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Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or
Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or
Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and
Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by
Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by
Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by
Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by
Technical information: USDL - 95 - 288
G. Toscano (202) 606-6175
Media contact: FOR RELEASE: 10 a.m. EDT
K. Hoyle (202) 606-5902 Thursday, August 3,1995
NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES, 1994
A total of 6,588 fatal work injuries were reported in
1994, 4 percent more than the previous year's total,
according to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries,
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. The
higher fatality count in 1994 largely reflects an increase
over 1993 in the number of workers killed in transportation
incidents, primarily highway and commercial airline
crashes. Catastrophes that result in multiple worker
deaths, such as fires, explosions, and aircraft crashes,
can cause year-to-year fluctuations in fatality totals.
The BLS census uses multiple data sources to identify,
verify, and profile fatal work injuries. Key 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.
Profiles from the 1994 fatality census:
Highway traffic incidents and homicides led all other
events that resulted in fatal work injuries in 1994. These
two events totaled over a third of the work injury deaths
that occurred during the year. (See table 1.)
Highway deaths accounted for 20 percent of the 6,588
fatal work injuries in 1994. Slightly over half of highway
fatality victims were driving or riding in a truck, half of
which collided with another vehicle and a quarter
jackknifed or overturned. Transport-related incidents
occurring on private property (such as tractors or
forklifts overturning), aircraft crashes, and workers
being struck by vehicles each accounted for about 6 percent
of the worker fatalities. Rail and water transport
together accounted for another 3 percent of the deaths.
Homicide was the second leading cause of job-related
deaths, accounting for 16 percent of the total. Robbery
was the primary motive for workplace homicide. About half
the victims worked in retail establishments, such as
grocery stores and eating and drinking establishments,
where cash is readily available. Taxicab drivers, police,
and security guards were other occupations with high
- 2 -
numbers of worker homicides. Four-fifths of the homicide
victims were shot; others were stabbed, beaten, or
srangled. While highway traffic incidents were the leading
manner of death for male workers, homicide was the leading
cause of death for female workers, accounting for 35
percent of their fatal work injuries.
Falls accounted for 10 percent of the fatal work
injuries. The construction industry, primarily special
trade contractors such as roofing, painting, and structural
steel erection, accounted for almost half of the falls.
One-fifth of the falls were from or through roofs; falls
from scaffolding and from ladders each accounted for about
one-eighth.
Nine percent of the fatally injured workers were struck
by various objects, a fourth of which were falling trees,
tree limbs, and logs. Other objects that struck workers
included machines and vehicles slipping into gear or
falling onto workers, and various building materials, such
as pipes, beams, metal plates, and lumber.
Electrocutions accounted for 5 percent of the worker
deaths in 1994. About a third of these fatalities resulted
from the worker or equipment being used coming in contact
with overhead power lines.
Occupation highlights (table 2):
* Occupations with large numbers of worker fatalities
included truck drivers, farm workers, sales supervisors
and proprietors, and construction laborers.
* Specific events or exposures responsible for workers'
deaths varied considerably among occupations. Highway
crashes and jackknifings accounted for about two-thirds of
the truck drivers' deaths, while almost three-fourths of
the fatalities among sales supervisors and proprietors
resulted from homicide. Half of the farm workers' deaths
occurred in vehicle-related incidents. Falls accounted for
one-fourth of the construction laborers' deaths.
Industry highlights (table 3):
* Major industry groups with the largest number of fatal
work injuries were agricultural crop production, special
trades construction contractors (for example, roofing and
electrical work), and trucking and warehousing.
- 3 -
* Industry divisions with large numbers of fatalities
relative to their employment include agriculture, forestry,
and fishing; construction; transportation and public
utilities; and mining.
Worker characteristics 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.
* The types of events responsible for workers' deaths
varied among worker groups. Highway crashes were most
often cited for wage and salary workers, men, whites, and
workers less than 18 years old and those between 45 and 64.
