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CF NR 8/7/97 National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1996

Technical information: USDL - 97 - 266

G. Toscano (202) 606-6175

Media contact: FOR RELEASE: 10 a.m. EDT

K. Hoyle (202) 606-5902 Thursday, August 7, 1997

 NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES, 1996

 Largely as a result of reductions in job-related homicides and

electrocutions, the number of fatal work injuries fell in 1996 to 6,112,

the lowest level in the five-year history of the Census of Fatal

Occupational Injuries, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.

Department of Labor. The downward trend in the past two years reversed

the increases reported in 1993 and 1994. (See table 1.)

 Job-related electrocutions dropped 20 percent, and homicides

fell 12 percent from 1995 to 1996. In contrast, fatalities from falls

to lower levels continued to rise, reaching a five-year high. Half of

the fatal falls occurred in the construction industry. This release

profiles these and other fatal work injuries by type of event,

occupation, industry, demographic characteristics of the worker, and

state where injury occurred.

Profiles of 1996 fatal work injuries

 Highway traffic incidents and homicides continued to lead all

other events that resulted in fatal work injuries in 1996. These two

events totaled over a third of the work injury deaths that occurred

during the year. (See table 1 and chart 1.)

 Work-related highway deaths accounted for 22 percent of the

6,112 fatal work injuries in 1996. Slightly over half of the highway

fatality victims were driving or riding in a truck. The following table

shows the most common vehicles occupied by highway fatality victims:

Vehicle Number Percent

Truck 746 56

 Semitrailer truck 352 27

 Pickup truck 144 11

 Delivery truck 37 3

 Dump truck 31 2

Automobile 345 26

Van 73 6

Tractor 25 2
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Other or not reported 135 10

 Off-road transport-related incidents (such as tractors or

forklifts overturning) and workers being struck by vehicles each

accounted for about 6 percent of worker fatalities. Air, rail, and

water transport together accounted for another 8 percent.

 Homicide, the second leading cause of job-related deaths,

accounted for 15 percent of fatal work injuries in 1996. Work-related

homicides fell 12 percent below the 1995 total and 16 percent below

1994, when job-related homicides recorded a five-year high. While

most industry divisions had declines in the number of job-related

homicides, retail trade and services had slight increases over 1995.

Managers of food serving and lodging establishments and sales

supervisors and proprietors were particularly affected by the

increases. Taxicab drivers had one of the largest declines in

homicides.

 Robbery was the primary motive of job-related homicides.

Almost half of the homicide victims worked in retail establishments,

such as grocery stores and eating and drinking establishments, where

cash is readily available. Disputes among coworkers and with customers

and clients accounted for about one-seventh of the homicide total.

Many of these homicides were committed after the worker was fired or

the customer or tenant was asked to leave the premises. Arguments with

customers and clients ranged from disagreements over monetary issues,

such as rental or legal fees owed and quality of goods or services

received, to disputes over refusal to serve alcohol. Domestic disputes

accounted for one-sixth of the workplace homicides for female workers.

Circumstances or alleged perpetrator Number Percent

Robberies and other crimes 726 80

Work associates 129 14

 Coworker, former coworker 75 8

 Customer, client 54 6

Relatives 31 3

 Husband, ex-husband 20 2

 Other relative 11 1

Other personal acquaintances 26 3

 Boyfriend, ex-boyfriend 11 1

 Other acquaintance 15 2

 Falls continued to rise in 1996, accounting for 11 percent

of the fatal work injuries. One-fifth were from or through roofs;

falls from scaffolding and from ladders each accounted for about

one-seventh. While still relatively small in number, falls from

nonmoving vehicles rose by almost two-thirds over the previous year.

 Nine percent of the fatally injured workers were struck by

various objects, such as falling trees, machinery or vehicles that had
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slipped into gear, and various building materials. Fatalities

resulting from being struck by falling objects were at their highest

level since the fatality census began in 1992. An increase in the

number of workers killed by falling trees and tree limbs in 1996

was partly responsible for the higher level in 1996.

 Job-related electrocutions dropped below 300 for the first

time in the five-year period and accounted for 5 percent of worker

deaths in 1996. Construction trade workers, such as painters,

electricians, and carpenters, accounted for a large portion of the

decline from the 1995 total. Two-fifths of the worker deaths

from electrocution resulted from the worker or equipment being

used coming in contact with overhead power lines.

