CF NR 8/12/98 National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1997

 Technical information: (202) 606-6175           USDL 98 - 336
 Media information:     (202) 606-5902           FOR RELEASE:  10 a.m. EDT
                                                 Wednesday, August 12, 1998

 Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/oshhome.htm




             NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES, 1997

	The number of fatal work injuries that occurred during 1997 was
 6,218, about the same as the previous year's total, according to the
 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, conducted by the Bureau of Labor
 Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.  Decreases in deaths from
 job-related homicides and aircraft crashes in 1997 were offset by
 increases in work-related deaths from highway crashes, falls, and being
 caught in running equipment.  (See table 1.)  The construction industry
 reported the largest number of fatal work injuries and accounted for half
 of worker fatalities from falls. Taxicab drivers and police and detectives
 were among the occupations with the largest increases in fatalities over
 the previous year.


 Profiles of 1997 fatal work injuries

	In 1997, job-related highway fatalities reached their highest
 level since the BLS fatality census began in 1992.  Increases in the
 number of workers killed in crashes with objects on the side of the road,
 jack-knifing tractor-trailer rigs, and overturning vehicles were largely
 responsible for the rise in highway fatalities over the 1996 total.  The
 following table shows the major types of highway incidents in which
 workers were killed in 1997.

    Type of highway incident               Number  Percent

    Collision between vehicles              639     46
    Moving in opposite directions           229     17
    Moving in intersection                  142     10
    Moving in same direction                103      7
    Moving and standing vehicle              45      3
    Vehicle struck object on side of road   258     19
    Vehicle struck object in roadway         22      2
    Noncollision incident                   384     28
    Jack-knifed or overturned               295     21
    Ran off highway                          48      3
    Other type of incident                   84      6

	Highway crashes were the leading cause of on-the-job fatalities
 and accounted for 22 percent of the 1997 fatal work injury total.  (See
 table 1) Ninety percent of workers killed in highway crashes were
 driving the vehicle at the time of the incident.  Almost half of the
 highway fatality victims were employed as truckdrivers or in other jobs
 operating motor vehicles as a profession.  The number of highway 

                                    - 2 -


 fatalities among these occupations increased by about one-fifth over the
 1996 total.  Other victims worked in various fields in which highway
 travel is incidental to the primary work activities, including sales,
 farming, nursing and social work, police and firefighting, construction,
 and management.

	Twenty percent of the worker fatalities resulted from other types
 of transportation-related incidents, such as tractors and forklifts
 overturning in fields or in warehouses, workers being struck by vehicles,
 aircraft and railway crashes, and water vessels capsizing.  Worker deaths
 from railway crashes, while relatively few in number, were at the highest
 level in the last six years.  Most of these fatalities occurred when the
 vehicle the worker was driving or riding in was struck by a train at a
 railroad crossing.  Because there were no major commercial airline crashes
 in 1997, worker deaths from aircraft crashes were at their lowest level in
 the last six years.

	Workplace homicides fell to their lowest level in the past six
 years, but continued as the second leading cause of job-related deaths.
 The 7 percent drop in workplace homicides from 1996 was consistent with a
 decline in homicides nationally during the period, as reported by the
 Department of Justice.  Four-fifths of the workplace homicides resulted
 from shootings. Robbery continued to be the primary motive of job-related
 homicide when a motive could be ascertained from the source documents.
 Disputes among coworkers and with customers and clients accounted for
 about one-tenth of the total and declined by over one-third from the
 previous year.


    Circumstances or alleged perpetrator   Number  Percent

    Robberies and other crimes              731     85
    Robberies                               338     39
    Work associates                          81      9
    Coworker, former coworker                56      7
    Customer, client                         25      3
    Relatives                                24      3
    Husband, ex-husband                      16      2
    Other relative                            8      1
    Other personal acquaintances             20      2
    Boyfriend, ex-boyfriend                  11      1
    Other acquaintance                        9      1


	Deaths resulting from on-the-job falls rose slightly over 1996
 totals to their highest level in the six years data have been collected
 and accounted for 11 percent of the fatality total.  About one-half of
 the falls occurred to workers in the construction industry.  Falls from
 roofs, scaffolds, and ladders predominated.  Services accounted for
 about one-tenth of the total.

