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Dangerous work and rapid economic expansion in Texas contributed to a decrease in safety and the state’s top spot for deaths on job, according to a study by Everly Life.
In 2024, workplace deaths in Texas reached 58 amid growing competition between the state’s massive energy, construction and logistics sectors, the data showed, while a boom in small subcontractors, many operating on thin margins, created uneven compliance with OSHA rules.
“Texas is dealing with a lot of dangerous work happening fast,” said Mariah Bliss, life insurance expert at Everly Life. “When you have oil rigs, major construction projects and small contractors trying to keep up with demand, safety can get pushed aside.”
Meanwhile, California and Florida round out the top three for workplace deaths in 2024 with 54 and 40 deaths, respectively.
Workplace deaths in California reflect the nation’s largest labor force and year-round building activity, according to Everly Life, but the state’s stronger enforcement and heat-illness standards suggest the figure could have been higher without those safeguards.
At the same time, workplace deaths in Florida are a consequence of hurricane-driven construction surges, agricultural exposure to extreme heat and a transient labor pool that is harder to reach with training.
In stark contrast, the state of New Mexico recorded no fatalities on the job in 2024, despite the state’s large oil-and-gas footprint and dangerous industries.
“When you look at Texas, California, and Florida together, that's 152 families who lost someone at work,” Bliss said. “These weren't freak accidents—they were preventable deaths that happened because the right safety measures weren't in place.”
“Companies can save lives by tracking safety issues in real time, providing proper heat and fall protection training in workers' native languages, giving crews the equipment and authority to stop dangerous work immediately, and supporting this with proper rest schedules and mental health resources,” she added. “These steps can dramatically reduce fatal accidents and make sure every worker gets home safe at the end of the day.”
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