Published November 15, 2010

The State House News Service reports workplace deaths are down in Massachusetts:

There were 59 fatal work injuries during 2009 in Massachusetts, down from 68 in 2008 and the fourth fewest workplace deaths in Massachusetts since the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking in 1992. In 1998, Massachusetts recorded 44 workplace deaths, its modern low.

These numbers are in line with a nationwide drop.

Construction falls are the No. 1 cause of death on the job in Massachusetts. In October, reporter Lisa Chedekel of the NECIR found Mass. contractors negotiated substantially reduced fines — as low as $1,500 — for workplace fatalities.