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Technical information: (202) 691-6175 Media information: (202) 691-5902 Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm USDL 02-541 FOR RELEASE: 10 a.m. EDT Wednesday, September 25, 2002 National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2001 A total of 8,786 fatal work injuries were reported in 2001, including fatalities related to the September 11th terrorist attacks, according to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. A total of 2,886 work-related fatalities resulted from the events of September 11th. Excluding these fatalities, the overall workplace fatality count was 5,900 for 2001. Profile of fatal work injuries resulting from the September 11th attacks Most of the more than 3,000 people killed were at work (as defined by the fatality census) in the World Trade Center or the Pentagon, were on business travel or were crew aboard the commercial airliners that crashed in Pennsylvania, New York City, and Virginia, or were involved in rescue duties. The events of that day killed 2,886 workers from a wide range of backgrounds - janitors to managers, native and foreign-born workers, and the young and the old. (See tables A. and B.) Industry Seventy-eight percent of the 2,198 non-rescue workers killed in the World Trade Center were working in the finance, insurance, and real estate industry. All of the 412 fatally injured rescue workers were killed at the World Trade Center; 99 percent worked for state and local government. Of the 125 workers killed at the Pentagon, 91 percent were civilian or military federal government employees. Of the 151 workers who were killed on the planes that crashed in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and New York City, 39 percent were employed in the services industry. Occupation Of the rescue workers fatally injured, 335 were firefighters and 61 were police or detectives. Fifty percent of the other workers fatally injured in the World Trade Center were employed as managerial or professional specialty workers. Forty-three percent of the workers fatally injured at the Pentagon were working in military occupations and slightly less than half, 47 percent, were working in civilian managerial and professional specialty occupations. Twenty five of the workers killed on the passenger airliners were flight attendants, 8 were pilots. The majority of the workers killed on the airliners, 69 percent, were in managerial and professional specialty occupations. Worker characteristics Of the fatally injured workers in the World Trade Center, 66 percent were between the ages of 25 and 44, 9 percent were black, 10 percent were Hispanic, and 26 percent were women. Of those working in the Pentagon office building, 54 percent were between the ages of 25 and 44, 33 percent were black, 4 percent were Hispanic, and 37 percent were women. Of the workers involved in the rescue efforts, 70 percent were between the ages of 25 and 44. Ninety-nine percent were male. Of the workers on the passenger airliners 62 percent were men, 7 percent were black, and 5 percent were Hispanic. Overall, two-thirds of the workers fatally injured on September 11th were over 34 years old and 23 percent were women. Almost 20 percent of the workers were foreign-born. Profiles of 2001 fatal work injuries excluding fatalities resulting from the September 11th attacks Excluding the fatalities on September 11th, the overall workplace fatality count of 5,900 for 2001 was down slightly, less than 1 percent from 2000. Total employment also declined slightly in 2001. As a result, the occupational fatality rate was same in 2001 as in 2000, 4.3 fatalities per 100,000 employed. The construction industry, with fatalities at their highest level since the fatality census was first conducted in 1992, continued to report the largest number of fatal work injuries of any industry. From 2000 to 2001, decreases in fatalities from transportation incidents and job-related homicides were offset by increases in fatalities from falls and from electrocutions. Profile of 2001 fatal work injuries (excluding September 11th) by type of incident Fatalities resulting from transportation incidents decreased for the third year in a row, from 2,573 in 2000 to 2,517 in 2001. Highway incidents, however, increased about 3 percent from 2000 and continued to be the leading cause of on-the-job fatalities. Fatal work injuries resulting from workers being struck by vehicles or mobile equipment also increased slightly in 2001. In contrast, the number of workers killed in non-highway incidents, aircraft incidents, and railway incidents decreased. Non-highway fatal incidents, which include tractor and forklift overturns, were at their lowest levels since the census began in 1992. Work-related homicides, at 639 (excluding fatalities resulting from September 11th), fell to their lowest levels since the census began; the record high was 1,080 in 1994. Homicides among technical, sales, and administrative support workers decreased 14 percent to 203 fatalities. However, homicides increased sharply among workers in service occupations, which include police and detectives, food preparation workers, barbers, and hairdressers. The number of workplace suicides and fatal assaults by animals increased slightly. Fatalities resulting from falls increased to 808 in 2001, a 10 percent rise over 2000 levels. This was the highest total since the fatality census began in 1992. Falls to lower levels increased by 39 to 698 in 2001. Falls on the same level increased by 28 to a ten-year high of 84 in 2001. Fatal falls in the construction industry increased 13 percent from 2000 levels and accounted for over half of all fatal falls. Worker deaths resulting from electrocutions and from fires and explosions increased to levels of the late 1990's after falling to a near 10-year low in 2000. Profile of fatal work injuries by industry While fatalities in the construction industry increased 6 percent in 2001 to a record high, fatalities in manufacturing decreased 10 percent from 2000 to their lowest recorded level since the census began in 1992. Other industries showing decreases in work-related fatalities were transportation and public utilities, wholesale trade, and retail trade. The decrease in retail trade fatalities was largely a result of the decline in workplace homicides. Fatalities to workers in services remained relatively unchanged, while fatalities in agriculture, forestry and fishing; finance, insurance, and real estate, and mining increased. Fatalities in government (excluding September 11th) increased 10 percent from 2000. Occupational fatality rates in 2001 were highest in the mining; agriculture; forestry and fishing; construction; and transportation industries. The fatality rate for the mining industry, which includes oil and gas extraction, remained at 30.0 fatal work injuries per 100,000 workers for the second year in a row, the highest fatality rate. The agriculture, forestry and fishing industry had the second highest rate, at 22.8 fatalities per 100,000 employed. The private sector construction industry reported 13.3 fatalities