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CF NR 8/7/97 National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1996 Technical information: G. Toscano (202) 606-6175 Media contact: K. Hoyle (202) 606-5902 USDL - 97 - 266 FOR RELEASE: 10 a.m. EDT Thursday, August 7, 1997 NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES, 1996 Largely as a result of reductions in job-related homicides and electrocutions, the number of fatal work injuries fell in 1996 to 6,112, the lowest level in the five-year history of the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. The downward trend in the past two years reversed the increases reported in 1993 and 1994. (See table 1.) Job-related electrocutions dropped 20 percent, and homicides fell 12 percent from 1995 to 1996. In contrast, fatalities from falls to lower levels continued to rise, reaching a five-year high. Half of the fatal falls occurred in the construction industry. This release profiles these and other fatal work injuries by type of event, occupation, industry, demographic characteristics of the worker, and state where injury occurred. Profiles of 1996 fatal work injuries Highway traffic incidents and homicides continued to lead all other events that resulted in fatal work injuries in 1996. These two events totaled over a third of the work injury deaths that occurred during the year. (See table 1 and chart 1.) Work-related highway deaths accounted for 22 percent of the 6,112 fatal work injuries in 1996. Slightly over half of the highway fatality victims were driving or riding in a truck. The following table shows the most common vehicles occupied by highway fatality victims: Vehicle Truck Semitrailer truck Pickup truck Delivery truck Dump truck Automobile Van Tractor Other or not reported Number Percent 746 352 144 37 31 345 73 25 135 56 27 11 3 2 26 6 2 10 Off-road transport-related incidents (such as tractors or forklifts overturning) and workers being struck by vehicles each accounted for about 6 percent of worker fatalities. Air, rail, and water transport together accounted for another 8 percent. Homicide, the second leading cause of job-related deaths, accounted for 15 percent of fatal work injuries in 1996. Work-related homicides fell 12 percent below the 1995 total and 16 percent below 1994, when job-related homicides recorded a five-year high. While most industry divisions had declines in the number of job-related homicides, retail trade and services had slight increases over 1995. Managers of food serving and lodging establishments and sales supervisors and proprietors were particularly affected by the increases. Taxicab drivers had one of the largest declines in homicides. Robbery was the primary motive of job-related homicides. Almost half of the homicide victims worked in retail establishments, such as grocery stores and eating and drinking establishments, where cash is readily available. Disputes among coworkers and with customers and clients accounted for about one-seventh of the homicide total. Many of these homicides were committed after the worker was fired or the customer or tenant was asked to leave the premises. Arguments with customers and clients ranged from disagreements over monetary issues, such as rental or legal fees owed and quality of goods or services received, to disputes over refusal to serve alcohol. Domestic disputes accounted for one-sixth of the workplace homicides for female workers. Circumstances or alleged perpetrator Robberies and other crimes Work associates Coworker, former coworker Customer, client Relatives Husband, ex-husband Other relative Other personal acquaintances Boyfriend, ex-boyfriend Other acquaintance Number Percent 726 129 75 54 31 20 11 26 11 15 80 14 8 6 3 2 1 3 1 2 Falls continued to rise in 1996, accounting for 11 percent of the fatal work injuries. One-fifth were from or through roofs; falls from scaffolding and from ladders each accounted for about one-seventh. While still relatively small in number, falls from nonmoving vehicles rose by almost two-thirds over the previous year. Nine percent of the fatally injured workers were struck by various objects, such as falling trees, machinery or vehicles that had slipped into gear, and various building materials. Fatalities resulting from being struck by falling objects were at their highest level since the fatality census began in 1992. An increase in the number of workers killed by falling trees and tree limbs in 1996 was partly responsible for the higher level in 1996. Job-related electrocutions dropped below 300 for the first time in the five-year period and accounted for 5 percent of worker deaths in 1996. Construction trade workers, such as painters, electricians, and carpenters, accounted for a