Bear Death Part of Higher Wyoming Workplace Fatality Rate

Associated Press

RIVERTON, Wyo. — A bear mauling death in Fremont County is among 37 workplace fatalities counted in Wyoming last year.

The Wyoming Workforce Services report says the number of workplace deaths in 2014 was a sharp increase from 2013, when 26 workplace deaths were recorded.

One fatality lists a man who died of a bear attack in a national forest. Authorities have reported a bear killed 31-year-old Adam Stewart Sept. 4, 2014, in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in northwest Wyoming. Stewart was monitoring vegetation for an ecological consulting firm at the time.

State epidemiologist Meredith Towle tells The Ranger (http://bit.ly/1QMyYFB) that the increase is reason for concern.

Wyoming has implemented initiatives to improve workplace safety in recent years, and Towle says the work needs to continue and improve.