 On average, about 17 workers were fatally injured each day

during 1996. Eighty-four percent of fatally injured workers died the

day they were injured; 97 percent died within 30 days. There were

189 multiple fatality incidents (incidents that resulted in two or

more worker deaths) resulting in 546 job-related deaths. This was

about 10 percent fewer multiple fatality incidents than in 1995 when

217 events resulted in 686 fatal work injuries.

Occupation highlights (table 2 and chart 2):

* Occupations with large numbers of fatal injuries included truck

drivers, construction trades, farm occupations, and sales occupations.

* The specific events or exposures responsible for workers' deaths

varied considerably among occupations. Highway crashes, jackknifings,

and rollovers together accounted for about two-thirds of the truck

drivers' deaths, while homicides accounted for about three-fifths of

the fatalities among workers in sales occupations. Slightly over

one-third of the deaths in farm occupations occurred in tractor-related

incidents, and about two-fifths of worker deaths in construction trades

resulted from falls to lower levels.

Industry highlights (table 3):

* The construction industry accounted for one out of every six fatal

work injuries that occurred during 1996.

* Industry divisions with large numbers of fatalities relative to their

employment include agriculture, forestry, and fishing; construction;

transportation and public utilities; and mining.

Relative risk (tables 3 and 4):

 A comparison of percent distributions of fatalities and

employment, can be used to evaluate the relative risk of a

job-related fatality for a given occupation, industry, or worker

characteristic. For example, the construction industry accounted
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for about 17 percent of the fatality total, about 3 times its

6-percent share of total employment. While employment can be used

to evaluate the relative risk of a fatal work injury, other measures,

such as employee exposure hours, also can be used. (The annual

average employment data shown in tables 3 and 4 are from the Current

Population Survey.)

State highlights (table 5):

* In general, states that have the largest number of persons employed

also reported the largest number of work-related fatalities. Twelve

of the largest states accounted for almost half of the total fatality

count; three of these 12 states--California, Texas, and Florida--

accounted for one-fourth of the total. A state's industry mix,

however, 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.

* Five states reported changes of 20 or more fatalities that represented

at least a 20 percent difference compared with 1995. Major disasters,

such as the Oklahoma City bombing or an airline crash, can cause

substantial year-to-year fluctuations in occupational fatality totals.

State 1995 1996 Numeric Percent Contributing factor

 change change

Colorado 112 90 -22 -20 General decline

Louisiana 139 103 -36 -26 Fewer air and water

 vehicle incidents

Mississippi 128 103 -25 -20 Fewer transport-

 related incidents

Oklahoma 200 87 -113 -57 Federal building

 bombing in 1995

Pennsylvania 233 282 49 21 General increase

Background of the program

 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 to identify, verify, and profile fatal work

injuries. Information about each workplace fatality (occupation and other
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worker characteristics, equipment being used, and circumstances of

the event) is obtained by cross-referencing source documents, such as

death certificates, workers' compensation records, and reports to

federal and state agencies. This method assures counts are as complete

and accurate as possible.

 This is the fifth 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 participating state agencies listed in table 6.

 Another Bureau program, the Survey of Occupational Injuries

and Illnesses, profiles worker and case characteristics of nonfatal

workplace injuries and illnesses that result in lost worktime and

presents frequency counts and incidence rates by industry. Copies

of the 1995 news release on nonfatal injuries and illnesses are

available from BLS by calling (202) 606-6304. Incidence rates for

1996 by industry will be published in December 1997, and information

on 1996 worker and case characteristics will be available in April 1998.

For additional occupational safety and health data, access the

BLS World Wide Web Internet site: http://www.bls.gov/oshhome.htm.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, 1992-1996

 Fatalities

Event or exposure(1) 1992 1993 1994 1995(2) 1996

 Number Number Number Number Number Percent

 Total 6,217 6,331 6,632 6,275 6,112 100

Transportation

incidents 2,484 2,501 2,762 2,587 2,556 42

 Highway 1,158 1,243 1,343 1,346 1,324 22

 Collision between

 vehicles, mobile

 equipment 578 657 654 642 656 11

 Moving in same

 direction 78 99 120 127 95 2

 Moving in opposite

 directions,

 oncoming 201 244 230 246 214 4

 Moving in

 intersection 107 123 144 99 153 3

 Vehicle struck

 stationary object or
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 equipment 192 190 255 275 240 4

