A 17-year-old on June 22 became the 14th person to die on the job in Michigan this year, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration said on June 24.
MIOSHA said the fatality was the third in one week in Michigan and the third in June.
The teen was hired to cut up a fallen tree at a “residential location” in Muskegon, MIOSHA said in a release.
The homeowner later found found the victim next to their chainsaw “with a laceration to their neck,” the release said. No other information was released.
In 2024, Michigan saw 12 worker deaths in the first six months of the year — one in June — while 17 workers died through June 2023.
There were 36 MIOSHA-related deaths in 2023 and 31 overall in 2024. 2009 saw the lowest number with 24.
“Employers and employees are urged to use extreme care and safety diligence in all work activities,” MIOSHA said in an email. “Every life is precious. Our mutual goal must be that every employee goes home at the end of every shift.”
What to know about worker safety in Michigan.
How many on-the-job deaths have happened in Michigan in 2025?
According to MIOSHA, in addition to the latest fatality, the following deaths have occurred in 2025:
Michigan worker deaths in recent years
The number of workers killed on the job by year:
How many workers died in 2024 nationally?
In fiscal year 2024, federal OSHA investigated 826 worker deaths, an 11% reduction from 928 in the previous year, the agency said. Excluding COVID-related deaths, fiscal 2024 was the lowest number of worker fatalities OSHA has been mandated to investigate since 2017.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Teen cutting up tree is latest on-the-job fatality in Michigan. What we know
Reporting by Dan Basso, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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