Highway incidents and homicides each accounted for nearly a
fifth of the deaths among workers 20-44. Homicide was the
leading manner of death for self-employed workers, women,
blacks, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and
workers between 18 and 19 years old. Workers 65 and older
were killed more frequently in nonhighway transportation
incidents, such as tractor rollovers, than in any other
event.
Other highlights:
* On average about 18 fatal work injuries occurred each day
in 1994.
* Eighty-five percent of the fatally injured workers died
the day they were injured; 97 percent died within 30 days.
Included in tables 3 and 4 are 1994 annual average
employment data collected in the BLS Current Population
Survey. By comparing the percent distributions of
fatalities and employment, the user can 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 16
percent of the fatality total, which was about 3 times
greater than its share of total employment of 6 percent.
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.
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
- 4 -
uses multiple state and federal data sources. This is the
third 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. State-specific data on
workplace fatalities are available from the state agencies
participating with BLS in the census program. A list of
participating agencies and their telephone numbers is
available from BLS by calling 202-606-6175.
The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses,
conducted since 1972, profiles worker and case
characteristics of serious, nonfatal, workplace injuries
and illnesses resulting in lost worktime in addition to
presenting frequency counts and incidence rates by
industry. Copies of the 1993 news release are available
from BLS by calling 202-606-6304. Incidence rates for 1994
by industry will be published in December 1995.
Information on 1994 worker and case characteristics will be
published in April 1996.
Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or
exposure, 1992-1994.
________________________________________________________
|
| Fatalities
|___________________________
| 1992 |1993(2)| 1994
Event or exposure(1) |______|_______|____________
|Number|Number |Number|Per-
| | | | cent
____________________________|______|_______|______|_____
Total...............| 6,217| 6,331| 6,588| 100
| | | |
Transportation incidents....| 2,484| 2,501| 2,740| 42
Highway...................| 1,158| 1,243| 1,336| 20
Collision between | | | |
vehicles, mobile | | | |
equipment..............| 578| 657| 650| 10
Moving in same | | | |
direction............| 78| 99| 117| 2
Moving in opposite | | | |
directions, oncoming.| 201| 244| 229| 3
Moving in intersection| 107| 123| 143| 2
Vehicle struck station- | | | |
ary object or equipment| 192| 190| 255| 4
|______|_______|______|_____
(See footnotes at end of table)
Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or
exposure, 1992-1994.--continued
________________________________________________________
| Fatalities
|___________________________
| 1992 |1993(2)| 1994
Event or exposure(1) |______|_______|____________
| | | |
|Number|Number |Number|Per-
| | | |cent
____________________________|______|_______|______|____
Noncollision............| 301| 336| 370| 6
Jack-knifed or over- | | | |
turned--no collision.| 213| 237| 272| 4
Nonhighway (farm, indus- | | | |
dustrial premises).......| 436| 392| 407| 6
Overturned..............| 208| 212| 225| 3
Aircraft..................| 353| 282| 424| 6
Worker struck by a vehicle| 346| 365| 383| 6
Water vehicle.............| 109| 120| 92| 1
Railway...................| 66| 86| 81| 1
Assaults and violent acts...| 1,281| 1,329| 1,308| 20
Homicides.................| 1,044| 1,074| 1,071| 16
Shooting................| 852| 884| 925| 14
Stabbing................| 90| 95| 60| 1
Self-inflicted injury.....| 205| 222| 210| 3
Contact with objects and | | | |
equipment..................| 1,004| 1,045| 1,015| 15
Struck by object..........| 557| 566| 589| 9
Struck by falling object| 361| 346| 371| 6
Struck by flying object.| 77| 82| 67| 1
Caught in or compressed | | | |
