CF AR 9/96 CWC Nat'l CFOI, 1995 

NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES, 1995
by Guy Toscano and Janice Windau

Fatal work injuries fell 6 percent in 1995 to a total of 6,210, according to the Census of Fatal 
Occupational Injuries.  Much of the decrease resulted from a 35 percent drop in the number of workers 
killed in aircraft crashes and a 19 percent drop in the number of workers killed in firearm-related 
homicides.  Most other types of fatal job-related events also declined in 1995.  Although truckdrivers 
continued to encounter the highest number of fatal work injuries of any single occupation, fishers and 
timber cutters had the highest risk of fatal injury on the job.  

This article, which is based on BLS fatality census data, describes the major types of events which resulted 
in worker fatalities and profiles the most dangerous jobs in 1995.  The BLS census, which began 
collecting data nationally in 1992, uses diverse data sources to identify, verify, and profile fatal work 
injuries.  Key information about each workplace fatality, such as occupation and other worker 
characteristics and circumstances of the event, is obtained by cross-referencing source documents, 
including death certificates, workers' compensation records, and reports to Federal and State agencies.  
This method assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible.  

Major fatal events

Highway traffic incidents and homicides led all other events that resulted in fatal work injuries in 1995.  
These two events accounted for over a third of the work injury deaths that occurred during the year.  Both
categories experienced a slight reduction in fatalities from the previous year.  (See table 1.)

Highway fatalities.  Highway traffic incidents accounted for 21 percent of the 6,210 fatal work injuries in 
1995.  Slightly over half of highway fatality victims were driving or riding in a truck.  The following tabulation
summarizes the major types of vehicles in which the worker was riding at the time of the fatal incident. 1/

        Type of vehicle                 Number          Percent

	Total highway fatalities	1,329		  100
Highway motor vehicle			1,271		   96
  Truck					  729		   55
    Semitrailer, tractor trailer	  359		   27
    Pickup truck                          136              10
  Automobile				  344		   26
  Van                                      74               6
Tractors                                   29               2
Machinery                                  20               2


About half the highway fatalities resulted from collisions between two or more vehicles.  One-fifth of the 
fatalities resulted from a crash with an object other than a vehicle, such as a tree, bridge abutment, or 
utility pole; another fifth occurred when the vehicle jackknifed or overturned.  Patterns varied 
somewhat according to the type of vehicle involved.  Collisions with other vehicles, crashes with objects 
on the side of the road, and jackknifings and overturnings contributed about equally (roughly 30 percent 
each) to the deaths of those riding in tractor trailers.  For workers killed while riding in other types of 
highway vehicles, collisions between vehicles accounted for slightly over half of the fatalities.

About two-fifths of the decedents were truckdrivers by profession with the rest scattered throughout other 
occupational groups, such as sales workers, farm occupations, police officers, and executives and 
managers.  A similar pattern is evident in the industry of the worker's employer.  One-fourth of the 
workers fatally injured in highway incidents worked in the trucking and courier service industry.  The 
remaining fatalities were widely dispersed among other industries.


Homicide.  Job-related homicide accounted for 1 of every 6 of the fatal work injuries that occurred in 1995 
and was the second leading cause of job-related deaths.  The drop in firearm-related workplace homicides 
resulted in an overall decline in job-related homicide from the 1994 total, despite the bombing of the 
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, which accounted for 12 percent of the homicide 
total in 1995.  

While three times as many male workers were murdered as female workers, homicide was the leading 
cause of job-related fatality for women, accounting for nearly half of women's fatal work injuries.  And 
homicides of female workers went up by about one third from 1994, while homicides of male workers 
went down by about one-eighth.  Because of their occupations, homicide was also the leading cause of job-
related death for the self-employed and for blacks, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics.


The table below shows the circumstances surrounding the 1,024 job-related homicides that occurred in 
1995.  

Circumstance or alleged perpetrator     Number         Percent

	Total job-related homicides	1,024	 	 100
Robberies and other crimes		  727	   	  71
Work associates				  113	   	  11
  Coworker, former coworker		   88	    	   9
  Customer, client			   25	   	   2
Police killed in the line of duty	   81	    	   8
Security guard killed in the 
   line of duty				   59	   	   6
Personal acquaintance of the victim	   44	    	   4
  Husband, boyfriend (current 
    or former)                             25              2
  Wife, girlfriend (current or former)      4              -
  Other relative or acquaintance	   15	    	   1


Most of the workplace homicides appear to result from robberies or robbery-attempts.  Typically these 
robberies involved store personnel, gas station attendants, or taxicab drivers being shot for cash receipts.  
But several workers were killed during carjackings, muggings, and robberies of goods or services, such as 
robberies of beer trucks.  One-seventh of the job-related homicide victims were police officers and security 
guards killed in the line of duty; one-eighth were victims of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal 
Building in Oklahoma City  (including some police officers).  One-tenth of the workplace homicide 
victims were killed by a current or former work associate, almost double the number from the previous 
year.  And several workers, primarily women, were killed as a result of domestic disputes that filtered into 
the workplace.

Half the victims of workplace homicide worked in either a sales occupation (such as sales clerk, retail 
store owner, or cashier) or a service-related occupation (such as police officer, security guard, or food 
preparer).  Taxicab drivers and various management-related occupations also reported high numbers of 
job-related homicides.  Although job-related homicides in retail trade dropped by 21 percent from the 
previous year, they still accounted for 41 percent of all workplace homicides in 1995.  Homicides in 
convenience and other grocery stores, eating and drinking places, and gasoline service stations 
predominated among retail establishments.  Government workers accounted for one-fifth of the homicide 
victims, twice as many as the previous year because of the Oklahoma City bombing.