 	Nine percent of the worker fatalities occurred when workers were
 struck by objects, such as vehicles falling from jacks during repair,
 beams or other objects falling from cranes or forklifts, and trees
 falling while being cut down.  Another 7 percent of the fatal work
 injuries resulted from workers being caught in running equipment, trench
 cave-ins, or collapsing structures.  Workers fatally injured from being
 caught in running equipment, such as agricultural and manufacturing
 equipment, were at a six-year high.

	Electrocutions accounted for 5 percent of the fatal injuries, and
 fires and explosions accounted for 3 percent.  Job-related electrocutions
 resulting from contact with overhead power lines increased by almost

                                   - 3 -

 one-fifth over the 1996 total, yet were consistent with counts reported
 for the previous five years.

	On average, about 17 workers were fatally injured each day during
 1997.  Eighty-four percent of fatally injured workers died the day they
 were injured; 97 percent died within 30 days.  There were 220
 multiple-fatality incidents (incidents that resulted in two or more
 worker deaths), resulting in 544 job-related deaths.  This was an
 increase of 16 percent more multiple-fatality incidents than in 1996,
 when 189 events resulted in 546 fatal work injuries.

 Occupation highlights (table 2):

 * Occupations with large numbers of fatal injuries included truck
 drivers, construction trades, farm occupations, and sales occupations.
 Fatal injuries to truck drivers were at their highest level in the
 six-year period, while the number of fatalities to workers in sales
 occupations fell to its lowest level in the six-year period.

 * Primarily as a result of increases in homicides and highway fatalities,
 on-the-job fatalities to police and detectives and taxicab drivers rose
 by about one-third after falling in 1996.

 * Commercial fishers experienced a 24 percent drop in fatal work injuries
 in 1997 over the 1996 total, yet this remains one of the most dangerous
 occupations.  (For more information on fatalities to fishers, see
 "Fishing for a Living is Dangerous Work" in BLS Report 922, Fatal
 Workplace Injuries in 1996: A Collection of Data and Analysis.)


 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 for about 18 percent of the fatality
 total, 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.)


 Industry highlights (table 3):

 * Construction and transportation and public utilities together accounted
 for about one-third of the fatal work injuries and reported increases over
 1996 fatality totals consistent with increases in their employment totals.

 * Industry divisions with large numbers of fatalities relative to their
 employment include agriculture, forestry, and fishing; construction;
 transportation and public utilities; and mining.
 

 Demographic highlights (table 4):

 * Men, the self-employed, and older workers suffer fatal injuries more
 often than their employment shares would suggest.  Differences in the
 industries and occupations of these worker groups explain in part their
 high relative risk of fatal injury on the job.  (For more information
 on relative risk among worker groups, see "Denominator Choice in the
 Calculation of Workplace Fatality Rates" in BLS Report 922.)

                               - 4 -

 * The majority of fatally injured workers under 16 years of age were
 killed while doing farm work, often involving a farm vehicle.

 * Highway-related incidents were the leading events for job-related
 fatalities among both men and women in 1997.  In prior years, homicides
 had been more frequent than highway deaths for women.


 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 the 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.
 (For more information on variations in state fatality counts, see
 "State and Industry Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992-96" in BLS
 Report 922.)


 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 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 sixth 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 BLS 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 1996
 news release on nonfatal injuries and illnesses are available from BLS by
 calling (202) 606-6304.  Incidence rates for 1997 by industry will be
 published in December 1998, and information on 1997 worker and case
 characteristics will be available in April 1999.  For additional
 occupational safety and health data, access the BLS World Wide Web
 Internet site: http://www.bls.gov/oshhome.htm.  To request a copy of BLS
 Report 922, e-mail your address to CFOIstaff@bls.gov or write to Bureau
 of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Room 3180, Washington,
 DC  20212.




