Sixteen workers (16.5 to be precise) lost their lives on the job every day in 1999, according to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The number of fatal work injuries that occurred — 6,023 — was nearly the same as the previous year's total despite an increase in employment.

There were fewer job-related homicides and fatal electrocutions last year, but more deaths due to workers being struck by falling objects or caught in running machinery.

Highway incidents, falls, and homicides were the three leading causes of fatal work injuries. Construction employers reported the largest number of fatal work injuries for any industry and accounted for one-fifth of the fatality total.