According to a report released from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, fatalities among independent workers account for almost 12 percent of all workplace deaths in 2016-2017 and independent workers have a disproportionately higher share of fatalities due to falls, slips and trips.

Before 2016 the Bureau did not publish data that was specific to independent workers but in 2016 there were 662 fatal injuries among independent workers and 613 in 2017. They classify independent workers as those who are generally self-employed and work short-term jobs where there is no guarantee of future work beyond the task which they have chosen to take on.

Of the various industries contained within the independent worker classification tractor-trailer and heavy truck drivers had the highest number of fatal injuries between 2016 and 2017 at 173. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers had 95 fatal injuries. Construction workers, landscaping workers and tree trimmers and pruners also had high rates of fatal injuries. California and Texas had the most fatal injuries to independent workers and had the most fatal injuries to all workers in 2016 and 2017.

The BLS said it is hard to compare fatal injuries between independent workers and other workers because there is a large difference in the total number (1,275 and 9,062) but by using a propensity ratio they determined that independent workers had a higher share of fatalities due to falls, slips and trips. Violence is less frequent among independent workers as it is for other workers.

Read the full report from the BLS here.