Could going green and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels reduce workplace injuries?

Quite possibly, according to a study published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin compared workplace injury risks for workers in renewable energy industries compared to traditional fossil fuel industries.

Their findings? Switching to renewable energy could prevent 1,300 worker energy deaths over the next decade and also reduce the number of workplace injuries for the industry.

Jobs, such as mining, that associated with the energy industry are extremely dangerous and account for thousands of workplace deaths, workplace injuries and occupational illnesses every year. For instance, only agriculture is more dangerous and deadly than mining.

[Researchers] examined the human health risks associated with traditional fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, relative to renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and biomass. Wind and solar energy appeared to offer less risk of workplace injury and death than traditional fossil fuel industries, as the dangerous energy extraction phase is minimized or eliminated in wind or solar energy production. Biomass, comprised of biofuels, organic waste, and wood derived fuels, currently accounts for more than half of US energy renewable consumption and does not appear to offer a significant safety benefit to US workers relative to fossil fuels.

“The energy sector remains one of the most dangerous industries for US workers. A transition to renewable energy generation utilizing sources such as wind and solar could potentially eliminate 1300 worker deaths over the coming decade,” says Dr. [Steven] Sumner.

A common rap against renewable energy is that it is more costly to produce. But this new research actually shows that when the hidden costs of energy production (worker injuries and deaths, environmental costs, etc.) are taken into account, those savings evaporate.

Risk of workplace injury and death among energy workers is a hidden cost of energy production, known as an externality of energy. Externalities of energy production include a whole host of problems from damage to the general environment to adverse effects on human health caused by pollution to injury and death among workers in the energy sector.

The researchers reviewed the occupational cost of energy production in the traditional and new energies and noted that while fossil fuel energies have historically been priced lower than renewable energies, the additional hidden costs, or externalities of energy, especially adverse effects on human health have often not been taken into account.