 Noncollision 301 336 373 352 348 6

 Jackknifed or

 overturned--

 no collision 213 237 274 261 264 4

 Nonhighway (farm,

 industrial premises) 436 392 409 387 369 6

 Overturned 208 212 226 209 204 3

 Aircraft 353 282 426 283 320 5

 Worker struck by

 a vehicle 346 365 391 388 349 6

 Water vehicle 109 120 94 87 107 2

 Railway 66 86 81 82 75 1

Assaults and

violent acts 1,281 1,329 1,321 1,280 1,144 19

 Homicides 1,044 1,074 1,080 1,036 912 15

 Shooting 852 884 934 762 751 12

 Stabbing 90 95 60 67 79 1

 Other, including

 bombing 102 95 86 207 82 1

 Self-inflicted

 injuries 205 222 214 221 199 3

Contact with objects

and equipment 1,004 1,045 1,017 916 1,005 16

 Struck by object 557 566 590 547 579 9

 Struck by falling

 object 361 346 372 341 402 7

 Struck by flying

 object 77 82 68 63 58 1

 Caught in or

 compressed by

 equipment or objects 316 309 280 255 283 5

 Caught in running

 equipment or
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 machinery 159 151 147 131 146 2

 Caught in or crushed

 in collapsing

 materials 110 138 132 99 130 2

Falls 600 618 665 651 684 11

 Fall to lower level 507 533 580 578 607 10

 Fall from ladder 78 76 86 97 95 2

 Fall from roof 108 120 129 143 148 2

 Fall from scaffold 66 71 89 82 88 1

 Fall on same level 62 49 63 53 49 1

Exposure to harmful

substances or

environments 605 592 641 609 523 9

 Contact with electric

 current 334 325 348 348 279 5

 Contact with overhead

 powerlines 140 115 132 139 116 2

 Contact with

 temperature extremes 33 38 50 56 32 1

 Exposure to caustic,

 noxious, or

 allergenic substance 127 115 133 107 119 2

 Inhalation of

 substances 83 68 84 62 75 1

 Oxygen deficiency 111 111 109 97 92 2

 Drowning,

 submersion 78 89 89 77 67 1

Fires and explosions 167 204 202 207 184 3

Other events or

exposures(3) 76 43 24 25 16 -

 1 Based on the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification

 Structures.

 2 The BLS news release issued August 8,1996, reported a total of

 6,210 fatal work injuries for calendar year 1995. Since then, an

 additional 65 job-related fatalities were identified, bringing the
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 total job-related fatality count for 1995 to 6,275.

 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, 1992-1996.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and major event or

exposure, 1996

Occupation(1) Fatalities Major event or exposure(2)

 (percent)

 --------------- --------------------------------------

 Fall

 Struck to

 by lower

 Number Percent Highway3 Homicide object level

 Total 6,112 100 22 15 9 10

Managerial and

professional

specialty 711 12 23 26 4 7

 Executive,

 administrative,

 and managerial 437 7 19 32 5 8

 Professional

 specialty 274 4 31 15 2 6

Technical, sales,

and administrative

support 761 12 22 43 2 2

 Technicians and

 related support

 occupations 163 3 13 - 4 -

 Airplane pilots

 and navigators 100 2 - - - -

 Sales occupations 503 8 22 59 1 2

 Supervisors and

 proprietors,

 sales

 occupations 225 4 16 65 2 -

 Sales workers,

 retail and
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 personal

 services 192 3 17 69 - 3

 Cashiers 94 2 - 90 - -

 Administrative

 support

 occupations,

 including

 clerical 95 2 36 31 4 -

Service occupations. 492 8 19 38 2 5

 Protective service

 occupations 248 4 26 44 1 1

 Firefighting and

 fire prevention

 occupations,

 including

 supervisors 37 1 38 - - -

 Police and

 detectives,

 including

 supervisors 114 2 33 48 - -

 Guards,

 including

 supervisors 97 2 12 54 - -

Farming, forestry,

and fishing 883 14 9 2 22 7

 Farming operators

 and managers 376 6 7 1 15 7

 Farmers, except

 horticultural 304 5 6 1 14 6

 Managers, farms,

 except

 horticultural 59 1 8 - 17 7

 Other agricultural

 and related

 occupations 301 5 14 4 12 9

 Farm workers,

 including

 supervisors 193 3 17 4 8 4

 Forestry and

 logging
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 occupations 134 2 5 - 74 5

