More workers died on the job in North Dakota in 2006 than the year before, but the state still ranks as one of the safest places to work.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that 31 people were killed while working in North Dakota last year, compared to 22 in 2005. The total was the third-highest for the state since the bureau began tracking workplace fatalities in 1992.

Despite the increase, North Dakota had fewer on-the-job fatalities than most states. It ranked as the seventh-safest state in which to work, the bureau said.

Rhode Island, with 10 workplace fatalities in 2006, was the safest state. Texas was last, with 486 deaths.

Mark Armstrong, a spokesman for North Dakota's workers compensation agency, said the state is focused on safety. His agency, Workforce Safety and Insurance, lobbied for additional safety consultants during this year's legislative session. WSI got the go-ahead from lawmakers and is in the process of hiring five additional consultants to work with employers on safety programs.

"We're all on the same page in this, we're all working together to stop injuries from happening," Armstrong said. "There's no conflict of interest here at all for any of us.

"The best claim," Armstrong said, "is the one that never happens."

Nationally, 5,703 workers died on the job last year, down half a percent from 2005. The total was the third-lowest since the bureau's first fatality census in 1992.

In North Dakota, as with the rest of the country, highway crashes were the leading cause of employee deaths. Eight people - 26 percent of the state total - died on the highway in 2006. Seven others were killed in vehicle accidents on other surfaces.

Five workers were killed in falls, and five others were struck by objects and killed.

Data on the other causes of death wasn't immediately available.

Almost all of the deaths - 30 out of 31 - were men. The industry with the most fatalities was the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector, which had 15. Transportation incidents accounted for 10 of those 15 deaths.

In construction, falls were the most frequent fatal event, resulting in three of that industry's deaths.

Twelve of the people who were killed while working last year were self-employed.

Though it was relatively low, the 2006 fatality count was the state's highest since 2000.

Armstrong said WSI has accepted claims on seven deaths this year and is in the process of verifying five additional claims. Those 12 workplace deaths in 2007 likely wouldn't include any deaths related to agriculture, railroad workers, federal employees or those who are self-employed, because the state doesn't require people in those fields to have WSI coverage.

For more information, visit http://www.bls.gov/ro5