by equipment or objects..| 316| 309| 280| 4
Caught in running | | | |
equipment or machinery.| 159| 151| 147| 2
Caught in or crushed in | | | |
collapsing materials.....| 110| 138| 132| 2
Falls.......................| 600| 618| 661| 10
Fall to lower level.......| 507| 533| 577| 9
Fall from ladder........| 78| 76| 85| 1
Fall from roof..........| 108| 120| 129| 2
Fall from scaffold......| 66| 71| 89| 1
Fall on same level........| 62| 49| 62| 1
Exposure to harmful sub- | | | |
stances or environments....| 605| 592| 638| 10
Contact with electric | | | |
current..................| 334| 325| 346| 5
Contact with overhead | | | |
powerlines.............| 140| 115| 132| 2
|______|_______|______|______
(See footnotes at end of table)
Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or
exposure, 1992-1994.--continued
________________________________________________________
| Fatalities
|___________________________
| 1992 |1993(2)| 1994
Event or exposure(1) |______|_______|____________
| | | |
|Number|Number |Number|Per-
| | | |cent
____________________________|______|_______|______|____
Contact with temperature | | | |
extremes.................| 33| 38| 50| 1
Exposure to caustic, nox- | | | |
ious, or allergenic sub- | | | |
stances..................| 127| 115| 131| 2
Inhalation of substances| 83| 68| 84| 1
Oxygen deficiency.........| 111| 111| 110| 2
Drowning, submersion....| 78| 89| 90| 1
Fires and explosions........| 167| 204| 202| 3
Other events or exposures(3)| 76| 43| 24| -
________________________________________________________
(1)Based on the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness
Classification Structures.
(2)The BLS news release issued August 10,1994,
reported a total of 6,271 fatal work injuries for calen-
dar year 1993. Since then, an additional 60 job-related
fatalities were identified, bringing the total job-re-
lated fatality count for 1993 to 6,331.
(3)Includes the category "Bodily reaction and exertion."
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include sub-
categories 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, 1994.
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and
major event or exposure, 1994.
________________________________________________________
| | Major event or
|Fatalities | exposure(2)
| | (percent)
Occupation(1) |___________|____________________
|Num- |Per- | |
| ber | cent|Highway(3)|Homicide
________________________________________________________
Total...............|6,588| 100| 20 | 16
Managerial and profes- | | | |
sional specialty......| 768| 12| 21 | 19
Executive, adminis- | | | |
trative, and manage-| | | |
rial...............| 486| 7| 17 | 24
Professional | | | |
specialty...........| 282| 4| 29 | 11
Technical, sales, and | | | |
administrative support| 943| 14| 19 | 45
Technicians and re- | | | |
lated support occu- | | | |
pations.............| 209| 3| 9 | 5
Airplane pilots and| | | |
navigators........| 131| 2| - | -
Sales occupations....| 588| 9| 19 | 63
Supervisors and | | | |
proprietors, | | | |
sales occupations.| 249| 4| 8 | 72
Sales workers, re- | | | |
tail and personal | | | |
services..........| 252| 4| 16 | 72
Cashiers........| 110| 2| - | 96
Administrative sup- | | | |
port occupations, | | | |
including clerical..| 146| 2| 33 | 28
Service occupations....| 601| 9| 16 | 41
Protective service | | | |
occupations.........| 332| 5| 20 | 45
Firefighting and | | | |
fire prevention | | | |
occupations, in- | | | |
cluding super- | | | |
visors...........| 56| 1| 7 | 5
Police and detec- | | | |
tives including | | | |
supervisors......| 149| 2| 32 | 47
Guards, including | | | |
supervisors......| 127| 2| 10 | 60
_________________________________
(See footnotes at end of table)
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and
major event or exposure, 1994.--continued
________________________________________________________
| | Major event or
|Fatalities | exposure(2)
| | (percent)
Occupation(1) |___________|____________________
|Num- |Per- | |
| ber | cent|Highway(3)|Homicide
________________________________________________________
Farming, forestry, and | | | |