Table 1.  Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, 1992-97
                                                                   
                                         Fatalities
                             ------------------------------------

                                         
   Event or exposure(1)      1992-96                               
                             average    1996(2)        1997                                 
                             -------    -------   ---------------
                                        Number    Number   Percent
                                                                                                                                      
  Total....................   6,331       6,202     6,218    100   
                                                                   
Transportation incidents...   2,587       2,601     2,599     42   
  Highway..................   1,287       1,346     1,387     22   
    Collision between                                              
       vehicles, mobile                                            
       equipment...........     640         667       639     10   
      Moving in same                                               
         direction.........     104          96       103      2   
      Moving in opposite                                           
         directions,                                               
         oncoming..........     228         220       229      4   
      Moving in                                                    
         intersection......     125         153       142      2   
    Vehicle struck                                                 
       stationary object or                                        
       equipment...........     231         243       280      5   
    Noncollision...........     343         352       384      6   
      Jack-knifed or                                               
         overturned--no                                            
         collision.........     250         266       295      5   
  Nonhighway (farm,                                                
     industrial premises)..     400         374       377      6   
    Overturned.............     213         206       216      3   
  Aircraft.................     334         324       261      4   
  Worker struck by a                                               
     vehicle...............     369         353       367      6   
  Water vehicle............     106         119       109      2   
  Railway..................      78          74        93      1   
                                                                   
Assaults and violent acts..   1,275       1,165     1,103     18   
  Homicides................   1,032         927       856     14   
    Shooting...............     839         761       705     11   
    Stabbing...............      78          80        73      1   
    Other, including                                               
       bombing.............     115          86        78      1   
  Self-inflicted injury....     213         204       212      3   
                                                                   
Contact with objects and                                           
   equipment...............     998       1,010     1,034     17   
  Struck by object.........     568         582       578      9   
    Struck by falling                                              
       object..............     365         403       384      6   
    Struck by flying object      69          58        53      1   
  Caught in or compressed                                          
     by equipment or                                               
     objects...............     289         285       320      5   
    Caught in running                                              
       equipment or                                                
       machinery...........     147         146       189      3   
  Caught in or crushed in                                          
     collapsing materials..     122         131       118      2   
                                                                   
Falls......................     645         691       715     11   
  Fall to lower level......     562         610       652     10   
    Fall from ladder.......      87          97       116      2   
    Fall from roof.........     130         149       154      2   
    Fall from scaffold,                                            
       staging.............      79          88        87      1   
  Fall on same level.......      56          52        44      1   
                                                                   
Exposure to harmful                                                
   substances or                                                   
   environments............     596         533       550      9   
  Contact with electric                                            
     current...............     327         281       297      5   
    Contact with overhead                                          
       power lines.........     128         116       138      2   
  Contact with temperature                                         
     extremes..............      42          33        40      1   
  Exposure to caustic,                                             
     noxious, or allergenic                                        
     substances............     121         123       123      2   
    Inhalation of substance      75          76        59      1   
  Oxygen deficiency........     105          95        87      1   
    Drowning, submersion...      81          70        70      1   
                                                                   
Fires and explosions.......     193         185       196      3   
                                                                   
Other events or                                                    
   exposures(3)............      37          17        21      -   

  1 Based on the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness
Classification Structures.
  3 The BLS news release issued August 7, 1997, reported a total of
6,112 fatal work injuries for calendar year 1996. Since then, an
additional 90 job-related fatalities were identified, bringing the
total job-related fatality count for 1996 to 6,202.
  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:  U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in
cooperation with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal
Occupational Injuries, 1992-97.
Table 2.  Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and major event or exposure,
1997
                                                                             
