Feds report fewer workplace deaths in New England

BOSTON (AP) - A federal agency says 136 people died in New England from work-related injuries last year, 27 fewer than in the previous year and the lowest number since it began compiling the statistics in 1992.

The 2008 preliminary figures were released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The two New England states with the largest workforces - Massachusetts and Connecticut - accounted for two-thirds of the region's occupational deaths in 2008.

Sixty-one workers died in Massachusetts, 14 fewer than in 2007. Transportation accidents accounted for 30 percent of fatalities, while falls were the second-leading cause of death at 25 percent.

Connecticut recorded 28 worker deaths, down from 38 in the previous year.

There were 24 deaths in Maine, 10 in Vermont, seven in New Hampshire and six in Rhode Island.