fishing...............| 944| 14| 11 | 2
Farming operators and| | | |
managers............| 382| 6| 11 | 1
Other agricultural | | | |
and related occupa- | | | |
tions...............| 360| 5| 17 | 3
Farm workers, in- | | | |
cluding super- | | | |
visors............| 261| 4| 18 | 2
Forestry and logging | | | |
occupations.........| 137| 2| 4 | -
Timber cutting and | | | |
logging occupa- | | | |
tions.............| 112| 2| 4 | -
Fishers, hunters, and| | | |
trappers............| 65| 1| - | -
Fishers............| 55| 1| - | -
Precision production, | | | |
craft, and repair.....|1,090| 17| 11 | 4
Mechanics and re- | | | |
pairers.............| 294| 4| 11 | 5
Construction trades..| 614| 9| 10 | 2
Carpenters and ap- | | | |
prentices.........| 87| 1| 8 | 5
Electricians and | | | |
apprentices.......| 99| 2| 8 | -
Painters...........| 46| 1| - | -
Roofers............| 53| 1| 8 | -
Structural metal | | | |
workers...........| 48| 1| - | -
Operators, fabricators,| | | |
and laborers..........|2,055| 31| 32 | 9
Machine operators, | | | |
assemblers, and in- | | | |
spectors............| 256| 4| 4 | 4
Transportation and | | | |
material moving oc- | | | |
cupations...........|1,169| 18| 50 | 10
_______________________________
(See footnotes at end of table)
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and
major event or exposure, 1994. --continued
________________________________________________________
| | Major event or
|Fatalities | exposure(2)
| | (percent)
Occupation(1) |___________|____________________
|Num- |Per- | |
| ber | cent|Highway(3)|Homicide
________________________________________________________
Motor vehicle oper-| | | |
ators.............| 925| 14| 61 | 12
Truck drivers....| 762| 12| 68 | 2
Driver-sales | | | |
workers.......| 29| - | 62 | 28
Taxicab drivers | | | |
and chauffeurs| 113| 2| 17 | 76
Material moving | | | |
equipment oper- | | | |
ators...........| 172| 3| 9 | -
Handlers, equipment | | | |
cleaners, helpers, | | | |
and laborers........| 630| 10| 9 | 8
Construction la- | | | |
borers............| 247| 4| 6 | -
Laborers, except | | | |
construction......| 229| 3| 7 | 6
Military...............| 109| 2| 10 | 4
_________________________________
(See foonotes at end of table)
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and
major event or exposure, 1994.--continued
_____________________________________________
| Major event or
| exposure(2)
| (percent)
Occupation(1) |____________________
| |Fall to
|Struck by| lower
| object | level
_____________________________________________
Total................| 9 | 9
Managerial and profes- | |
sional specialty......| 2 | 6
Executive, adminis- | |
trative, and mana- | |
gerial..............| 2 | 8
Professional | |
specialty...........| 4 | 4
Technical, sales, and | |
administrative support| 2 | 2
Technicians and re- | |
lated support occu- | |
pations.............| - | 2
Airplane pilots | |
and navigators....| - | -
Sales occupations....| 2 | 2
Supervisors and | |
proprietors, | |
sales occupations.| 3 | 3
Sales workers, re- | |
tail and personal | |
services..........| - | -
Cashiers........| - | -
Administrative sup- | |
port occupations, | |
including clerical..| 5 | 3
Service occupations....| 2 | 6
Protective service | |
occupations.........| 1 | 2
Firefighting and | |
fire prevention | |
occupations, in- | |
cluding super- | |
visors............| - | -
Police and detec- | |
tives including | |
supervisors.......| - | -
Guards, including | |
supervisors.......| - | 3
_________________________________
(See footnotes at end of table)
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and
major event or exposure, 1994.--continued
____________________________________________
| Major or event
| exposure(2)
| (percent)
Occupation(1) |____________________
| |Fall to
|Struck by| lower
| object | level
_____________________________________________
Farming, forestry, and | |
fishing...............| 19 | 6
Farming operators and| |
managers............| 13 | 7
Other agricultural | |
and related occupa- | |
tions...............| 9 | 9
Farm workers, in- | |
cluding super- | |
visors............| 8 | 4
