Although workplaces throughout the country are much safer than they were in the past, work accidents are still much more prevalent than we'd like to think.

In fact, the North Carolina Department of Labor recently announced that workplace fatalities in the state went up last year. It was reported that there were 53 workplace fatalities in 2011, which was up from 50 the year before.

Reportedly, one-third of the workplace accidents that resulted in death involved workers being struck by vehicles or equipment. Falls also continue to be a problem in many workplaces, as fall-related deaths accounted for another one-third of the fatalities.

There were also four workers who died on the job following heart-related incidents, the Department of Labor reported.

Unfortunately, these deaths show that there are still many employers who do not take workplace safety seriously enough.

As is usually the case, the construction industry saw the highest number of workplace fatalities last year with 16 deaths. This number was slightly down from 17 fatalities in 2010, but what is bothersome is that fatalities in other industries appear to be on the rise.

Fatalities in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries increased from four in 2010 to 10 in 2011, the Department of Labor reported. Fatalities increased from five in 2010 to six in 2011 in the transportation and public utility industry. The number of fatalities in government also increased from zero in 2010 to five in 2011.

"The real tragedy is that all of these fatalities could have been avoided by having proper safety and health training, which we provide free of charge," the labor commissioner said in a statement. She encouraged all employers to make use of the safety programs the state has made available.

Source: WRAL.com, "Workplace fatalities up in 2011," Jan. 13, 2012