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State workplace-safety inspectors investigated a higher-than-average number of fatal accidents last year.

The increase troubles union leaders, who today are marking Workers Memorial Day.

The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigated 31 fatal workplace accidents in 2007, including four in the Tucson area. The eight-year average is 29 fatalities per year.

Falls and accidents in which a worker was crushed or struck by something were the leading causes of fatal work accidents in Arizona.

The Tucson fatalities included two falls from 8-foot stepladders and one slip on a wet floor.

Those incidents show that safety can be taken for granted when performing routine workplace tasks, said Darin Perkins, director of the safety division.

"It's important to take a moment to assess the work we're about to perform to make sure we're going to do it correctly and safely," he said.

In many of the fatal accidents, employers had not provided the necessary safety training to the workers, records show.

Workers Memorial Day has been marked by the AFL-CIO for 20 years to remember those injured or killed at work. As part of the observance, some local union members are wearing stickers today with slogans such as "Mourn for the Dead, Fight for the Living" or "Good Jobs, Safe Jobs — It's Time."

The AFL-CIO has been critical of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Mine Safety and Health Administration.

"They've cut enforcement and staff levels, and turned to voluntary programs for employers," said Jack Duffy, field director for the Pima Area Labor Federation. Additionally, he said, "the fines they administer to employers for infractions are very minimal."

The average fine for a fatal accident was $10,133 nationwide, according to an AFL-CIO analysis.

Here are the victims of last year's fatal accidents investigated by the Southern Arizona office of ADOSH, which covers incidents south of Maricopa County, and the outcomes of the state investigations:

● John Andrews, 47, an electronics technician for Pima County, died when he fell from a ladder while repairing a fire curtain at the Dr. Herbert K. Abrams Public Health Center, 3950 S. Country Club Road.. Pima County paid a reduced fine of $1,687.50.

● Eugene "Sonny" Campas, 60, an employee of K & K Staffing, died after falling from a ladder during a renovation project in a local building. Partners Management & Consultants Inc., which managed the building, was fined $1,000.

● Fernando Alvarez Gonzalez, 29, an employee of Fusion Engineering LLC, died of asphyxiation from sewer gases while working in a manhole in Casa Grande. The company was fined $198,500.

● Sgt. Tate Lynch, 36, of the Casa Grande Police Department, died when he fell during a SWAT team rappelling exercise at the county jail in Florence. The agency was fined $14,000.

● Stan Nye, 74, a local avionics technician at 360 Corp., died after an airplane fell on him while he was working under it. The case is still under review.

● Abel Plaza, 51, head mechanic at Zeller's Excavating and Paving in San Luis, was crushed by a tractor he was working on when the hydraulic system unexpectedly engaged. The company was fined $8,850.

● Sheila Kay Ross, 47, an independent truck driver, died of asphyxiation when she was caught between loads of lettuce in a truck in Yuma. Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc.'s $9,000 fine was eliminated in a settlement.

● Hermelinda Ruiz, 51, a crop harvester for Garcia Farming & Harvesting Inc., was killed when a tractor ran over her at Eli Ranch in Somerton. The fine was reduced to $5,250.

● Norma Vejar, 58, a housekeeper at Tucson Country Club, died when she slipped on a wet floor in a locker room. No fines were issued.