 Timber cutting

 and logging

 occupations 118 2 4 - 76 3

 Fishers, hunters,

 and trappers 72 1 - - - -

 Fishers 66 1 - - - -

Precision

production, craft,

and repair 1,072 18 12 3 11 26

 Mechanics and

 repairers 282 5 18 6 15 10

 Construction

 trades 592 10 10 2 8 39

 Carpenters and

 apprentices 87 1 7 - 15 57

 Electricians and

 apprentices 98 2 9 - 5 18

 Painters 45 1 - - - 56

 Roofers 61 1 - - 5 67

 Structural metal

 workers 52 1 - - 8 77

Operators,

fabricators, and

laborers 2,006 33 33 7 10 8

 Machine operators,

 assemblers,

 and inspectors 218 4 5 5 20 13

 Transportation and

 material moving

 occupations 1,154 19 51 8 7 3

 Motor vehicle

 operators 913 15 62 9 5 3

 Truck drivers 785 13 65 3 6 3

 Driver-sales

 workers 35 1 54 23 - -
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 Taxicab drivers

 and chauffeurs 65 1 25 71 - -

 Material moving

 equipment

 operators 177 3 13 3 22 3

 Handlers, equipment

 cleaners, helpers,

 and laborers 634 10 10 7 13 15

 Construction

 laborers 291 5 9 1 14 21

 Laborers,

 except

 construction 213 3 7 9 14 13

Military(4) 123 2 10 2 5 4

 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 Resident armed forces.

 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 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, 1996.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by industry, 1996

 Fatalities Employment2

Industry SIC (in thousands)

 code(1) 1995 1996

 (revised) 

 -------- --------- --------------- --------------

 Number Number Percent Number Percent

 Total 6,275 6,112 100 127,997 100
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 Private industry 5,495 5,521 90 108,472 85

Agriculture,

forestry, and

fishing 800 798 13 3,505 3

 Agricultural

 production -

 crops 01 363 335 5 1,025 1

 Agricultural

 production -

 livestock 02 162 154 3 1,214 1

 Agricultural

 services 07 156 171 3 1,189 1

Mining 156 152 2 567 -

 Coal mining 12 43 39 1 98 -

 Oil and gas

 extraction 13 77 82 1 302 -

Construction 1,055 1,039 17 7,464 6

 General building

 contractors 15 176 183 3 - -

 Heavy construction,

 except building 16 246 247 4 - -

 Special trades

 contractors 17 618 599 10 - -

Manufacturing 709 715 12 20,434 16

 Food and kindred

 products 20 75 70 1 1,706 1

 Lumber and wood

 products 24 183 203 3 794 1

Transportation and

public utilities 901 947 15 7,248 6

 Local and interurban

 passenger

 transportation 41 117 78 1 503 -

 Trucking and

 warehousing 42 476 511 8 2,451 2
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 Transportation

 by air 45 80 113 2 778 1

 Electric, gas, and

 sanitary services 49 91 88 1 1,066 1

Wholesale trade 256 267 4 4,942 4

Retail trade 687 672 11 21,443 17

 Food stores 54 190 173 3 3,507 3

 Automotive dealers

 and service

 stations 55 125 98 2 2,165 2

 Eating and

 drinking places 58 168 166 3 6,483 5

Finance, insurance,

and real estate 125 114 2 7,862 6

Services 749 767 13 35,008 27

 Business services 73 212 168 3 5,680 4

 Automotive repair,

 services,

 and parking 75 117 103 2 1,618 1

Government(3) 780 591 10 19,525 15

 Federal (including

 resident armed

 forces) 301 178 3 4,583 4

 State 127 127 2 5,150 4

 Local 341 284 5 9,791 8

 Police

 protection 9221 110 76 1 - -

 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 Current

 Population Survey, 1996.

 3 Includes fatalities to workers employed by governmental organizations

 regardless of industry.

 NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not

 shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because

 of rounding. There were 54 fatalities for which there was

 insufficient information to determine a specific industry

 classification, though a distinction between private sector and
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 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, 1995-1996.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by selected

worker characteristics, 1996

Characteristics Fatalities Employment

 (in thousands)(1) Most frequent

 event(2)

 Number Percent Number Percent (percent of total)

 Total 6,112 100 127,997 100 Highway (22 percent)

Employee status

Wage and salary

workers 4,906 80 117,329 92 Highway (24)

Self-employed(3) 1,207 20 10,668 8 Homicide (20)

Sex and age

Men 5,605 92 69,329 54 Highway (21)

Women 507 8 58,668 46 Homicide (34)

Both sexes(4)

Under 16 years 27 - - - Nonhighway (22)