Falls.   Falls accounted for 10 percent of the fatal work injuries in 1995.  The demographics of those 
sustaining fatal falls mirrored those of all workers fatally injured during the year.  They were 
overwhelmingly white, male, wage and salary workers and most were in their prime working ages (25 to 
54 years old).  One-fourth of the fatal fall victims, however, were 55 years and older--double that 
age group's share of the work force.

Not surprisingly, falls accounted for about one-third of the fatal injuries to construction workers, given 
that working at elevations is common for several of the construction trades, such as roofers and structural 
metal workers.  The construction industry as a whole accounted for half of the fatal falls, compared with a 
sixth of all fatal work injuries and about a twentieth of the total work force.  Agriculture forestry, and 
fishing, manufacturing, and services each contributed about one-tenth of the fatal falls to workers.

The following table summarizes the types of falls resulting in fatal work injury in 1995.

	Type of fall					Number Percent

        Total falls                                       643     100
Fall to lower level					  573	   89
  From roof                                               142      22
  From ladder						   97	   15
  From scaffold, staging				   82	   13
  From floor, dock, or ground level			   33	    5
  From building girder or structural steel                 33       5
  From nonmoving vehicle				   32	    5
  Down stairs or steps					   16	    2
Fall on same level					   50	    8
  To floor, walkway, or other surface                      31       5
  Onto or against objects				   12	    2
Other or unspecified					   20	    3


While fatal job-related falls were down from 1994, falls from or through roofs rose slightly 
during 1995, accounting for about one-fifth of the fatal falls to workers.  Working on roofs 
poses a variety of fall hazards.  Workers can fall through an existing roof opening, through 
the roof surface itself, through a skylight, or off the roof edge. 2/

Fatal injuries due to falls from ladders also rose slightly during 1995 and accounted for about 
one-seventh of the total.  Falls from scaffolding or staging resulted in another seventh of the 
fatal falls to workers; and falls from building girders or other structural steel, falls from nonmoving 
vehicles, and falls to walkways on the same level as the worker each accounted for about 5 percent of 
the total.

Workers struck by objects.  Nine percent of the fatally injured workers were struck by objects, such as 
falling trees, machinery that had slipped into gear, and building materials.  Fatalities from these types 
of incidents were at their lowest level since the fatality census began in 1992.  Excluded from this category 
are transportation incidents that occur under normal operation of the vehicle, such as a worker struck by a 
vehicle backing up on a construction site.  The category does, however, include instances where a vehicle coasts, 
rolls, slips into gear, or falls off a jack.

Over three-fifths of the "struck by" fatalities resulted from the worker being struck by a falling object, 
such as a tree being cut down, a cinder block falling off a construction scaffold, or a vehicle falling 
off a jack during repair.  Another eighth resulted from flying objects, such as when an object becomes dislodged 
or is discharged from a machine.  Examples of these types of incidents include a bullet accidentally discharging 
from a gun or a metal fragment dislodging from a lathe.  Another eighth of the "struck by" 
fatalities occurred when the worker was struck by a rolling object on the floor or ground level, such as a tractor 
that is being jumpstarted slips into gear.

Trees and tree branches accounted for one-fourth of the objects which fatally struck workers, more than any other 
single source.  Machines and vehicles together accounted for about one-third of the objects, and building materials, 
such as lumber, bricks, and pipes, accounted for about one-eighth.

Almost a third of the fatalities occurred to workers in various manufacturing industries, half of which were in 
logging.  Agriculture, forestry, and fishing and construction each accounted for almost one-fifth of the "struck 
by" fatalities.

Electrocutions.   Contact with electric current accounted for 6 percent of the worker deaths in 1995.  While 
most other major fatal event categories declined in number from the 1994 total, job-related electrocutions remained 
virtually at the same level as last year.  Two-fifths of these fatalities resulted from the worker or equipment 
being used coming in contact with overhead power lines.  The following table summarizes the type of electric 
current involved in the job-related electrocutions.

        Type of electric current                        Number          Percent

	Total electrocutions				  347		  100
Overhead power lines				  	  139		   40
Wiring, transformers, or other 
  electrical components				   	   94	   	   27
Machine, tool, appliance, light fixture                    55              16
Lightning                                                  17               5
Underground, buried power lines                             5               1
Other or unspecified				   	   37	  	   11

The construction industry accounted for half the fatal contacts with electric current.  Construction workers 
came into contact with electric current while on bucket trucks, cranes, bulldozers, and ladders.  Several 
were electrocuted while in crawl spaces under houses or in ceilings or while drilling through paneling.  

The services and agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries each accounted for about one-tenth of the 
job-related electrocutions.  Service workers were typically electrocuted while installing or repairing 
machines, appliances, or other equipment such as neon signs and billboards.  Workers in agriculture, 
forestry, and fishing were electrocuted when equipment they were moving, such as irrigation pipes or 
grain augers, came into contact with a power line.  Several farmers were struck by lightning.


Dangerous jobs

Fatality counts.  Truckdrivers continued to encounter the highest number of job-related injury fatalities 
of any single occupation.  (See table 2.)  They accounted for 1 out of every 8 workers killed on the job.  
About two-thirds of these fatalities resulted from highway crashes and jackknifings.  Workers in various 
farm occupations, such as farm operator and manager, farm supervisor, and farm worker, accounted for almost 
10 percent of the fatal work injury total.  Half of their deaths occurred in vehicle-related incidents, both 
on and off the highway.

Laborers also incurred large numbers of fatal work injuries.  Job-related fatalities to construction laborers 
rose by 25 percent over 1994 totals and resulted mainly from vehicle-related incidents and falls.  Job-related 
fatalities to other laborers also resulted primarily from various vehicle-related incidents.  Workplace homicide 
was the main cause of death among sales supervisors and proprietors.  