large portion of the decline from the 1995 total. Two-fifths of the worker deaths from electrocution resulted from the worker or equipment being used coming in contact with overhead power lines. On average, about 17 workers were fatally injured each day during 1996. Eighty-four percent of fatally injured workers died the day they were injured; 97 percent died within 30 days. There were 189 multiple fatality incidents (incidents that resulted in two or more worker deaths) resulting in 546 job-related deaths. This was about 10 percent fewer multiple fatality incidents than in 1995 when 217 events resulted in 686 fatal work injuries. Occupation highlights (table 2 and chart 2): * Occupations with large numbers of fatal injuries included truck drivers, construction trades, farm occupations, and sales occupations. * The specific events or exposures responsible for workers' deaths varied considerably among occupations. Highway crashes, jackknifings, and rollovers together accounted for about two-thirds of the truck drivers' deaths, while homicides accounted for about three-fifths of the fatalities among workers in sales occupations. Slightly over one-third of the deaths in farm occupations occurred in tractor-related incidents, and about two-fifths of worker deaths in construction trades resulted from falls to lower levels. Industry highlights (table 3): * The construction industry accounted for one out of every six fatal work injuries that occurred during 1996. * Industry divisions with large numbers of fatalities relative to their employment include agriculture, forestry, and fishing; construction; transportation and public utilities; and mining. Relative risk (tables 3 and 4): A comparison of percent distributions of fatalities and employment, can be used to evaluate the relative risk of a job-related fatality for a given occupation, industry, or worker characteristic. For example, the construction industry accounted for about 17 percent of the fatality total, about 3 times its 6-percent share of total employment. While employment can be used to evaluate the relative risk of a fatal work injury, other measures, such as employee exposure hours, also can be used. (The annual average employment data shown in tables 3 and 4 are from the Current Population Survey.) State highlights (table 5): * In general, states that have the largest number of persons employed also reported the largest number of work-related fatalities. Twelve of the largest states accounted for almost half of the total fatality count; three of these 12 states--California, Texas, and Florida-accounted for one-fourth of the total. A state's industry mix, however, also must be considered when evaluating its occupational fatality profile, especially when large numbers of workers are employed in relatively dangerous industries, such as agriculture, mining, and construction. * Five states reported changes of 20 or more fatalities that represented at least a 20 percent difference compared with 1995. Major disasters, such as the Oklahoma City bombing or an airline crash, can cause substantial year-to-year fluctuations in occupational fatality totals. State 1995 1996 Numeric change Percent change Contributing factor Colorado 112 90 -22 -20 General decline Louisiana 139 103 -36 -26 Fewer air and water vehicle incidents Mississippi 128 103 -25 -20 Fewer transportrelated incidents Oklahoma 200 87 -113 -57 Federal building bombing in 1995 Pennsylvania 233 282 49 21 General increase Background of the program The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS safety and health statistics program, provides the most complete count of fatal work injuries available because it uses diverse state and federal data sources to identify, verify, and profile fatal work injuries. Information about each workplace fatality (occupation and other worker characteristics, equipment being used, and circumstances of the event) is obtained by cross-referencing source documents, such as death certificates, workers' compensation records, and reports to federal and state agencies. This method assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible. This is the fifth year that the fatality census has been conducted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The BLS fatality census is a federal/state cooperative venture in which costs are shared equally. Additional state-specific data are available from the participating state agencies listed in table 6. Another Bureau program, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, profiles worker and case characteristics of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses that result in lost worktime and presents frequency counts and incidence rates by industry. Copies of the 1995 news release on nonfatal injuries and illnesses are available from BLS by calling (202) 606-6304. Incidence rates for 1996 by industry will be published in December 1997, and information on 1996 worker and case characteristics will be available in April 1998. For additional occupational safety and health data, access the BLS World Wide Web Internet site: http://www.bls.gov/oshhome.htm. Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, 1992-1996 Fatalities Event or exposure(1) Total 1992 Number 1993 Number 1994 Number 6,217 6,331 6,632 1995(2) 1996 Number Number Percent 6,275 6,112 100 Transportation incidents 2,484 2,501 2,762 2,587 2,556 42 1,158 1,243 1,343 1,346 1,324 22 Collision between vehicles, mobile equipment 578 657 654 642 656 11 Moving in same direction 78 99 120 127 95 2 Moving in opposite directions, oncoming 201 244 230 246 214 4 Moving in intersection 107 123 144 99 153 3 Vehicle struck stationary object or equipment 192 190 255 275 240 4 Noncollision 301 336 373 352 348 6 Jackknifed or overturned-no collision 213 237 274 261 264 4 Nonhighway (farm, industrial premises) 436 392 409 387 369 6 Overturned 208 212 226 209 204 3 Aircraft 353 282 426 283 320 5 Worker struck by a vehicle 346 365 391 388 349 6 Water vehicle 109 120 94 87 107 2 66 86 81 82 75 1 Assaults and violent acts 1,281 1,329 1,321 1,280 1,144 19 Homicides 1,044 1,074 1,080 1,036 912 15 Shooting 852 884 934 762 751 12 Stabbing 90 95 60 67 79 1 102 95 86 207 82 1 205 222 214 221 199 3 1,004 1,045 1,017 916 1,005 16 Highway Railway Other, including bombing Self-inflicted injuries Contact with objects and equipment Struck by object 557 566 590 547 579 9 Struck by falling object 361 346 372 341 402 7 Struck by flying object 77 82 68 63 58 1 Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects 316 309 280 255 283 5 Caught in running equipment or machinery 159 151 147 131 146 2 Caught in or crushed in collapsing materials 110 138 132 99 130 2 600 618 665 651 684 11 Fall to lower level 507 533 580 578 607 10 Fall from ladder 78 76 86 97 95 2 108 120 129 143 148 2 66 71 89 82 88 1 62 49 63 53 49 1 605 592 641 609 523 9 334 325 348 348 279 5 Contact with overhead powerlines 140 115 132 139 116 2 33 38 50 56 32 1 127 115 133 107 119 2 Inhalation of substances 83 68 84 62 75 1 Oxygen deficiency 111 111 109 97 92 2 78 89 89 77 67 1 167 204 202 207 184 3 76 43 24 25 16 - Falls Fall from roof Fall from scaffold Fall on same level Exposure to harmful substances or environments Contact with electric current Contact with temperature extremes Exposure to caustic, noxious, or allergenic substance Drowning, submersion Fires and explosions Other events or exposures(3) 1 Based on the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Structures. 2 The BLS news release issued August 8,1996, reported a total of 6,210 fatal work injuries for calendar year 1995. Since then, an additional 65 job-related fatalities were identified, bringing the total job-related fatality count for 1995 to 6,275. 3 Includes the category "Bodily reaction and exertion." NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with state and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992-1996. Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and major event or exposure, 1996 Occupation(1) Fatalities --------------- Major event or exposure(2) (percent) -------------------------------------Fall Struck to by lower Highway3 Homicide object level Number Percent 6,112 100 22 15 9 10 711 12 23 26 4 7 Executive, administrative, and managerial 437 7 19 32 5 8 Professional specialty 274 4 31 15 2 6 Technical, sales, and administrative support 761 12 22 43 2 2 Technicians and related support occupations 163 3 13 - 4 - Airplane pilots and navigators 100 2 - - - - Sales occupations 503 8 22 59 1 2 Supervisors and proprietors, sales occupations 225 4 16 65 2 - Sales workers, retail and personal services 192 3 17 69 - 3 Total Managerial and professional specialty Cashiers 94 2 - 90 - - 95 2 36 31 4 - Service occupations. 492 8 19 38 2 5 Protective service occupations 248 4 26 44 1 1 Firefighting and fire prevention occupations, including supervisors 37 1 38 - - - Police and detectives, including supervisors 114 2 33 48 - - Guards, including supervisors 97 2 12 54 - - Farming, forestry, and fishing 883 14 9 2 22 7 Farming operators and managers 376 6 7 1 15 7 Farmers, except horticultural 304 5 6 1 14 6 Managers, farms, except horticultural 59 1 8 - 17 7 Other agricultural and related occupations 301 5 14 4 12 9 Farm workers, including supervisors 193 3 17 4 8 4 134 2 5 - 74 5 Timber cutting and logging occupations 118 2 4 - 76 3 Fishers, hunters, and trappers 72 1 - - - - 66 1 - - - - Administrative support occupations, including clerical Forestry