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