Fatality rates.  Occupations with large numbers of worker fatalities are not always those at highest risk.  
For example, truckdrivers had the highest number of fatal work injuries in 1995, but several other occupational 
groups experienced higher risk of fatal work injury.  (See charts 1 and 2. NOT AVAILABLE IN TEXT FORMAT PLEASE SEE PDF VERSION)
 
The number of workers killed in a particular group, indicates the magnitude of the problem for a given employment group.  
Rates allow comparison of fatality risk among worker groups with varying levels of exposure.  (However, there is more than 
one way to calculate fatality rates that measure the incidence of fatal work injuries for groups of workers.  An hours-based 
rate measures the risk of fatality per standardized length of exposure; an employment-based rate measures the risk for 
those employed during a given period of time. The rates shown in this article are employment based.) 

Five of the 10 occupations with the highest fatality totals were also among the occupations with the highest rate of fatal 
work injury:  Airplane pilots, taxicab drivers, construction laborers, truckdrivers, and farm occupations.  Of the 10 occupations 
with the highest fatality rates in 1995, only 1, construction laborers, showed an increase over last year's fatality rate.  
Although the rate for roofers remained the same as the previous year, their total number of fatal work injuries increased slightly.

Industry highlights

The construction industry accounted for 1 out of every 6 fatal work injuries that occurred during 1995.  (See table 3.) This industry 
along with government and finance, insurance, and real estate were the only ones that posted increases in fatal work injuries 
over 1994 totals.  Retail trade had the largest decrease in fatal work injuries; fatalities went down 16 percent during 1995, primarily 
as a result of the drop in workplace homicides.

Industry divisions with large numbers of fatalities relative to their employment include agriculture, forestry, and fishing; construction; 
transportation and public utilities; and mining.


Worker characteristics

Men accounted for about 91 percent of all fatal work injuries in 1995, but only 54 percent of the employment total.  (See table 4.)  
The self-employed and workers 55 years old and over also had high fatality totals relative to their employment. 

The events responsible for fatal injuries varied among worker groups, reflecting their occupations and other characteristics.  While 
highway crashes were cited as the most frequent fatal event for many of the worker groups, homicides accounted for the greatest portion 
of worker deaths for the self-employed, women, blacks, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics.

State highlights

In general, States that have the largest number of persons employed also reported the largest number of work-related fatalities.  Three 
of the largest States accounted for one-fourth of the total fatality count:  California (614), Texas (475), and Florida (376). (See table 5.)  
A State's industry mix also must be considered when evaluating its occupational fatality profile, especially when large numbers of workers 
are employed in relatively dangerous industries, such as agriculture, mining, and construction.

Eight States reported changes in fatalities of 20 or more that also represented a difference of at least 20 percent compared with 1994 
totals.  Major disasters, such as the Oklahoma City bombing or an airline crash, can cause substantial year-to-year fluctuations in 
occupational fatality totals. (See table below.)


State      1994  1995  Numeric  Percent  Contributing 
                       change    change     factor

Indiana     195   156    -39      -20    Airline crash in
                                          1994
Iowa         74    54    -20      -27    Fewer vehicular 
                                          incidents
Louisiana   187   139    -48      -26    Fewer transport-
                                          related incidents
Nebraska     83    54    -29      -35    Fewer multiple 
                                          fatality incidents
Oklahoma     97   199    102      105    Federal building 
                                          bombing in 1995
Pennsylva-  354   233   -121      -34    Airline crash in
 nia                                      1994
South        83   103     20       24    Increase in
 Carolina                                 transport-related 
                                          incidents
Virginia    164   132    -32      -20    Fewer highway 
                                          fatalities


Table 1.  Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, 1992-1995

                              Fatalities                   
Event or exposure(1)  1992    1993   1994(2)      1995
                     Number  Number  Number  Number Percent 

  Total............  6,217   6,331    6,632   6,210   100   

Transportation
 incidents.........  2,484   2,501    2,762   2,560    41   
  Highway..........  1,158   1,243    1,343   1,329    21   
   Collision between                                              
    vehicles......     578     657      654     634    10   
     Moving in same                                               
      direction....     78      99      120     125     2   
     Moving in                                                    
      opposite                                                  
      directions...    201     244      230     244     4   
     Moving in                                                    
      intersection.    107     123      144      97     2   
     Vehicle struck                                                 
      stationary                                                  
      object, eqpt.    192     190      255     268     4   
   Noncollision.....   301     336      373     350     6   
     Jackknifed or                                               
      overturned....   213     237      274     260     4   
  Nonhighway (farm,                                                
   industrial premises)436     392      409     388     6   
     Overturned......  208     212      226     210     3   
  Aircraft...........  353     282      426     278     4   
  Worker struck by a                                               
   vehicle..........   346     365      391     385     6   
  Water vehicle......  109     120       94      84     1   
  Railway............   66      86       81      82     1   
                                                                         
Assaults and violent                                               
 acts..............  1,281   1,329    1,321   1,262    20   
  Homicides........  1,044   1,074    1,080   1,024    16   
    Shooting.......    852     884      934     754    12   
    Stabbing.......     90      95       60      67     1   
    Other, including                                               
     bombing.......    102      95       86     203     3   
  Self-inflicted                                                   
   injury..........    205     222      214     215     3   
                                                                         