Forestry and logging | |
occupations.........| 74 | -
Timber cutting and | |
logging occupa- | |
tions.............| 75 | -
Fishers, hunters, and| |
trappers............| - | -
Fishers............| - | -
Precision production, | |
craft, and repair.....| 12 | 24
Mechanics and re- | |
pairers.............| 21 | 9
Construction trades..| 6 | 36
Carpenters and ap- | |
prentices.........| 12 | 47
Electricians and | |
apprentices.......| - | 19
Painters...........| - | 46
Roofers............| - | 72
Structural metal | |
workers...........| 15 | 63
Operators, fabricators,| |
and laborers..........| 10 | 7
Machine operators, | |
assemblers, and in- | |
spectors............| 17 | 9
Transportation and | |
material moving oc- | |
cupations...........| 7 | 2
_________________________________
(See footnotes at end of table)
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and
major event or exposure, 1994.--continued
____________________________________________
| Major event or
| exposure(2)
| (percent)
Occupation(1) |____________________
| |Fall to
|Struck by| lower
| object | level
_____________________________________________
Motor vehicle oper-| |
ators.............| 6 | 2
Truck drivers.....| 6 | 2
Driver-sales | |
workers..........| - | -
Taxicab drivers | |
and chauffeurs...| - | -
Material moving | |
equipment opera- | |
tors..............| 16 | 5
Handlers, equipment | |
cleaners, helpers, | |
and laborers........| 13 | 16
Construction la- | |
borers............| 11 | 24
Laborers, except | |
construction......| 19 | 11
Military...............| 6 | 3
________________________________________________________
(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 fatal-
ities 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.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include sub-
categories not shown separately. Percentages may not
add to totals because of rounding. There were 78
fatalities for which there was insufficient information
to determine an occupation classification. Dashes indi-
cate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available
or that do not meet publication criteria.
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of
Labor, in cooperation with state and federal agencies,
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1994.
Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by
industry, 1994.
________________________________________________________
| | |
Industry | SIC | |Employment(2)
|code(1)|Fatalities|(in thou-
| | | sands)
| |________________________
| |Num- |Per-| |Per-
| | ber |cent|Number |cent
________________________________________________________
Total..............| |6,588| 100|124,469|100
Private industry......| |5,923| 90|104,754| 84
Agriculture, forestry | | | | |
and fishing...........| | 847| 13| 3,496| 3
Agricultural produc- | | | | |
tion - crops........|01 | 441| 7| 1,008| 1
Agricultural produc- | | | | |
tion - livestock...|02 | 172| 3| 1,316| 1
Agricultural | | | | |
services...........|07 | 162| 2| 163| -
Mining.................| | 180| 3| 668| 1
Coal mining..........|12 | 41| 1| 115| -
Oil and gas extrac- | | | | |
tion................|13 | 99| 2| 387| -
Construction...........| |1,027| 16| 6,948| 6
General building con-| | | | |
tractors............|15 | 189| 3| - | -
Heavy construction, | | | | |
except building.....|16 | 247| 4| - | -
Special trades con- | | | | |
tractors............|17 | 591| 9| - | -
Manufacturing..........| | 787| 12| 20,050| 16
Food and kindred pro-| | | | |
ducts...............|20 | 78| 1| 1,749| 1
Lumber and wood pro- | | | | |
ducts...............|24 | 199| 3| 731| 1
Transportation and pub-| | | | |
lic utilities.........| | 944| 14| 7,069| 6
Local and interurban | | | | |
passenger transpor- | | | | |
tation.............|41 | 114| 2| 520| -
Trucking and ware- | | | | |
housing.............|42 | 502| 8| 2,326| 2
Transportation by air|45 | 98| 1| 755| 1
Electric, gas, and | | | | |
sanitary services...|49 | 88| 1| 1,096| 1
Wholesale trade........| | 269| 4| 4,702| 4
Retail trade...........| | 797| 12| 20,909| 17
Food stores..........|54 | 235| 4| 3,474| 3