and logging occupations Fishers Precision production, craft, and repair 1,072 18 12 3 11 26 Mechanics and repairers 282 5 18 6 15 10 Construction trades 592 10 10 2 8 39 Carpenters and apprentices 87 1 7 - 15 57 Electricians and apprentices 98 2 9 - 5 18 Painters 45 1 - - - 56 Roofers 61 1 - - 5 67 Structural metal workers 52 1 - - 8 77 2,006 33 33 7 10 8 218 4 5 5 20 13 Transportation and material moving occupations 1,154 19 51 8 7 3 913 15 62 9 5 3 Truck drivers 785 13 65 3 6 3 Driver-sales workers 35 1 54 23 - - Taxicab drivers and chauffeurs 65 1 25 71 - - 177 3 13 3 22 3 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers 634 10 10 7 13 15 Operators, fabricators, and laborers Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors Motor vehicle operators Material moving equipment operators Construction laborers 291 5 9 1 14 21 Laborers, except construction 213 3 7 9 14 13 Military(4) 123 2 10 2 5 4 1 Based on the 1990 Occupational Classification System developed by the Bureau of the Census. 2 The figure shown is the percent of the total fatalities for that occupational group. 3 "Highway" includes deaths to vehicle occupants resulting from traffic incidents that occur on the public roadway, shoulder, or surrounding area. It excludes incidents occurring entirely off the roadway, such as in parking lots and on farms; incidents involving trains; and deaths to pedestrians or other nonpassengers. 4 Resident armed forces. NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. There were 64 fatalities for which there was insufficient information to determine an occupation classification. Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with state and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1996. Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by industry, 1996 Fatalities Industry SIC code(1) -------- Total Private industry Agriculture, forestry, and fishing 1995 (revised) --------Number Employment2 (in thousands) 1996 --------------Number Percent -------------Number Percent 6,275 6,112 100 127,997 100 5,495 5,521 90 108,472 85 800 798 13 3,505 3 Agricultural production crops 01 363 335 5 1,025 1 Agricultural production livestock 02 162 154 3 1,214 1 Agricultural services 07 156 171 3 1,189 1 156 152 2 567 - Mining Coal mining 12 43 39 1 98 - Oil and gas extraction 13 77 82 1 302 - 1,055 1,039 17 7,464 6 Construction General building contractors 15 176 183 3 - - Heavy construction, except building 16 246 247 4 - - Special trades contractors 17 618 599 10 - - 709 715 12 20,434 16 Manufacturing Food and kindred products 20 75 70 1 1,706 1 Lumber and wood products 24 183 203 3 794 1 901 947 15 7,248 6 Local and interurban passenger transportation 41 117 78 1 503 - Trucking and warehousing 42 476 511 8 2,451 2 Transportation by air 45 80 113 2 778 1 Electric, gas, and sanitary services 49 91 88 1 1,066 1 Wholesale trade 256 267 4 4,942 4 Retail trade 687 672 11 21,443 17 3 3,507 3 Transportation and public utilities Food stores 54 190 173 Automotive dealers and service stations 55 125 98 2 2,165 2 Eating and drinking places 58 168 166 3 6,483 5 Finance, insurance, and real estate 125 114 2 7,862 6 Services 749 767 13 35,008 27 Business services 73 212 168 3 5,680 4 Automotive repair, services, and parking 75 117 103 2 1,618 1 780 591 10 19,525 15 Government(3) Federal (including resident armed forces) 301 178 3 4,583 4 State 127 127 2 5,150 4 Local 341 284 5 9,791 8 110 76 1 - - Police protection 9221 1 Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 Edition. 2 The employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces, from the Current Population Survey, 1996. 3 Includes fatalities to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. There were 54 fatalities for which there was insufficient information to determine a specific industry classification, though a distinction between private sector and government was made for each. Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with state and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1995-1996. Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by selected worker characteristics, 1996 Characteristics Fatalities Number Total Percent Employment (in thousands)(1) Number Percent Most frequent event(2) (percent of total) 6,112 100 127,997 100 Highway (22 percent) Wage and salary workers 4,906 80 117,329 92 Highway (24) Self-employed(3) 1,207 20 10,668 8 Homicide (20) 5,605 507 92 8 69,329 58,668 54 46 Highway (21) Homicide (34) 27 43 124 440 1,336 1 2 7 22 2,648 3,941 12,532 32,579 2 3 10 25 Nonhighway (22) Highway (23) " (27) " (18) " (23) Employee status Sex and age Men Women Both sexes(4) Under 16 to 18 to 20 to 25 to 16 17 19 24 34 years years years years years 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 years over years years years and 1,563 1,226 847 26 20 14 35,319 25,550 11,741 28 20 9 " " " (23) (22) (22) 492 8 3,690 3 Nonhighway(19) 5,047 617 83 10 108,805 13,789 85 11 Highway (22) Homicide (28) 163 3 - - Homicide (57) 35 1 - - Highway (23) 250 4 - - Homicide (17) 626 10 11,725 9 Homicide (20) Race White Black Asian or Pacific Islander American Indian, Aleut, Eskimo Other or not reported Hispanic origin Hispanic(5) 1 The employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces, from the Current Population Survey, 1996. 