Contact with objects                                               
 and equipment.....  1,004   1,045    1,017     915    15   
  Struck by object.    557     566      590     546     9   
    Struck by falling                                              
     object........    361     346      372     340     5   
    Struck by flying                                               
     object........     77      82       68      63     1   
  Caught in or                                                     
   compressed by                                                 
   equipment or                                                  
   objects.........    316     309      280     255     4   
    Caught in running                                              
     equipment.. ..    159     151      147     131     2   
  Caught or crushed                                             
   in collapsing                                                 
   materials.......    110     1 38     132      99     2   
                                                                         
Falls...............   600     618      665     643    10   
  Fall to lower level  507     533      580     573     9   
    Fall from ladder.   78      76       86      97     2   
    Fall from roof..   108     120      129     142     2   
    Fall from scaffold,                                                   
     staging.......     66      71       89      82     1   
  Fall on same level.   62      49       63      50     1   
                                                                         
Exposure to harmful                                                
 substances or                                                   
 environments.......   605     592      641     598    10   
  Contact with                                                     
   electric current.   334     325      348     347     6   
    Overhead power                                              
     lines.........    140     115      132     139     2   
  Contact with                                                     
   temperature                                                   
   extremes........     33      38       50      55     1   
  Exposure to caustic,                                             
   noxious, allergenic                                                    
   substances......    127     115      133     101     2   
    Inhalation of                                                  
     substance.....     83      68       84      62     1   
  Oxygen deficiency.   111     111      109      94     2   
    Drowning....        78      89       89      74     1   
                                    
Fires and explosions.. 167     204      202     208     3   
                                                                         
Other events or                                                    
 exposures(3).......    76      43       24      24     -   
      ____________________________________________________________
                                                    

  1/ Based on the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Structures.
  2/ The BLS news release issued August 3, 1995, reported a total of 6,588 fatal work injuries for calendar year 1994.  Since then, an additional 44 job-related fatalities were identified, bringing the total job-related fatality count for 1994 to 6,632.
  3/ Includes the category "Bodily reaction and exertion."
        
  NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately.  Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding.  Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. 
        
  SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992-1995.


Table 2.  Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and event or exposure, 1995
                                                                                  
                       Fatalities           Major event (2)
    Occupation(1)                           (percent)   
                                                              Struck by  Fall to   
                        Number   Percent  Highway(3) Homicide   object    lower    Rate(4)
                                                                          level      
----------------------  -------  -------- ---------- -------- --------- -------- ---------- 
  Total...............    6,210    100        21        16         9         9           5
                                                                                 
Managerial and                                                                   
   professional                                                                  
   specialty..........      699     11        25        28         3         6   	 2    
  Executive,                                                                     
     administrative,                                                             
     and managerial...      467      8        22        34         3         7   	 3
  Professional                                                                   
     specialty........      232      4        30        16         3         5   	 1
                                                                                 
Technical, sales, and                                                            
   administrative                                                                
   support............      815     13        19        46         2         2   	 2
  Technicians and                                                                
     related support                                                             
     occupations......      189      3        13         7         2         2   	 5
    Airplane pilots                                                              
       and navigators.      111      2        -         -         -         -    	97
  Sales occupations...      492      8        19        61         2         2   	 3
    Supervisors and                                                              
       proprietors,                                                              
       sales                                                                     
       occupations....      212      3        13        63         3         1   	 5
    Sales workers,                                                               
       retail and                                                                
       personal                                                                  
       services.......      213      3        15        73        -          1   	 3
      Cashiers........      116      2         3        92        -         -    	 4
  Administrative                                                                 
     support                                                                     
     occupations,                                                                
     including                                                                   
     clerical.........      134      2        25        47        -          5   	 1
                                                                                 
Service occupations...      533      9        20        40         1         6   	 3
  Protective service                                                             
     occupations......      314      5        22        45        -          2   	14
    Firefighting and                                                             
       fire prevention                                                           
       occupations,                                                              
       including                                                                 
       supervisors....       39      1        28        -         -         -    	13
    Police and                                                                   
       detectives,                                                               
       including                                                                 
       supervisors....      174      3        28        47        -          2   	17
    Guards, including                                                            
       supervisors....      101      2         9        58        -         -    	11
                      
Farming, forestry, and                                                           
   fishing............      864     14        10         2        20         6   	23
  Farming operators                                                              
     and managers.....      332      5        10         3        11         7   	23
    Farmers, except                                                              
       horticultural..      244      4        10         2         9         7   	20
    Managers, farms,                                                             
       except                                                                    
       horticultural..       73      1        12        -         18         7   	45
  Other agricultural                                                             
     and related                                                                 
     occupations......      359      6        13         3        13         7   	17
      Farm workers,                                                              
         including                                                               
         supervisors..      262      4        12         2        11         5   	30
  Forestry and logging                                                           
     occupations......      116      2         4        -         74         4   	90
    Timber cutting and                                                           
       logging                                                                   
       occupations....       98      2        -         -         81         3         101 
  Fishers, hunters,                                                              
     and trappers.....       57      1        -         -         -         -    	97
    Fishers...........       48      1        -         -         -         -          104
                                                                                 
Precision production,                                                            
   craft, and repair..    1,041     17        10         4         9        25   	 8
  Mechanics and                                                                  
     repairers........      265      4        15         6        14         9   	 6
  Construction trades.      607     10         8         2         6        36   	12
      Carpenters and                                                             
         apprentices..       96      2         9        -         14        42   	 8
      Electricians and                                                           
         apprentices..      117      2         4        -          3        16   	16 
      Electrical power
         installers
           and repairers.    35      1         -        -         -         17          28
      Painters,                                                                  
         construction                                                            
         and                                                                     
         maintenance..       45      1        -         -         -         38   	 9
      Roofers.........       60      1        -         -         -         75   	29
      Structural metal                                                           
         workers......       38      1        -         -         11        66   	64
                                                                                 