16 to 17 years 43 1 2,648 2 Highway (23)

18 to 19 years 124 2 3,941 3 " (27)

20 to 24 years 440 7 12,532 10 " (18)

25 to 34 years 1,336 22 32,579 25 " (23)

35 to 44 years 1,563 26 35,319 28 " (23)

45 to 54 years 1,226 20 25,550 20 " (22)

55 to 64 years 847 14 11,741 9 " (22)

65 years and

over 492 8 3,690 3 Nonhighway(19)

Race

White 5,047 83 108,805 85 Highway (22)

Black 617 10 13,789 11 Homicide (28)

Asian or
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Pacific Islander 163 3 - - Homicide (57)

American Indian,

Aleut, Eskimo 35 1 - - Highway (23)

Other or not

reported 250 4 - - Homicide (17)

Hispanic origin

Hispanic(5) 626 10 11,725 9 Homicide (20)

 1 The employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years

 of age and older, plus resident armed forces, from the Current

 Population Survey, 1996.

 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 Includes paid and unpaid family workers and may include owners

 of incorporated businesses or members of partnerships.

 4 There were 14 fatalities for which age was not reported.

 5 Persons identified as Hispanic may be of any race. Hispanic employment

 does not include resident armed forces.

 NOTE: Totals 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, 1996.

Table 5. Fatal occupational injuries by State and event or exposure, 1996

 

 Total Event or exposure(2) 

 Fatalities (1) (percent) 

 ---------------- --------------------------------------------------------------

 

 Exposure 

 State of injury 1995 1996 Trans- Contact to 

 (Revised) portation Assaults with harmful Fires and

 incidents(3) and objects Falls sub- explosions

 violent and stanes 

 acts(4) equipment or 

 environ- 

 ments 

 

 ------ ----- --------- -------- -------- ------- --------- --------

 Total(5)............ 6,275 6,112 42 19 16 11 9 3 

 
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Alabama............... 150 153 38 22 21 9 8 - 

Alaska................ 78 63 81 10 6 - - - 

Arizona............... 86 71 44 15 14 8 17 - 

Arkansas.............. 93 88 50 14 16 10 7 - 

California............ 646 599 42 29 9 10 8 2 

Colorado.............. 112 90 47 17 12 11 12 - 

Connecticut........... 32 35 40 20 - 23 - - 

Delaware.............. 12 18 39 22 - - - - 

District of Columbia.. 16 19 - 53 - 21 - - 

Florida............... 391 333 37 26 9 16 11 2 

 

Georgia............... 237 213 50 16 14 11 8 2 

Hawaii................ 24 27 67 - - - - - 

Idaho................. 53 62 60 - 21 8 8 - 

Illinois.............. 250 262 36 19 18 13 11 3 

Indiana............... 156 143 48 17 14 10 7 5 

Iowa.................. 54 70 50 - 24 14 9 - 

Kansas................ 95 85 52 11 15 8 13 - 

Kentucky.............. 140 141 43 9 30 9 4 6 

Louisiana............. 139 103 35 13 29 13 10 - 

Maine................. 18 23 26 - 17 30 - - 

 

Maryland.............. 86 82 38 28 22 7 5 - 

Massachusetts......... 66 62 23 16 21 27 10 - 

Michigan.............. 149 155 37 23 15 14 8 3 

Minnesota............. 84 92 41 11 25 12 9 - 

Mississippi........... 128 103 35 23 21 7 12 - 

Missouri.............. 125 140 49 14 19 11 6 - 

Montana............... 34 50 28 26 18 - 14 10 

Nebraska.............. 54 56 48 - 25 11 9 - 

Nevada................ 51 52 31 25 12 19 8 - 

New Hampshire......... 12 11 55 - - - - - 

 

New Jersey............ 118 99 40 20 17 7 10 5 

New Mexico............ 58 60 30 22 17 8 15 8 

New York (except 

 N.Y.C.)............ 158 169 55 15 13 10 3 4 

New York City......... 144 148 9 55 8 16 7 4 

North Carolina........ 187 191 50 17 16 12 5 - 

North Dakota.......... 28 23 52 - 26 - - - 

Ohio.................. 186 201 35 19 22 8 11 3 

Oklahoma.............. 200 87 54 14 5 7 15 5 

Oregon................ 73 85 55 8 16 11 6 - 

Pennsylvania.......... 233 282 36 17 21 17 7 2 

 