                                           Major event or exposure (2)                                                  
                      Fatalities                   (percent)
                    ----------------   --------------------------------------
                                                          Struck by  Fall to
  Occupation(1)     Total    Percent   Highway(3) Homicide  object    lower  
                                                                      level  
                                                                                                                                                          
  Total..........     6,218    100        22        14         9        10   
                                                                             
Managerial and                                                               
   professional                                                              
   specialty.....       667     11        26        23         4         8   
  Executive,                                                                 
     administrat-                                                            
     ive, and                                                                
      managerial.       417      7        23        30         5        11   
  Professional                                                               
     specialty...       250      4        32        12         2         3   
                                                                             
Technical, sales,                                                            
   and                                                                       
   administrative                                                            
   support.......       733     12        20        41         2         3   
  Technicians and                                                            
     related                                                                 
     support                                                                 
     occupations.       172      3        14         2        -          2   
    Airplane                                                                 
       pilots and                                                            
       navigators       100      2        -         -         -         -    
  Sales                                                                      
     occupations.       458      7        19        59         2         3   
    Supervisors                                                              
       and                                                                   
       proprieto-                                                            
       rs, sales                                                             
       occupatio-                                                            
       ns........       223      4        10        67         2         4   
    Sales                                                                    
       workers,                                                              
       retail and                                                            
       personal                                                              
       services..       182      3        19        63         2         2   
      Cashiers...        84      1        -         92        -         -    
  Administrative                                                             
     support                                                                 
     occupations,                                                            
     including                                                               
     clerical....       103      2        36        27         3         4   
                                                                             
Service                                                                      
   occupations...       492      8        20        37         3         7   
  Protective                                                                 
     service                                                                 
     occupations.       283      5        24        39         2         2   
    Firefighting                                                             
       and fire                                                              
       prevention                                                            
                                                                             
       occupatio-                                                            
       ns,                                                                   
       including                                                             
       superviso-                                                            
       rs........        49      1        22        -          8        -    
    Police and                                                               
       detective-                                                            
       s,                                                                    
       including                                                             
       superviso-                                                            
       rs........       156      3        32        43        -          4   
    Guards,                                                                  
       including                                                             
       superviso-                                                            
       rs........        78      1         8        55        -         -    
                                                                             
Farming,                                                                     
   forestry, and                                                             
   fishing.......       923     15         9         1        21         6   
  Farming                                                                    
     operators                                                               
     and managers       386      6        10        -         12         5   
    Farmers,                                                                 
       except                                                                
       horticult-                                                            
       ural......       296      5        10        -         12         6   
    Managers,                                                                
       farms,                                                                
       except                                                                
       horitcult-                                                            
       ural......        71      1        11        -         13        -    
  Other                                                                      
     agricultural                                                            
     and related                                                             
     occupations.       349      6        13         2        15        10   
    Farm workers,                                                            
       including                                                             
       superviso-                                                            
       rs........       213      3        14         2        11         6   
  Forestry and                                                               
     logging                                                                 
     occupations.       128      2         2        -         74         4   
    Timber                                                                   
       cutting                                                               
       and                                                                   
       logging                                                               
       occupatio-                                                            
       ns........       110      2         3        -         75         3   
  Fishers,                                                                   
     hunters, and                                                            
     trappers....        60      1        -         -          5        -    
    Fishers,                                                                 
       including                                                             
       vessel                                                                
       captains                                                              
       and                                                                   
       officers..        58      1        -         -          5        -    
                                                                             
Precision                                                                    
   production,                                                               
   craft, and                                                                
   repair........     1,094     18        10         3        12        26   
  Mechanics and                                                              
     repairers...       325      5        13         6        18        13   
  Construction                                                               
     trades......       593     10         8         2         6        39   
    Carpenters                                                               
       and                                                                   
       apprentic-                                                            
       es........        98      2        13         4        11        43   
    Electricians                                                             
       and                                                                   
       apprentic-                                                            
       es........        94      2         6        -          4        17   
    Painters.....        39      1        -         -         -         64   
    Roofers......        55      1         5        -         -         75   
    Structural                                                               
       metal                                                                 
       workers...        45      1        -         -         -         80   
                                                                             
