WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of U.S. workers killed on the job has dropped to a historic low.
A government report released Wednesday shows there were 5,488 fatal work injuries last year. That's the lowest number since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began keeping track in 1992.
There were 3.7 fatal work injuries for every 100,000 workers, the lowest annual rate ever reported by the fatality census.
The 2007 numbers represent a 6 percent drop from 5,840 deaths reported to the Labor Department in 2006.
There were increases in some types of work fatalities. The number of fatal falls on the job rose to a high of 835 in 2007, while workplace homicides increased by 13 percent.
The numbers are preliminary, with a final report on 2007 due next year.