Of all the statistics Wyoming may boast about, this certainly isn't one of them: The Cowboy State leads the nation in workplace fatalities.With 48 work-related deaths in 2007, Wyoming led the nation in workplace fatalities per 100,000 workers, according to the Associated Press.Of those 48 deaths, 21 occurred on state roads and highways.That number doesn't include people who were killed as part of their regular commute, but it does include truck drivers and workers who were killed traveling as part of their job, said Sara Saulcy, a senior economist for the Wyoming Department of Employment Research and Planning Division. The figures also include non-residents who were killed in Wyoming while they were traveling through the state for their jobs.As lawmakers finished the recent legislative session and prepare for 2010, workplace safety is among the top priorities.The Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Interim Committee will study the problem, and the governor has formed a task force to tackle the issue.While Wyoming can't change the fact that some of its leading professions are hazardous, the state can, and should, look at ways to protect employees on the job.However, it does go both ways, Saulcy said. If an employer provides safety items — such as helmets or seatbelts —it's up to the employee to wear them. It's hard to blame the employer if the worker isn't wearing a seatbelt and is killed in a wreck. Wyoming is weathering the economic storm better than most, and as a result, is attracting more workers. With an increased demand for jobs, the state's safety standards need to be strengthened.Though the Legislature won't convene until January 2010, let's hope the months leading up to the next session are productive so that workplace-safety bills are well drafted and pass conclusively.

Of all the statistics Wyoming may boast about, this certainly isn't one of them: The Cowboy State leads the nation in workplace fatalities.

With 48 work-related deaths in 2007, Wyoming led the nation in workplace fatalities per 100,000 workers, according to the Associated Press.

Of those 48 deaths, 21 occurred on state roads and highways.

That number doesn't include people who were killed as part of their regular commute, but it does include truck drivers and workers who were killed traveling as part of their job, said Sara Saulcy, a senior economist for the Wyoming Department of Employment Research and Planning Division. The figures also include non-residents who were killed in Wyoming while they were traveling through the state for their jobs.

As lawmakers finished the recent legislative session and prepare for 2010, workplace safety is among the top priorities.

The Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Interim Committee will study the problem, and the governor has formed a task force to tackle the issue.

While Wyoming can't change the fact that some of its leading professions are hazardous, the state can, and should, look at ways to protect employees on the job.

However, it does go both ways, Saulcy said. If an employer provides safety items — such as helmets or seatbelts —it's up to the employee to wear them. It's hard to blame the employer if the worker isn't wearing a seatbelt and is killed in a wreck.

Wyoming is weathering the economic storm better than most, and as a result, is attracting more workers. With an increased demand for jobs, the state's safety standards need to be strengthened.

Though the Legislature won't convene until January 2010, let's hope the months leading up to the next session are productive so that workplace-safety bills are well drafted and pass conclusively.