Deborah Hull-Jilly, a program manager for occupational safety with the Epidemiology Section, said there were 64 work-related fatalities in 2001. Commercial fishing, which ranked as the state's most dangerous career choice for the year, accounted for 21 of those deaths.

"Commercial fishing is itself inherently dangerous because there's nothing between you and your environment," Hull-Jilly said.

She noted that 15 of those 21 deaths occurred in early April when the fishing vessel Arctic Rose sank near St. Paul Island.

The 64 work-related fatalities in 2001 mark an 18.5 percent increase from 2000, when there were 54 deaths. Hull-Jilly said the general trend, however, is toward a decline in fatalities since 1992.

"Realistically, our numbers are going down," she said. "If Alaskans can stay healthy and safe through December, then we could be the safest state in the country for 2002."

Hull-Jilly said there were fewer than 30 work-related fatalities in Alaska through November. The majority of the deaths occur during spring, summer and early fall; but Hull-Jilly said they can occur any time of the year, as long as Alaska industries are in swing.

"Fishing accidents can occur all year round," she said. "I sincerely hope we can stay under 30 (fatalities) this year."

That would mean fewer than 10 deaths per 100,000 workers, according to the report. It would be the lowest number since the state started its annual survey 10 years ago. In 2001, Alaska saw about 19.8 deaths per 100,000 workers.

The drop in work-related fatalities is due in part to increased safety-education efforts, Hull-Jilly said.

"The ultimate goal is to make people proactive instead of reactive," she said.

Last year alone, the state Department of Labor & Workforce Development's Division of Labor Standards and Safety acted as a consultant to more than 450 companies and trained 1,944 people in safety practices, said Rich Mastriano, the director of that division.

Cliff Hustead, the assistant chief of consultation for the state Section of Occupational Safety and Health, said available training ranges from protective equipment inspections to regulatory awareness.

"We're covering just about the entire gamut of occupational safety and health," he said.

Safety training doesn't involve only adult workers, according to Mastriano. The division offers a safety course directed at youth in the workplace.

"A lot of people (both adults and children) get out on the site and they think they're invincible," Mastriano said. "Any time you injure somebody, particularly a young person, they're going to have that for the rest of their lives."

The training program for teens put the state ahead of its time, said Hustead. The federal Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration made a priority of protecting youth in the workplace.

The division also provides on-the-job safety training and inspections through nine consultants who train the work-site overseers on proper safety. Mastriano said the program is a matter of good policy.

"It's more economical and more feasible for us," he said. "It's surprising to me that more people don't know about the train-the-trainer program."

It's all part of an effort to get the word out, Hull-Jilly said.

"It's human nature to listen to the worst-case scenario," she said, "but what we're seeing is, if people are aware of that scenario, it happens less often."

Regan Foster is a reporter for the Alaska Journal of Commerce in Anchorage.