Operators,                                                                   
   fabricators,                                                              
   and laborers..     2,161     35        34         7         9         9   
  Machine                                                                    
     operators,                                                              
     assemblers,                                                             
     and                                                                     
     inspectors..       221      4         6         5        17        10   
  Transportation                                                             
     and material                                                            
     moving                                                                  
     occupations.     1,271     20        52         9         7         3   
    Motor vehicle                                                            
       operators.     1,026     17        63        11         4         2   
      Truck                                                                  
         drivers.       857     14        68         3         5         3   
      Driver-sal-                                                            
         es                                                                  
         workers.        44      1        66        25        -         -    
      Taxicab                                                                
         drivers                                                             
         and                                                                 
         chauffe-                                                            
         urs.....       100      2        23        76        -         -    
    Material                                                                 
       moving                                                                
       equipment                                                             
       operators.       169      3         8         2        20         5   
  Handlers,                                                                  
     equipment                                                               
     cleaners,                                                               
     helpers, and                                                            
     laborers....       669     11         9         5        11        20   
    Construction                                                             
       laborers..       333      5         9        -         11        30   
    Laborers,                                                                
       except                                                                
       construct-                                                            
       ion.......       208      3         7         4        13        11   

Military(4)......        94      2        14         1         3         2

  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 51 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:  U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in
cooperation with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational
Injuries, 1992-97.
Table 3.  Fatal occupational injuries and employment by industry, 1997
                                                                                        
                                                                                        
                                                                                        
                      1992-96     1996                                 Employment(2) 
    Industry(1)       average    (revised)        1997                (in thousands)   
                      -------    ---------  ------------------     -------------------- 
                       Number    Number     Number     Percent     Number       Percent
                      -------    ---------  --------   -------     -------      --------                                                                                                                                      
  Total.............   6,331       6,202       6,218     100       130,810       100    
                                                                                        
Private industry....   5,638       5,597       5,594      90       111,417        85    
                                                                                        
Agriculture, for-                                                                       
   estry and fishing     826         806         830      13         3,479         3    
  Agricultural                                                                          
     production -                                                                       
     crops..........     390         337         373       6           985         1    
  Agricultural                                                                          
     production -                                                                       
     livestock......     174         157         182       3         1,205         1    
  Agricultural                                                                          
     services.......     157         172         176       3         1,199         1    
                                                                                        
Mining..............     169         153         158       3           632         -    
  Coal mining.......      45          39          32       1            84         -    
  Oil and gas                                                                           
     extraction.....      87          83          85       1           369         -    
                                                                                        
Construction........     996       1,047       1,107      18         7,844         6    
  General building                                                                      
     contractors....     176         184         194       3            -          -    
  Heavy                                                                                 
     construction,                                                                      
     except building     247         248         252       4            -          -    
  Special trades                                                                        
     contractors....     568         606         648      10            -          -    
                                                                                        
Manufacturing.......     751         725         743      12        20,765        16    
  Food and kindred                                                                      
     products.......      81          73          78       1         1,697         1    
  Lumber and wood                                                                       
     products.......     204         204         199       3           817         1    
                                                                                        
Transportation and                                                                      
   public utilities.     922         970       1,002      16         7,594         6    
  Local and                                                                             
     interurban                                                                         
     passenger                                                                          
     transportation.     113          79         106       2           551         -    
  Trucking and                                                                          
     warehousing....     484         520         569       9         2,560         2    
  Transportation by                                                                     
     air............      93         115          83       1           822         1    
  Electric, gas, and                                                                    
     sanitary                                                                           
     services.......      85          89          89       1         1,060         1    
                                                                                        
Wholesale trade.....     260         270         241       4         4,896         4    
                                                                                        