_________________________________
(See footnotes at end of table)
Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by
industry, 1994.--continued
________________________________________________________
| | |
| | |Employment(2)
| SIC |Fatalities|(in thou-
Industry |code(1)| | sands)
| |________________________
| |Num- |Per-| |Per-
| | ber |cent|Number |cent
________________________________________________________
Automotive dealers | | | | |
and service stations|55 | 120| 2| 2,019| 2
Eating and drinking | | | | |
places..............|58 | 181| 3| 6,316| 5
Finance, insurance, and| | | | |
real estate...........| | 112| 2| 7,900| 6
Services...............| | 844| 13| 33,012| 27
Business services....|73 | 253| 4| 4,999| 4
Automotive repair, | | | | |
services, and | | | | |
parking.............|75 | 89| 1| 1,537| 1
Government(3).........| | 665| 10| 19,715| 16
Federal (including res-| | | | |
ident armed forces)...| | 209| 3| 4,901| 4
State..................| | 112| 2| 5,163| 4
Local..................| | 333| 5| 9,650| 8
Police protection....|9221 | 118| 2| - | -
________________________________________________________
(1)Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987
Edition.
(2)The employment is an annual average of employed
civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed
forces, from the BLS Current Population Survey, 1994.
(3)Includes fatalities to workers employed by govern-
mental 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 124
fatalities for which there was insufficient information
to determine a specific industry classification, though
a distinction between private sector and government was
made for each. Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or
data that are not available or that do not meet
publication criteria.
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department
of Labor, in cooperation with state and federal agencies,
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1994.
Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by
selected worker characteristics, 1994.
________________________________________________________
| | Employment |
|Fatalities |[in thou- | Most
| | sands](1) | frequent
|___________|____________| event
Characteristics | |Per-| |Per-|[percent
|Number|cent|Number |cent| of total]
_________________|______|____|_______|____|_____________
Total.........|6,588 | 100|124,469| 100|Highway(2)
| | | | |[20 percent]
Employee status | | | | |
| | | | |
Wage and salary | | | | |
workers.........| 5,336| 81|113,641| 91|Highway [22]
Self-employed(3).| 1,252| 19| 10,828| 9|Homicide [21]
| | | | |
Sex and age | | | | |
Men..............| 6,067| 92| 67,690| 54|Highway [20]
Women............| 521| 8| 56,779| 46|Homicide [35]
| | | | |
Both sexes: | | | | |
Under 16 years...| 25| - | - | - |Highway [20]
16 to 17 years...| 42| 1| 2,511| 2| " [26]
18 to 19 years...| 112| 2| 3,749| 3|Homicide [24]
20 to 24 years...| 545| 8| 13,204| 11|Homicide [19]/
| | | | | Highway [18]
25 to 34 years...| 1,558| 24| 32,829| 26|Highway [19]/
| | | | | Homicide [18]
35 to 44 years...| 1,608| 24| 33,882| 27|Highway [19]/
| | | | | Homicide [18]
45 to 54 years...| 1,304| 20| 23,383| 19|Highway [23]
55 to 64 years...| 858| 13| 11,229| 9| " [23]
65 years and over| 517| 8| 3,681| 3|Nonhighway[22]
| | | | |
Race | | | | |
White............| 5,420| 82|106,285| 85|Highway [21]
Black............| 702| 11| 13,102| 11|Homicide [30]
Asian or Pacific | | | | |
Islander........| 181| 3| - | - |Homicide [61]
American Indian, | | | | |
Aleut, Eskimo...| 40| 1| - | - |Homicide [18]
Other or unspeci-| | | | |
fied............| 245| 4| - | - |Homicide [24]
| | | | |
Hispanic origin | | | | |
Hispanic(4)......| 611| 9| 10,867| 9|Homicide [22]
|_______________________________________
(See footnotes at end of table)
Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by
selected worker characteristics, 1994.--continued
________________________________________________________
(1)The employment is an annual average of employed
civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed
forces, from the BLS Current Population Survey, 1994.