Operators,                                                                       
   fabricators, and                                                              
   laborers...........    2,051     33        32         8        11         8   	11
  Machine operators,                                                             
     assemblers, and                                                             
     inspectors.......      238      4         5         6        19        10   	 3
  Transportation and                                                             
     material moving                                                             
     occupations......    1,148     18        51        10         6         2   	22
    Motor vehicle                                                                
       operators......      918     15        61        12         4         2   	24
      Truck drivers...      749     12        68         3         5         2   	26
      Driver-sales                                                               
         workers......       33      1        45        36        -         -    	21
      Taxicab drivers                                                            
         and                                                                     
         chauffeurs...       99      2        18        70        -         -    	46
    Material moving
       equipment
       operators......      167      3        10         -        16         5          15
  Handlers, equipment        
     cleaners,                                                                    
     helpers, and                                                                 
     laborers.........      665     11        11         5        15        16   	13
    Construction                                                                 
       laborers.......      309      5        10         1        16        27   	39
    Laborers, except                                                             
       construction...      212      3        13         4        16         8   	16

Military..............      143      2        22         6         6         -          11

  1 Based on the 1990 Occupational Classification System developed by the Bureau
of the Census.
  2 The figure shown is the percent of the total fatalities for that occupational
group.
  3 "Highway" includes deaths to vehicle occupants resulting from traffic
incidents that occur on the public roadway, shoulder, or surrounding area.  It
excludes incidents occurring entirely off the roadway, such as in parking lots and
on farms; incidents involving trains; and deaths to pedestrians or other
nonpassengers.
  4 The rate represents the number of fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 employed
workers and was calcualted as follows:  (N/W) x 100,000, where N = the number of fatal
work injuries, and W = the number of employed workers.  The employment is an
annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces,
from the BLS Current Population Survey, 1995.  There were 26 fatally injured workers under
the age of 16  that were not included in the rate calculations to maintain consistency with
the CPS employment.

  NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown
separately.  Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding.  There were 64
fatalities for which there was insufficient information to determine an occupation
classification.  Dashes indicate less that 0.5 percent or data that are not
available or that do not meet publication criteria.
  
  SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation
with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1995.



Table 3.  Fatal occupational injuries and employment by industry, 1995
                                                                                  
                                                                                  
                                         Fatalities                                                                                  
                                ------------------------------                                                  
                                 1994                              Employment(2)    
                               (revised)         1995            (in thousands)    Rate(3)
                        SIC    ---------   ------------------   ----------------                  
     Industry          code(1)   Number    Number     Percent   Number   Percent                   
---------------------- -------   ------    ------     -------   ------   -------   -------    
                                                                                  
      Total...........            6,632     6,210       100    126,248     100         5
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
Private industry......            5,959     5,438        88    106,522      84         5
                                                                                 
Agriculture, forestry                                                            
   and fishing........              852       752        13      3,515       3        22
  Agricultural                                                                   
     production -                                                                
     crops............   01         443       362         6      1,042       1        34
  Agricultural                                                                   
     production -                                                                
     livestock........   02         172       161         3      1,301       1        12
  Agricultural                                                                   
     services.........   07         163       155         3      1,082       1        14
                                                                                 
Mining................              180       156         3        625       1        25
  Coal mining.........   12          41        43         1        114       -        38
  Oil and gas                                                                    
     extraction.......   13          99        77         1        336       -        23
                                                                                 
Construction..........            1,028     1,048        17      7,153       6        15
  General building                                                               
     contractors......   15         190       175         3         -        -         -
  Heavy construction,                                                            
     except building..   16         246       245         4         -        -         -
  Special trades                                                                 
     contractors......   17         592       613        10         -        -         -
                                                                                 
Manufacturing.........              789       702        11     20,389      16         3
  Food and kindred                                                               
     products.........   20          79        74         1      1,700       1         4 
  Lumber and wood                                                                
     products.........   24         199       182         3        815       1        22
                                                                                 
Transportation and                                                               
   public utilities...              949       880        14      7,138       6        12
  Local and interurban                                                           
     passenger                                                                   
     transportation...   41         114       116         2        523       -        22
  Trucking and                                                                   
     warehousing......   42         505       462         7      2,323       2        20
  Transportation by                                                              
     air..............   45          99        75         1        792       1         9
  Electric, gas, and                                                             
     sanitary services   49          89        91         1      1,094       1         8

Wholesale trade.......              271       254         4      4,973       4         5

Retail trade..........              808       675        11     20,999      17         3
  Food stores.........   54         237       188         3      3,428       3         5
  Automotive dealers
     and service
     stations.........   55         123       122         2      2,087       2         6
  Eating and drinking
     places...........   58         184       164         3      6,266       5         3

Finance, insurance,
   and real estate....              113       124         2      7,761       6         2

Services..............              853       737        12     33,970      27         2
  Business services...   73         255       211         3      5,282       4         4
  Automotive repair,
     services, and
     parking..........   75          91       114         2      1,454       1         8

 Government(3)........              673       772        12     19,726      16         4
Federal (including
  resident armed
  forces).............              211      299         5      4,790       4          6
State.................              114      124         2      5,185       4          2
Local.................              338      338         5      9,751       8          3
  Police protection...   9221       117      110         2         -        -          -

  1  Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 Edition.
  2  The employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age
and older, plus resident armed forces, from the BLS Current Population
Survey, 1995.
  3  Includes fatalities to workers employed by governmental organizations
regardless of industry.
  4 The rate represents the number of fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 employed
workers and was calcualted as follows:  (N/W) x 100,000, where N = the number of fatal
work injuries, and W = the number of employed workers.  The employment is an
annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces,
from the BLS Current Population Survey, 1995.  There were 26 fatally injured workers under
the age of 16  that were not included in the rate calculations to maintain consistency with
the CPS employment.