Retail trade........     741         681         665      11        21,782        17    
  Food stores.......     209         180         189       3         3,643         3    
  Automotive dealers                                                                    
     and service                                                                        
     stations.......     120          98         115       2         2,217         2    
  Eating and                                                                            
     drinking places     182         166         150       2         6,581         5    
                                                                                        
Finance, insurance,                                                                     
   and real estate..     119         116          97       2         8,080         6    
                                                                                        
Services............     782         776         722      12        36,346        28    
  Business services.     207         168         181       3         6,024         5    
  Automotive repair,                                                                    
     services, and                                                                      
     parking........     102         104         109       2         1,623         1    
                                                                                        
Government(3).......     693         605         624      10        19,393        15    
                                                                                        
  Federal government                                                                    
     (including                                                                         
     resident armed                                                                     
     forces)........     228         184         162       3         4,461         3    
                                                                                        
  State government..     127         130         127       2         5,031         4    
                                                                                        
  Local government..     331         289         331       5         9,901         8    
    Police protection.    99          76         113       2            -          -    
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  1 Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987.
  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, 1997.
  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 31 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:  U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with
State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992-97.
Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by selected worker
characteristics, 1997

Characteristics         Fatalities       Employment 
                                       (in thousands)(1)    Most frequent events(2)
                       Number  Percent  Number  Percent        (percent of total)
                       ------  -------  ------- -------    -----------------------
    Total               6,218   100     130,810    100      Highway (22 percent), 
                                                             homicide (14 percent)

  Employee status                          

Wage and salary workers 4,959    80     120,126     92      Highway (24), homicide (13)
Self-employed(3)        1,259    20      10,684      8      Homicide (18), highway (14)

  Sex and age

Men                     5,743    92      70,769     54      Highway (21), homicide (12)
Women                     475     8      60,041     46      Highway (36), homicide (31)

  Both sexes(4)

Under 16 years             21     -       -          -      Nonhighway vehicle-related (38)
16 to 17 years             41     1       2,650      2      Highway (22), homicide (22)
18 to 19 years            113     2       4,102      3      Highway (16), struck by object (16)
20 to 24 years            503     8      12,758     10        "     (23)
25 to 34 years          1,319    21      32,288     25        "     (21)
35 to 44 years          1,520    24      36,174     28        "     (20)
45 to 54 years          1,298    21      26,780     20        "     (24)
55 to 64 years            870    14      12,297      9        "     (25)
65 years and over         519     8       3,761      3        "     (22)

  Race

White                   5,098    82     110,819     85      Highway (23)
Black                     676    11      14,211     11      HIghway (24)
Asian or Pacific Islander 189     3       -          -      Homicide (46)
American Indian, Aleut,                            
 Eskimo                    35     1       -          -      Fall to lower level (17)
Other or not reported     220     4       -          -      Highway (18)

  Hispanic origin

Hispanic(5)               656    11      12,813     10      Homicide (17)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   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,
1997.
   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, 1997.

Table 5.  Fatal occupational injuries by State and event or exposure, 1997

                                                            Event or exposure(2)   
State of injury                                      (percent of State total for 1997)
                               
                                          Trans-      Assaults    Contact                Exposure
                Total Fatalities(1)      portation      and     with objects            to harmful
                  1996    1997          incidents(3)  violent       and                substances or   Fires and
                (revised)                              acts(4)    equipment     Falls   environments   explosions
                  ------ ------         ------------  -------    -----------   -------  ------------   ----------
   Total(5)       6,202   6,218              42          18           17          11           9           3

