DEADLIEST
WORKPLACE
ACCIDENTS
FROM 1860 - 2010
1860
JANUARY 10
Lawrence, Massachusetts
The Pemberton Mill, a large cotton goods factory,
collapses without warning.
145 killed
166 injured
1878
MAY 2
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Floor dust in the Washburn Mill ignites causes
an explosion that levels the seven story building.
The roof was blown hundreds of feet in the air.
1900
18 killed
MAY 1
Scofield, Utah
Twenty four kegs of black power accidentally
explode in a Pleasent Valley Coal Company.
1902
24 killed
MARCH 20
Brockton, Massachusetts
A boiler explodes at R.B. Grover Company’s
Shoe Factory. The four story building collapsed
and burst into flames.
1907
58 killed
150 injured
DECEMBER 6
Monongah, West Virginia
1911
An explosion in an underground mine kills all but
18 of the miners working that day, making it the
worst mining disaster in American history.
362 killed
MARCH 25
New York, New York
A tossed match accidentally ignites an enormous
fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.
146 killed
1917
JUNE 8
Granite Mountain, Montana
1919
A mine shaft at North Butte Mining Company
copper mine erupts into flames when a lamp
flame sets fire to uncovered insulation.
164 killed
JANUARY 15
Boston, Massachusetts
Also known as the Great Molasses Flood, a
storage tank bursts at Purity Distilling Company
and a giant wave of molasses speeds through the
neighborhood at 35 miles per hour.
21 killed
150 injured
1930s
A PERIOD OF 5 YEARS
Boulder City, Nevada
1944
During the construction of the Hoover Dam,
several die due to carbon monoxide poisoning
in the diversion tunnels.
+96 killed
JULY 17
Port Chicago, California
At a Naval Magazine, 4,600 tons of incendiary
bombs explode during ammunition loading.
320 killed
1947
APRIL 16 and 17
Texas City, Texas
The S.S. Grandcamp was holding roughly 2,300
tons of ammonium nitrate when a fire starts.
The ship explodes while in port.
1965
581 killed
AUGUST 9
Searcy, Arkansas
A rupture in the electrical system causes an
explosion in the Titan II underground missle silo.
53 killed
1987
APRIL 23
Bridgeport, Connecticut
1991
Due to structural deficiencies, a partially
constructed 16-story apartment building at
L’Ambience Plaza collapses.
28 killed
SEPTEMBER 3
Hamlet, North Carolina
An industrial fire at Imperial Foods chicken
processing plant was caused by a faulty
modification in a hydraulic line. After 11 years of
operation, the factory never received a safety
inspection.
25 killed
2010
APRIL 20
Gulf of Mexico
Methane gas shoots up a Deepwater Horizon oil
well, igniting from a spark in the rig's engines.
The explosion results in the worst oil spill in U.S.
history.
11 killed
For every 100,000 full-time equivalent workers,
3.3 people are killed due to workplace accidents.
On average, there are almost 90 workplace fatalities every week
or more than 13 deaths every day.
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