  NOTE:  Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown
separately.  Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding.  There
were 69 fatalities for which there was insufficient information to determine a
specific industry classification, though a distinction between private sector
and government was made for each.  Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or
data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria.

  SOURCE:  Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation
with state and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries,
1994-1995.
    

Table 4.  Fatal occupational injuries and employment by selected worker
characteristics, 1995
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                            
                                            Employment
   Characteristics      Fatalities        (in thousands)(1)  
                      ----------------    ----------------  Most frequent event(2)  Rate(3)
                      Number   Percent    Number   Percent   (percent of total)
--------------------- ------   -------    ------   -------  -------------------    ---------
                                                                      

  Total.............. 6,210      100      126,248    100    Highway (21 percent)        5
                     
   Employee status                                                     
                                                                       
Wage and salary                                                        
   workers........... 5,024       81      115,610     92    Highway (24)                4
Self-employed(4)..... 1,186       19       10,638      8    Homicide (17)/             11
                                                              Nonhighway (16)          
                     
         Sex                                                        
                                                                       
Men.................. 5,676       91       68,556     54    Highway (19)                8
Women................   534        9       57,692     46    Homicide (46)               1
                                                                       
         Age(5)

Under 16 years.......    26        -            -      -    Highway (19)                - 
16 to 17 years.......    40        1        2,574      2       "    (18)                2
18 to 19 years.......   128        2        3,934      3       "    (26)                3
20 to 24 years.......   484        8       12,868     10       "    (25)                4
25 to 34 years....... 1,395       22       32,880     26       "    (21)                4
35 to 44 years....... 1,555       25       34,474     27       "    (20)                5
45 to 54 years....... 1,242       20       24,213     19       "    (22)                5
55 to 64 years.......   811       13       11,436      9       "    (23)                7
65 years and over....   514        8        3,666      3    Nonhighway(18)/            14
                                                              Highway (17)             

                     
         Race                                                          
                                                                       
White................ 5,061       81      107,533     85    Highway (22)                5
Black................   689       11       13,537     11    Homicide (30)               5
Asian or Pacific                                                     
   Islander..........   161        3            -      -    Homicide (56)               -
American Indian,                                                       
   Aleut, Eskimo.....    27        -            -      -    Highway (22)                -
Other................   272        4            -      -        "   (26)                -


    Hispanic origin                                                                     
                                                                       
Hispanic(6).........    610       10       11,208      9    Homicide (21)               5

  1  The employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age
and older, plus resident armed forces, from the BLS Current Population
Survey, 1995.
  2  "Highway" includes deaths to vehicle occupants resulting from traffic
incidents that occur on the public roadway, shoulder, or surrounding area.  It
excludes incidents occurring entirely off the roadway, such as in parking lots
and on farms. "Nonhighway" includes transport-related deaths of vehicle
occupants that occur or originate entirely off the roadway.  Incidents
involving trains and deaths to pedestrians or other nonpassengers are excluded
from both categories.
  3 The rate represents the number of fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 employed
workers and was calcualted as follows:  (N/W) x 100,000, where N = the number of fatal
work injuries, and W = the number of employed workers.  The employment is an
annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces,
from the BLS Current Population Survey, 1995.  There were 26 fatally injured workers under
the age of 16  that were not included in the rate calculations to maintain consistency with
the CPS employment.
  4  Includes paid and unpaid family workers, and may include owners of
incorporated businesses, or members of partnerships.
  5  There were 15 fatalities for which age was not available.
  6  Persons identified as Hispanic may be of any race. Hispanic employment does
not include resident armed forces.

  NOTE:  Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown
separately.  Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes
indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not
meet publication criteria.
  
  SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in
cooperation with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal
Occupational Injuries, 1995.

 Table 5.  Fatal occupational injuries by State and event or exposure, 1995
                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                
                       
                       
                       Total fatalities(1)    Event or exposure(2) (percent of State total for 1995)                       
                       ------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------                                                                   
                                                                                   Exposure          
                                                                Contact                to             
                                            Trans-   Assaults    with              harmful  Fires and
                                           portation    and     objects    Falls      sub-   explosio-
                                              in-    violent     and               stances      ns   
    State of injury                       cidents(3)  acts(4)   equipment               or             
                           1994    1995                                            environ-          
                        (revised)                                                    ments            
 ----------------------  ------    ------  --------- -------- ----------- -------- ---------- ---------                                                                                                  
   Total...............   6,632     6,210     41        20        15        10        10         3   
                                                                                                                 
