between 2017 and 2024, there were 8,881 Latino worker deaths from occupational causes nationwide, rising from 903 to 1,229 per year, according to data from the National Safety Council (NSC) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Although growth has slowed, fatalities increased by 13% between 2017 and 2019, then by 1.5% in 2020. In 2021 and 2022, they rose by 5% and 10%, respectively, reaching approximately 1,200 deaths annually, said Jhon Quintero Bonilla, director of public relations at Quiroga Law Office. “After a serious accident or death, some families choose not to report it because they fear immigration consequences or losing their source of income,” he said. “This creates a double vulnerability: They are not only dealing with the loss or injury, but also with barriers to accessing justice and compensation,” said Héctor Quiroga of Quiroga Law Office. Focus on Prevention and Compliance In 2024, transportation incidents accounted for 33% of cases (407 deaths), followed by falls, slips and trips at 24% (298 cases), and contact with objects or equipment at 18% (217 cases). Together, these categories represented 75% of all workplace deaths. For attorney Quiroga, “when incidents stem from repeated patterns, the focus should be on prevention and effective enforcement of safety standards, but also on creating safe conditions so workers and their families can report concerns without fear.” Which Industries Carry the Greatest Risk? BLS reports show that the leading causes of fatal workplace injuries continue to be: Falls under construction Transportation accidents Heavy machinery incidents Exposure to hazardous environments Latino workers remain disproportionately represented in: Roofing Structural construction Agriculture Landscaping Transportation Industrial processing This <a target="_blank" href="https://enlacelatinonc.org/nearly-one-in-four-workplace-deaths-involve-latinos-in-north-carolina/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://enlacelatinonc.org">Enlace Latino NCand is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: "https://enlacelatinonc.org/nearly-one-in-four-workplace-deaths-involve-latinos-in-north-carolina/", urlref: window.location.href }); } }

Copy to clipboard

1