2 "Highway" includes deaths to vehicle occupants resulting from traffic incidents that occur on the public roadway, shoulder, or surrounding area. It excludes incidents occurring entirely off the roadway, such as in parking lots and on farms. "Nonhighway" includes transport-related deaths of vehicle occupants that occur or originate entirely off the roadway. Incidents involving trains and deaths to pedestrians or other nonpassengers are excluded from both categories. 3 Includes paid and unpaid family workers and may include owners of incorporated businesses or members of partnerships. 4 There were 14 fatalities for which age was not reported. 5 Persons identified as Hispanic may be of any race. Hispanic employment does not include resident armed forces. NOTE: Totals may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with state and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1996. Table 5. Fatal occupational injuries by State and event or exposure, 1996 Total Event or exposure(2) Fatalities (1) (percent) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- State of injury 1995 (Revised) 1996 Transportation Assaults Contact with incidents(3) and objects violent and Exposure to harmful Fires and Falls sub- explosions stanes equipment -------- -------- ------ ----- 6,275 6,112 42 19 16 Alabama............... Alaska................ Arizona............... Arkansas.............. California............ 2 Colorado.............. Connecticut........... Delaware.............. District of Columbia.. Florida............... 2 150 78 86 93 646 153 63 71 88 599 38 81 44 50 42 22 10 15 14 29 21 6 14 16 9 112 32 12 16 391 90 35 18 19 333 47 40 39 37 17 20 22 53 26 Georgia............... 2 Hawaii................ Idaho................. Illinois.............. 3 Indiana............... 5 Iowa.................. Kansas................ Kentucky.............. 6 Louisiana............. Maine................. 237 213 50 24 53 250 27 62 262 156 -------Total(5)............ 3 --------- acts(4) or environments ------- --------- 11 9 9 8 10 10 8 17 7 8 - 12 9 11 23 21 16 12 11 - 16 14 11 8 67 60 36 19 21 18 - - 8 13 8 11 143 48 17 14 10 7 54 95 140 70 85 141 50 52 43 11 9 24 15 30 14 8 9 9 13 4 - 139 18 103 23 35 26 13 - 29 17 13 30 10 - - Maryland.............. Massachusetts......... Michigan.............. 3 Minnesota............. Mississippi........... Missouri.............. Montana............... 10 Nebraska.............. Nevada................ New Hampshire......... 86 66 149 82 62 155 38 23 37 28 16 23 22 21 15 7 27 14 5 10 8 - 84 128 125 34 92 103 140 50 41 35 49 28 11 23 14 26 25 21 19 18 12 7 11 - 9 12 6 14 - 54 51 12 56 52 11 48 31 55 25 - 25 12 - 11 19 - 9 8 - - New Jersey............ 5 New Mexico............ 8 New York (except N.Y.C.)............ 4 New York City......... 4 North Carolina........ North Dakota.......... Ohio.................. 118 99 40 20 17 7 10 58 60 30 22 17 8 15 158 169 55 15 13 10 3 144 148 9 55 8 16 7 187 28 186 191 23 201 50 52 35 17 19 16 26 22 12 8 5 11 - - - 3 Oklahoma.............. 5 Oregon................ Pennsylvania.......... 2 200 87 54 14 5 7 15 73 233 85 282 55 36 8 17 16 21 11 17 6 7 Rhode Island.......... South Carolina........ 4 South Dakota.......... Tennessee............. 5 Texas................. 6 Utah.................. Vermont............... Virginia.............. 5 Washington............ West Virginia......... 11 115 6 101 48 24 10 5 9 26 179 32 152 53 45 14 22 15 12 12 9 475 514 40 20 14 10 10 51 16 132 64 7 153 38 39 11 10 34 22 8 12 8 10 - 109 56 128 66 45 56 10 - 26 26 10 11 7 - - Wisconsin............. Wyoming............... 117 32 108 28 39 46 11 - 25 25 14 - 10 - - - - - 1 Includes other events and exposures such as bodily reaction, in addition to those shown separately. 2 Based on the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Structures. 3 Includes highway, nonhighway, air, water, and rail fatalities and fatalities to workers struck by vehicles. 4 Includes violence by persons, self-inflicted injuries, and assaults by animals. 5 Includes seven fatalities that occurred outside the territorial boundaries of the 50 States. NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding. Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with State and Federal Agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1995-1996. - Table 6. CFOI participating State agencies and telephone numbers State Agency Telephone Alabama 242-3460 Alaska 465-4539 Arizona 542-3739 Arkansas 682-4542 California 972-8625 Colorado 692-2163 Connecticut 566-4380 Delaware 761-8221 District of Columbia 645-5963 Florida Department of Labor (334) Department of Labor (907) Industrial Commission (602) Department of Labor (501) Department of Industrial Relations (415) Department of Public Health (303) Labor Department (860) Department of Labor (302) Center for Health Statistics (202) Dept. of Labor and Employment Security (850) 922-8953 Georgia 656-2966 Hawaii 586-9001 Idaho 334-6061 Illinois 785-7130 Indiana 232-2679 Iowa 281-3661 Kansas 296-5293 Kentucky 564-6895 Louisiana 342-3126 Maine 624-6447 Department of Labor (404) Dept. of Labor and Industrial Relations (808) Industrial Commission (208) Department of Public Health (217) Department of Labor (317) Department of Labor Services (515) Department of Health & Environment (913) Labor Cabinet (502) Department of Labor (504) Bureau of Labor Standards (207) Maryland 767-2356 Massachusetts 624-5628 Michigan 322-1850 Minnesota 297-7429 Mississippi 960-7741 Missouri 751-6274 Montana 444-3239 Nebraska 471-6538 Nevada 687-3298 New Hampshire 271-4647 Division of Labor and Industry (410) Department of Public Health (617) Dept. of Consumer and Industry Services (517) Department of Labor and Industry (612) Department of Health (601) Bureau of Health Services Statistics (573) Department of Labor and Industry (406) Workers' Compensation (402) Division of Industrial Relations (702) Department of Public Health (603) New Jersey 984-1863 New Mexico 827-4230 New York 458-6228 New York City 788-4585 North Carolina 733-0337 North Dakota 426-2483 Ohio 466-4183 Oklahoma 528-1500 Oregon 378-8254 Department of Health (609) Health and Environment Division (505) Department of Health (518) Department of Health (212) Department of Labor (919) Bureau of Labor Statistics (816) Department of Health (614) Department of Labor (405) Dept. of Consumer/Business Services (503) Pennsylvania 783-2548 Department of Health (717) Rhode Island 277-2812 South Carolina 734-4298 South Dakota 426-2483 Tennessee 741-1748 Texas 440-3852 Utah 530-6823 Vermont 565-2300 Virginia 786-5004 Washington 902-5510 West Virginia 558-7890 Wisconsin 266-7850 Wyoming 426-2483 Department of Health (401) Department of Labor (803) Bureau of Labor Statistics (816) Department of Labor (615) Workers' Compensation Commission (512) Industrial Commission (801) Bureau of Labor Statistics (617) Department of Labor & Industry (804) Department of Labor & Industries (360) Department of Labor (304) DWD, Workers' Compensation Research (608) Bureau of Labor Statistics (816) TECHNICAL NOTES Definitions For a fatality to be included in the census, the decedent must have been employed (that is working for pay, compensation, or profit) at the time of the event, engaged in a legal work activity, or present at the site of the incident as a requirement of his or her job. These criteria are generally broader than those used by federal and state agencies administering specific laws and regulations. (Fatalities that occur during a person's commute to or from work are excluded from the census counts.) Data presented in this release include deaths occurring in 1996 that resulted from traumatic occupational injuries. An injury is defined as any intentional or unintentional wound or damage to the body resulting from acute exposure to energy, such as heat, electricity, or kinetic energy from a crash or from the absence of such essentials as heat or oxygen caused by a specific event, incident, or series of events within a single workday or shift. Included are open wounds, intracranial and internal injuries, heatstroke, hypothermia, asphyxiations, acute poisonings resulting from short-term exposures limited to the worker's shift, suicides and homicides, and work injuries listed as underlying or contributory causes of death. Information on work-related fatal illnesses are not reported in the BLS census and are excluded from the attached tables because the latency period of many occupational illnesses and the difficulty of linking illnesses to work make identification of a universe problematic. Partial information on fatal occupational illnesses, compiled separately, is available in BLS Report 913. Measurement techniques and limitations Data for the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries are compiled from various federal, state, and local administrative sources--including death certificates, workers' compensation