 Alabama...............     153       150     34        21        17        10        15         3   
 Alaska................      60        78     86        -          5        -         -         -    
 Arizona...............      79        86     55        22         9        -          6        -    
 Arkansas..............      85        91     59         8        16         4         9        -    
 California............     639       614     41        30        10         8         7         3   
 Colorado..............     120       112     43        21        14        11         9        -    
 Connecticut...........      35        32     41        25        19        -         -         -    
 Delaware..............      15        12     33        -         33        -         -         -    
 District of
   Columbia............      21        16     -         69        -         -         -         -
 Florida...............     358       376     39        21        10        15        12         2   
 Georgia...............     249       237     46        20        11        13         8         2   
 Hawaii................      21        24     29        33        -         -         17        -    
 Idaho.................      50        53     60        13         8        -          8        -    
 Illinois..............     247       249     31        17        15        18        13         5   
 Indiana...............     195       156     41        15        15        11        13         5   
 Iowa..................      74        54     39        -         31        11        11        -    
 Kansas................     106        95     46        15        15         9        11         4   
 Kentucky..............     158       140     59         6        16         4        10         4   
 Louisiana.............     187       139     37        17        19        13        10         3   
 Maine.................      22        18     56        -         22        -         -         -    
 Maryland..............      80        86     29        36        13         9         7         6   
 Massachusetts.........      74        65     34        17        17        23         6        -    
 Michigan..............     180       149     38        20        20         9        11        -    
 Minnesota.............      82        84     39        12        25        11        10        -    
 Mississippi...........     126       128     48        21        13         7         7         4   
 Missouri..............     155       125     34        13        23        14        11         3   
 Montana...............      50        34     44        -         18        12        18        -    
 Nebraska..............      83        54     43        11        24        17        -         -    
 Nevada................      41        51     41        24        16        12        -         -    
 New Hampshire.........      14        12     33        -         -         -         -         -    
 New Jersey............     114       118     35        23        14        12        10         6   
 New Mexico............      54        58     52         9        16        10         9        -    
 New York (except                                                                                               
    N.Y.C.)............     180       158     40        16        17        11        11         4   
 New York City.........     184       144     11        63         6        12         6        -    
 North Carolina........     226       187     46        17        16        11         9        -    
 North Dakota..........      21        28     54        -         21        -         -         -    
 Ohio..................     209       186     51        13        10        10        12         4   
 Oklahoma..............      97       199     15        65         8         2         7         4   
 Oregon................      80        73     53         7        22        11         5        -    
 Pennsylvania..........     354       233     40        16        14        13         9         8   
 Rhode Island..........      12        10     -         -         -         -         -         -    
 South Carolina........      83       103     43        14        17        10        13        -    
 South Dakota..........      31        26     35        -         27        15        23        -    
 Tennessee.............     170       179     41        11        27         8        10         3   
 Texas.................     497       475     42        18        14        12        10         4   
 Utah..................      66        51     49        14        12        10        14        -    
 Vermont...............       8        16     69        -         25        -         -         -    
 Virginia..............     164       132     45        15        12        14        10         3   
 Washington............     118       109     42        13        16        12         9         6   
 West Virginia.........      61        56     43         7        32        -         11        -    
 Wisconsin.............     109       117     43        15        21         5        11         3   
 Wyoming...............      35        32     62        -         16        -         12        -    
                                                 
   1  Includes other events and exposures such as bodily reaction, in addition to those shown separately.
   2  Based on the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Structures.
   3  Includes highway, nonhighway, air, water, and rail fatalities.
   4  Includes violence by persons, self inflicted injury, and assaults by animals.
 
   NOTE:  Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding and because of dashes which indicate less
 than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria.
   
   SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with State and Federal agencies,
 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1994 and 1995.





TECHNICAL NOTES

Definitions

For a fatality to be included in the census, the decedent must have been employed (that is working for pay,
compensation, or profit) at the time of the event, engaged in a legal work activity, or present at the site
of the incident as a requirement of his or her job.  These criteria are generally broader than those used by
Federal and State agencies administering specific laws and regulations.  (Fatalities that occur during a
person's commute to or from work are excluded from the census counts.)

Data presented in this release include deaths occurring in 1995 that resulted from traumatic occupational
injuries.  An injury is defined as any intentional or unintentional wound or damage to the body resulting
from acute exposure to energy, such as heat or electricity, or kinetic energy from a crash; or from the
absence of such essentials as heat or oxygen caused by a specific event, incident, or series of events
within a single workday or shift.  Included are open wounds, intracranial and internal injuries, heatstroke,
hypothermia, asphyxiation, acute poisoning resulting from a short-term exposure limited to the worker's shift,
suicides and homicides, and work injuries listed as underlying or contributory causes of death.

Information on work-related fatal illnesses are not reported in the BLS census and are excluded from the attached
tables because the latency period of many occupational illnesses and the difficulty of linking illnesses to work
makes identification of a universe problematic.  Partial information on fatal occupational illnesses, compiled
separately, is available for 1991-1993 in BLS Report 891.

Measurement techniques and limitations

Data for the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries are compiled from various Federal, State, and local administrative
sources--including death certificates, workers' compensation reports and claims, reports to various regulatory agencies,
medical examiner reports, and police reports--as well as news reports.  Multiple sources are used because studies have
shown that no single source captures all job-related fatalities.  Source documents are matched so that each fatality is
counted only once.  To ensure that a fatality occurred while the decedent was at work, information is verified from two or
more independent source documents, or from a source document and a follow-up questionnaire.  Approximately 30 data elements
are collected, coded, and tabulated, including information about the worker, the fatal incident, and the machinery or
equipment involved.

Identification and verification of work-related fatalities.  Because some State laws and regulations prohibit enumerators from
contacting the next-of-kin, it was not possible to independently verify work relationship (whether a fatality is job related) for
306 fatal work injuries in 1995; however, the information on the initiating source document for these cases was sufficient to
determine that the incident was likely to be job-related.  Data for these fatalities, which primarily affected self-employed
workers, are included in the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries counts.  An additional 67 fatalities submitted by states were
not included because the initiating source document had insufficient information to determine work relationship, which could not
be verified by either an independent source document or a follow-up questionnaire.

States may identify additional fatal work injuries after data collection close-out for a reference year.  In addition, other
fatalities excluded from the published count because of insufficient information to determine work relationship may be subsequently
verified as work related.  States have up to 1 year to update their initial published State counts.  This procedure ensures that
fatality data are disseminated as quickly as possible and that no legitimate case is excluded from the counts.

Experimental fatality rates.  Both absolute numbers (or frequencies) and rates are useful when examining fatal work injuries for
research or prevention efforts.  Frequency indicates "how many" fatal work injuries occurred; rate indicates the relative danger.

