May 1, 2026 - West Virginia remains one of the most dangerous places in the country to work, according to labor leaders citing a recent national report.

A study from the AFL-CIO ranks West Virginia seventh in the nation for workplace deaths. West Virginia AFL-CIO President Josh Sword said the ranking reflects a long-standing trend.

“I think it’s consistent with what we’ve seen throughout our history, quite frankly, that West Virginia is one of the most dangerous places to work,” Sword said. “The proof is in the professions and jobs that have higher rates of injury and death.”

The report analyzes data from recent years, but Sword said workplace incidents continue to occur across the state. He pointed to the chemical spill in Institute just weeks ago as an example of ongoing safety concerns.

“It’s a perfect example of why this report is important,” Sword said. “There have been proposals to completely eliminate the Chemical Safety Board, which is responsible for going in and making sure workplaces are safe in real time.”

Concerns are also growing over potential federal policy changes. Discussions about rolling back safety regulations and downsizing agencies that investigate unsafe working conditions have raised alarms among labor advocates.

“We need to make sure that the budget Congress adopts fully funds these agencies so we can protect every worker,” Sword said. “We also need to build upon the foundation of safety standards that exist in federal and state law today.”

West Virginia has historically led the nation in coal mining fatalities. While improvements have been made in recent years, advocates say more progress is needed.

“Each life lost is a preventable tragedy,” workers’ rights attorney and mining safety advocate Sam Petsonk said. “Mining has always been risky, but we’ve learned a great deal about how to engineer against that risk.”

Petsonk noted that the AFL-CIO data does not account for miners suffering from long-term illnesses such as black lung or silicosis, which remain significant concerns in the industry.

“Miners face the greatest risk from black lung and silicosis,” he said. “How are we failing to save these lives when we know how to do it? We had a rule in place just a year ago that would have helped, and now the Department of Labor is not even fighting to defend it.”

Sword said more must be done at both the state and federal levels to improve workplace safety.

“Our fellow West Virginians are working, and we need to make sure they have the right protections,” he said. “They deserve to go home to their families at the end of the day, just like we do.”