reports and claims, reports to various regulatory agencies, medical examiner reports, and police reports--as well as news reports. Multiple sources are used because studies have shown that no single source captures all job-related fatalities. Source documents are matched so that each fatality is counted only once. To ensure that a fatality occurred while the decedent was at work, information is verified from two or more independent source documents or from a source document and a follow-up questionnaire. Approximately 30 data elements are collected, coded, and tabulated, including information about the worker, the fatal incident, and the machinery or equipment involved. Identification and verification of work-related fatalities. Because some state laws and regulations prohibit enumerators from contacting the next-of-kin, it was not possible to independently verify work relationship (whether a fatality is job related) for 216 fatal work injuries in 1996; however, the information on the initiating source document for these cases was sufficient to determine that the incident was likely to be job-related. Data for these fatalities, which primarily affected self-employed workers, are included in the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries counts. An additional 28 fatalities submitted by states were not included because the initiating source document had insufficient information to determine work relationship, which could not be verified by either an independent source document or a follow-up questionnaire. States may identify additional fatal work injuries after data collection close-out for a reference year. In addition, other fatalities excluded from the published count because of insufficient information to determine work relationship may subsequently be verified as work related. States have up to one year to update their initial published state counts. This procedure ensures that fatality data are disseminated as quickly as possible and that no legitimate case is excluded from the counts. Federal/state agency coverage The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries includes data for all fatal work injuries, whether they are covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or other federal or state agencies or are outside the scope of regulatory coverage. Thus, any comparison between the BLS fatality census counts and those released by other agencies should take into account the different coverage requirements and definitions being used. Several federal and state agencies have jurisdiction over workplace safety and health. OSHA and affiliated agencies in states with approved safety programs cover the largest portion of America's workers. However, injuries and illnesses occurring in several other industries, such as coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and water, rail, and air transportation, are excluded from OSHA coverage because they are covered by other federal agencies, such as the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration. Fatalities occurring in activities regulated by federal agencies other than OSHA accounted for about 15 percent of the fatal work injuries for 1996. Fatalities occurring among several other groups of workers are generally not covered by any federal or state agencies. These groups include self-employed and unpaid family workers, which accounted for about 20 percent of the fatalities; laborers on small farms, accounting for about 2 percent of the fatalities; and state and local government employees in states without OSHA-approved safety programs, which accounted for about 4 percent. (Approximately one-half of the states have approved OSHA safety programs, which cover state and local government employees.) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: BLS thanks the participating states for their efforts in collecting accurate, comprehensive, and useful data on fatal work injuries. BLS also appreciates the efforts of all federal, state, local, and private sector agencies that submitted source documents used to identify fatal work injuries. Among these agencies are the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the National Transportation Safety Board; the U.S. Coast Guard; the Mine Safety and Health Administration; the Department of Defense; the Employment Standards Administration (Federal Employees' Compensation and Longshore and Harbor Workers' divisions); the Department of Energy; the National Association of Chiefs of Police; United Steelworkers of America; state vital statistics registrars, coroners, and medical examiners; state departments of health, labor, and industries and workers' compensation agencies; state and local police departments; and state farm bureaus.