(2)"Highway" includes deaths to vehicle occupants
resulting from traffic incidents that occur on the pub-
lic 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.
(3)Includes paid and unpaid family workers, and may
include owners of incorporated businesses, or members of
partnerships.
(4)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 agen-
cies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1994.
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 1994 that resulted from traumatic occupational injuries.
An injury is defined as any intentional or unintentional
wound or damage to the body resulting from acute exposure
to energy, such as heat or electricity, or kinetic energy
from a crash; or from the absence of such essentials as
heat or oxygen caused by a specific event, incident, or
series of events within a single workday or shift. Included
are open wounds, intracranial and internal injuries,
heatstroke, hypothermia, asphyxiations, acute poisonings
resulting from a short-term exposure limited to the
worker's shift, suicides and homicides, and work injuries
listed as underlying or contributory causes of death.
Information on work-related fatal illnesses are not
reported in the BLS census and are excluded from the
attached tables because the latency period of many
occupational illnesses and the difficulty of linking
illnesses to work makes identification of a universe
problematic. Partial information on fatal occupational
illnesses, compiled separately, is available for 1991-1993
in BLS Report 891.
Measurement techniques and limitations:
Data for the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries are
compiled from various federal, state, and local
administrative sources--including death certificates,
workers' compensation reports and claims, reports to
various regulatory agencies, medical examiner reports, and
police reports--as well as news reports. Multiple sources
are used because studies have shown that no single source
captures all job-related fatalities. Source documents are
matched so that each fatality is counted only once. To
ensure that a fatality occurred while the decedent was at
work, information is verified from two or more independent
source documents, or from a source document and a follow-up
questionnaire. Approximately 30 data elements are
collected, coded, and tabulated, including information
about the worker, the fatal incident, and the machinery or
equipment involved.
Identification and verification of work-related
fatalities:
Because some state laws and regulations prohibit
enumerators from contacting the next-of-kin, it was not
possible to independently verify work relationship (whether
a fatality is job related) for 258 fatal work injuries in
1994; 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
are included in the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
fatalities, which primarily affected self-employed workers,
counts. An additional 56 fatalities submitted by states
were not included because the initiating source document
had insufficient information to determine work
relationship, which could not be verified by either an
independent source document or a follow-up questionnaire.
States may identify additional fatal work injuries
after data collection close-out for a reference year. In
addition, other fatalities excluded from the published
count because of insufficient information to determine work
relationship may be subsequently verified as work related.
States have up to 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
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 19 percent of the fatal work injuries
for 1994.
Fatalities occurring among several other groups of
workers are generally not covered by any federal or state
agencies. These groups include self-employed and unpaid
family workers, which accounted for about 19 percent of the
fatalities; laborers on small farms, accounting for about 2
percent of the fatalities; and state and local government
employees in states without OSHA-approved safety programs,
which account for about 3 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 Department of Justice
(Bureau of Justice Assistance); the Mine Safety and Health
Administration; the Department of Defense; the Employment
Standards Administration (Federal Employees' Compensation
and Longshore and Harbor Workers' divisions); the
Department of Energy; the National Association of Chiefs of
Police; state vital statistics registrars, coroners, and
medical examiners; state departments of health, labor, and
industries, and workers' compensation agencies; state and
local police departments; and state farm bureaus.