Alabama             155     139              50          19           17           6           7           -
Alaska               63      51              65          12           12           -           8           -
Arizona              77      58              36          26           14          12           9           -
Arkansas             88     102              47          15           19           5          10           5
California          641     636              36          26           12          13           8           3
Colorado             90     120              48          14           15          15           6           -  
Connecticut          35      32              47           -           16          22           -           -
Delaware             18      17              53           -            -           -           -           -
District of Columbia 19      23               -          52            -          22           -           -
Florida             333     366              39          22           12          13          10           3
Georgia             213     241              43          16           17          12          10           2
Hawaii               27      19              37           -            -           -          21           -
Idaho                62      56              45           9           34           -           -           -
Illinois            262     240              39          21           14          15           8           2
Indiana             143     190              42          19           17          11           6           4
Iowa                 70      80              44           5           22          14          11           -   
Kansas               85      93              61           5           16          11           -           4
Kentucky            141     143              52          16           15           7           8           -
Louisiana           134     137              41          12           16          12          15           4  
Maine                23      19              47           -           26           -           -           -
Maryland             82      82              32          29           12          13          12           -
Massachusetts        62      69              36          19           13          25           6           -
Michigan            155     174              35          18           20          13           7           6
Minnesota            92      72              47          10           21          12           7           -
Mississippi         103     104              40          22           12          14          11           -
Missouri            140     123              44          16           14          10          15           -
Montana              50      56              45          29           14           7           -           -
Nebraska             56      46              48           -           17          11          13           -
Nevada               52      55              38          25           16          13           7           -
New Hampshire        11      23              30          30           26           -           -           -
New Jersey          100     101              31          18           13          16          20           -
New Mexico           60      50              44          10            8           -          24           8
New York
 (except N.Y.C.)    169     155              43          10           21           8           7           9
New York City       148     109              13          47            9          25           4           -
North Carolina      191     210              43          15           23          10           7           2
North Dakota         23      35              40           -           26          26           -           - 
Ohio                201     201              45          13           23          10           6           2
Oklahoma             87     104              46          14           15          12           5           7
Oregon               85      84              49          12           20          12           -           -
Pennsylvania        282     259              43          15           17          13           9           4 
Rhode Island          6      10              80           -            -           -           -           -
South Carolina      109     129              36          36           16           5           5           -
South Dakota         32      23              52           -           30           -           -           -
Tennessee           152     168              41          18           18          10           7           5
Texas               514     460              46          14           16           9          12           4
Utah                 64      66              50           8           27           6           -           -
Vermont               7       9              78           -            -           -           -           -
Virginia            153     166              40          16           19          13           8           -
Washington          128     112              46          13           18          11          10           -
West Virginia        66      53              38           -           34           -          15           -
Wisconsin           108     114              40          10           19          13          13           4
Wyoming              28      29              41           -           14           -           -           -
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     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 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, 1996-1997.

Table 6. CFOI participating State agencies and telephone numbers

State				Agency								Telephone

Alabama			Department of Labor						(334) 242-3460
Alaska                  Department of Labor/Research & Analysis                         (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) 334-6090
Illinois                Department of Public Health                                     (217) 785-7130
Indiana			Department of Labor						(317) 232-2679
Iowa                    Workforce Development                                           (515) 281-3661
Kansas                  Department of Health & Environment                              (785) 296-5641
Kentucky                Labor Cabinet                                                   (502) 564-6895
Louisiana               Department of Labor                                             (504) 342-3126
Maine			Department of Labor						(207) 624-6454

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                Department of Health                                            (573) 751-6103
Montana                 Department of Labor and Industry                                (406) 444-3297
Nebraska                Workers' Compensation Court                                     (402) 471-3547
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
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/Licensing & Regulation                      (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                    Labor Commission                                                (801) 530-6823
Vermont			Bureau of Labor Statistics					(617) 565-2300
Virginia                Department of Labor & Industry                                  (804) 786-8011
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 1997
 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 922.

 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.  Diverse 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 274 fatal work
 injuries in 1997; 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 21 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 closeout 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.  Thus,
 each year's report should be considered preliminary until the next year's
 data are issued.  Increases in the published counts based on additional
 information have averaged less than 100 fatalities per year or less
 than 1.5 percent of the total.

 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.

      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 1997.

      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 3 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 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.