Rhode Island.......... 11 6 - - - - - - 

South Carolina........ 115 101 48 24 10 5 9 4 

South Dakota.......... 26 32 53 - 22 - 12 - 

Tennessee............. 179 152 45 14 15 12 9 5 

Texas................. 475 514 40 20 14 10 10 6 

Utah.................. 51 64 38 11 34 8 8 - 

Vermont............... 16 7 - - - - - - 

Virginia.............. 132 153 39 10 22 12 10 5 

Washington............ 109 128 45 10 26 10 7 - 
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West Virginia......... 56 66 56 - 26 11 - - 

 

Wisconsin............. 117 108 39 11 25 14 10 - 

Wyoming............... 32 28 46 - 25 - - - 

 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 and fatalities to workers struck by vehicles.

 4 Includes violence by persons, self-inflicted injuries, and assaults by animals.

 5 Includes seven fatalities that occurred outside the territorial boundaries of the 50 States.

 NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 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, 1995-1996.

Table 6. CFOI participating State agencies and telephone numbers

State Agency Telephone

Alabama Department of Labor (334) 242-3460

Alaska Department of Labor (907) 465-4539

Arizona Industrial Commission (602) 542-3739

Arkansas Department of Labor (501) 682-4542

California Department of Industrial Relations (415) 972-8625

Colorado Department of Public Health (303) 692-2163

Connecticut Labor Department (860) 566-4380

Delaware Department of Labor (302) 761-8221

District of Columbia Center for Health Statistics (202) 645-5963

Florida Dept. of Labor and Employment Security (850) 922-8953

Georgia Department of Labor (404) 656-2966

Hawaii Dept. of Labor and Industrial Relations (808) 586-9001

Idaho Industrial Commission (208) 334-6061

Illinois Department of Public Health (217) 785-7130

Indiana Department of Labor (317) 232-2679

Iowa Department of Labor Services (515) 281-3661

Kansas Department of Health & Environment (913) 296-5293

Kentucky Labor Cabinet (502) 564-6895

Louisiana Department of Labor (504) 342-3126

Maine Bureau of Labor Standards (207) 624-6447

Maryland Division of Labor and Industry (410) 767-2356

Massachusetts Department of Public Health (617) 624-5628

Michigan Dept. of Consumer and Industry Services (517) 322-1850

Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (612) 297-7429

Mississippi Department of Health (601) 960-7741

Missouri Bureau of Health Services Statistics (573) 751-6274

Montana Department of Labor and Industry (406) 444-3239

Nebraska Workers' Compensation (402) 471-6538

Nevada Division of Industrial Relations (702) 687-3298

New Hampshire Department of Public Health (603) 271-4647

New Jersey Department of Health (609) 984-1863
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New Mexico Health and Environment Division (505) 827-4230

New York Department of Health (518) 458-6228

New York City Department of Health (212) 788-4585

North Carolina Department of Labor (919) 733-0337

North Dakota Bureau of Labor Statistics (816) 426-2483

Ohio Department of Health (614) 466-4183

Oklahoma Department of Labor (405) 528-1500

Oregon Dept. of Consumer/Business Services (503) 378-8254

Pennsylvania Department of Health (717) 783-2548

Rhode Island Department of Health (401) 277-2812

South Carolina Department of Labor (803) 734-4298

South Dakota Bureau of Labor Statistics (816) 426-2483

Tennessee Department of Labor (615) 741-1748

Texas Workers' Compensation Commission (512) 440-3852

Utah Industrial Commission (801) 530-6823

Vermont Bureau of Labor Statistics (617) 565-2300

Virginia Department of Labor & Industry (804) 786-5004

Washington Department of Labor & Industries (360) 902-5510

West Virginia Department of Labor (304) 558-7890

Wisconsin DWD, Workers' Compensation Research (608) 266-7850

Wyoming Bureau of Labor Statistics (816) 426-2483

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 1996

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, 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, asphyxiations, acute poisonings

resulting from short-term exposures 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 make identification of a universe problematic.

Partial information on fatal occupational illnesses, compiled separately,

is available in BLS Report 913.
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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 216 fatal

work injuries in 1996; 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 28 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 subsequently be verified as work related.

States have up to one 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.

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 fatality census counts and those released by other agencies should

take into account the different coverage requirements and definitions being

used.
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 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 15 percent of the

fatal work injuries for 1996.

 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

20 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 accounted for

about 4 percent. (Approximately one-half of the states have approved

OSHA safety programs, which cover state and local government employees.)

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 U.S. 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; United Steelworkers

of America; 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.