Raleigh, N.C. — A total of 35 people died in workplace-related deaths in North Carolina last year, a drop of 34 percent compared with 2011, state officials said Monday.

According to the state Department of Labor, North Carolina remains one of the top 10 safest states in the country for workers, with an injury and illness rate at an all-time low of 3.1 per 100 full-time workers.

“Last year, the Department of Labor vowed to redouble its efforts to prevent workplace accidents from happening, and we called on employers and employees across the state to recommit themselves to workplace safety and health,” Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said in a statement. “While zero is the only acceptable number, we are encouraged by a 34 percent drop and to see that our joint effort with the thousands of employers and employees made a difference.”

The 35 workplace fatalities were concentrated in 25 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Gaston, Mecklenburg and Wake counties had the most deaths with three each.
Fourteen workers died after being struck by objects, six were caught between objects, five died in falls from an elevation, four were electrocuted and six died in other events.

Men accounted for all but one workplace death, according to the state.