The relative danger of an occupation or industry group can be shown by combining frequency data with either employment or
hours data to calculate a rate.  An hours-based rate indicates the relative danger using time of exposure.  An employment-based
rate indicates the relative danger using the number of employed workers.

Employment-based fatality rates measure the incidence of fatal injury for all workers in the group regardless of exposure time.
It does not take into consideration that part-time workers may have fewer fatal work injuries because they spend less time in
the work environment.  An hours-based fatality rate accounts for different time of exposure levels among workers.  Hours-based
measurements are especially useful for industry and occupation comparisons, when the number of workers can vary greatly among
industry or occupation groups for a given period.
        
Work fatality counts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) can be combined with
employment or hours at work data to produce a fatal work injury rate.  Since hours at work and employment data are not collected
by CFOI, experimental fatality rates were calculated using estimates of employed civilian workers (aged 16 and older) from the
Current Population Survey (CPS).  In addition, resident military figures, derived from resident and civilian population data from
the Bureau of the Census, were added to the CPS employment figures to maintain consistency with the CFOI fatality data.

The fatality rates shown in this article relate the total number of workplace deaths in 1995 to the annual average number of workers
facing that risk.  These measurements are developmental and do not reflect the movement of persons into and out of the labor force,
the length of their work week or work year, or the effect of multiple jobholders.

The fatality rates presented in the tables were calculated as follows:

(N / W) x 100,000,

where:

N = the number of fatally injured workers
W = the number of employed workers

The ratio N/W is multiplied by 100,000; the rate is expressed as a whole number and represents the number of fatal work injuries
per 100,000 workers.

There were 6,210 total work fatalities in 1995 and there were 126,248,000 employed workers (124,900,000 employed civilian workers
age 16 and older, and 1,348,000 resident military personnel).

As "N" must be adjusted to maintain consistency with "W," the 26 fatally injured workers under age 16 are not included in the rate
calculation.  (Adjustments of "N" are not reflected in the "Number" and "Percent" columns of the tables, which include all fatalities
regardless of age.)

N = 6,210 - 26 = 6,184
W = 126,248,000

Therefore,(6,184 / 126,248,000) x 100,000 = 5,
or
5 fatalities per 100,000 workers.

The CPS employment data used to calculate rates are estimates that are based upon a sample of persons employed rather than a complete
count.  Therefore, the employment estimates and fatality rates have sampling errors; that is, they may differ from figures that would
have been obtained if it had been possible to take a complete census of employed persons.  See "Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error"
in the January 1996 Employment and Earnings for an explanation of CPS sampling and estimation methodology, and standard error computations.
The relative standard errors of the CPS employment estimates can be used to approximate confidence ranges for the fatality rates.

Federal/State agency coverage.  The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries includes data for all fatal work injuries, whether they are
covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or other Federal or State agencies or are outside the scope of regulatory
coverage.  Thus, any comparison between the BLS census counts and those released by other agencies should take into account the different
coverage requirements and definitions being used.

Several Federal and State agencies have jurisdiction over workplace safety and health.  OSHA and affiliated agencies in States with approved
safety programs cover the largest portion of America's workers.  However, injuries and illnesses occurring in several other industries, such
as coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and water, rail, and air transportation, are excluded from OSHA coverage because they are covered by other
Federal agencies, such as the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Federal
Aviation Administration.  Fatalities occurring in activities regulated by Federal agencies other than OSHA accounted for about 20 percent of the
fatal work injuries for 1995.

Fatalities occurring among several other groups of workers are generally not covered by any Federal or State agencies.  These groups include
self-employed and unpaid family workers, which accounted for about 19 percent of the fatalities; laborers on small farms, accounting for about
2 percent of the fatalities; and State and local government employees in States without OSHA-approved safety programs, which account for about
4 percent.  (Approximately one-half of the states have approved OSHA safety programs, which cover State and local government employees.)

The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS safety and health statistics program, provides the most complete count of fatal work
injuries available because it uses diverse State and Federal data sources.  This is the fourth year that the fatality census has been conducted
in all 50 States and the District of Columbia.  The BLS fatality census is a Federal/State cooperative venture in which costs are shared equally.
Additional State-specific data are available from the State agencies participating with BLS in the census program.   For a list of participating
agencies and their telephone numbers, contact the Office of Safety, Health and Working Conditions at (202)606-6175.

Since 1972, this office also has collected data on nonfatal injuries and illnesses through its Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.  This
survey profiles worker and case characteristics of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses resulting in lost worktime in addition to presenting
frequency counts and incidence rates by industry.  Copies of the 1994 news release are available from BLS by calling (202)606-6304.  Incidence rates
for 1995 by industry and information on worker and case characteristics will be published in early 1997.  For additional occupational safety and health
data, access the BLS World Wide Web Internet site:

  http://www.bls.gov/oshhome.htm



  --Endnotes--

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:  BLS thanks the participating States for their efforts in collecting accurate, comprehensive, and useful data on fatal work injuries.
BLS also appreciates the efforts of all Federal, State, local, and private sector agencies that submitted source documents used to identify fatal
work injuries.  Among these agencies are the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the National Transportation Safety Board; the US Coast Guard;
the Mine Safety and Health Administration; the Department of Defense; the Employment Standards Administration (Federal Employees' Compensation and
Longshore and Harbor Workers' divisions); the Department of Energy; the National Association of Chiefs of Police; State vital statistics registrars,
coroners, and medical examiners; State departments of health, labor, and industries, and workers' compensation agencies; State and local police
departments; and State farm bureaus.

   1/ A full summary of job-related highway fatalities is presented on pp. 57-61 of the September 1996 issue of Compensation and Working Conditions.

   2/ For more information on how falls are classified, see Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual, 1992.