per 100,000 employed, and the rate was 11.2 fatalities per 100,000 employed in the transportation industry. Profile of fatal work injuries by occupation Operators, fabricators, and laborers again recorded the largest number of fatal work injuries of any occupational group, accounting for more than one out of every three fatalities in 2001. However, the number of fatalities in this occupational group dropped 4 percent for the second year in a row. Most of this decrease resulted from fewer fatalities among motor vehicle operators, particularly truck drivers. There also were fewer fatalities among material moving equipment operators, machine operators, and workers in railroad transportation and water transportation. Fatalities among handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers increased, mainly due to an increase in fatalities to construction laborers; fatalities to non-construction laborers decreased. Service occupations showed an increase of 18 percent in fatalities, the highest percentage increase among the major occupation categories. Within this occupation group, police and detectives, including supervisors, had the highest number of fatalities. Fatalities in personal service occupations increased from 37 in 2000 to 59 in 2001. Precision production, craft, and repair occupations showed a small increase in the number of fatalities (3 percent). However, within this occupation group, fatalities in the extractive occupations (drillers and mining machine operators) increased from a low of 47 in 1999 to match its 10 year high of 97 fatalities in 1993. While fatalities to truck drivers declined by 6 percent, they continued to incur more workplace fatalities than any other individual occupation. Truck drivers reported a rate of 25.3 workplace fatalities per 100,000 employed. Farm occupations had the second highest number of fatalities with 499 and rate of 27.9 fatalities, which increased from the previous year. Other occupations that typically have large numbers of worker fatalities but showed decreasing fatalities in 2001 included timber cutters; groundskeepers and gardeners; and aircraft pilots. Fatalities to workers in military occupations increased over 25 percent from 87 in 2000 to 110 in 2001 (excluding September 11th). Almost half of these fatalities resulted from aircraft crashes. The occupational fatality rate for military occupations increased in 2001 to 9.3 fatalities per 100,000 employed. Profile of fatal work injuries by demographic characteristics Fatal injuries to Hispanic or Latino workers were up 9 percent, from 815 in 2000 to 891 in 2001 (excluding September 11th). This resulted from a rise in Hispanic worker fatalities in the services and agriculture industries, rather than in construction as in prior years. Fatalities to white (non-Hispanic) workers fell for the sixth year in a row; fatalities among black (non-Hispanic) workers fell for the second year in a row. Fatal work injuries to men were down slightly, although fatalities to women increased by 5 percent over 2000. The number of occupational fatalities to workers aged 17 years and younger decreased to 53 in 2001 from 73 in 2000. In 2001 fatalities to the self-employed were down by 5 percent to their lowest level recorded since 1992. On average, about 16 workers were fatally injured each day during 2001. The total number of multiple fatality incidents (incidents that resulted in two or more worker deaths) decreased from 214 in 2000 to 197 in 2001. However, the total number of job-related deaths in multiple fatality incidents increased from 531 in 2000 to 563 in 2001 (excluding September 11th). Profile of fatal work injuries by state and region Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia reported fewer fatal work injuries in 2001 than in 2000. The number of work injuries also declined in 2 of the 4 census regions in 2001. For state results beyond those presented here, please contact the individual state agency responsible for the collection of CFOI data in that state. A list of those agencies, with telephone numbers, is provided in table 6. Background of the program The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS occupational safety and health statistics program, provides the most complete count of fatal work injuries available. The program 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 tenth 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 agencies, listed in table 6. Another BLS program, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, profiles worker and case characteristics of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses that result in lost worktime and presents frequency counts and incidence rates by industry. Copies of the news release on nonfatal injuries and illnesses in 2000 are available from BLS by calling (202) 691-6179 or by accessing the website listed below. Incidence rates for 2001 by industry will be published in December 2002, and information on 2001 worker and case characteristics will be available in April 2003. For additional data, access the BLS Internet site: http://www.bls.gov/iif/. To request a copy of BLS Report 961 which includes several articles and highlights 2000 fatality data, e-mail your address to CFOIstaff@bls.gov or write to Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Room 3180, Washington, DC 20212. The following charts appear in the print version of this release. For copies of these charts, contact CFOIstaff@bls.gov or write to Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Room 3180, Washington, DC 20212. Chart 1: The three most frequent work-related fatal events, 1992-2001 Chart 2: Numbers and rates of fatal occupational injuries by industry division, 2001 Chart 3: Numbers and rates of fatal occupational injuries for selected occupations, 2001 Table A. Fatal occupational injuries from events on September 11, 2001, by industry and occupation Characteristics Passenger Total airliner Number Percent Office building Rescue efforts Number Percent ----------------------------Total 100 412 Number Percent Number Percent --------------- --------------2,886 100 2,323 100 151 2,264 78 2,119 91 141 58 2 57 2 - 12 (1) 11 (1) - 13 (1) 13 1 - 32 1 32 1 - 78 3 35 2 42 37 1 - 27 1 18 1 9 118 4 108 5 10 103 4 103 4 - 1,715 59 1,708 74 192 7 192 8 100 Industry Private industry 93 Construction General building contractors Heavy construction, except building Special trade contractors Transportation and public utilities 28 Transportation by air 24 Wholesale trade 6 Retail trade 7 Eating and drinking places Finance, insurance, and real estate 5 Depository institutions - 36 7 - - Security and commodity brokers Insurance carriers Insurance agents, brokers, and service Real estate Holding and other investment offices 2 Services 39 3 1 Business services 14 Government(2) 7 408 99 Federal government (including resident armed forces) 5 National security 3 State government 2 3 1 Local government 404 98 Police protection 23 6 Fire protection 343 83 Administration of economic programs 38 9 Occupation Managerial and professional specialty 69 10 2 Executive, administrative, and managerial 46 9 2 Professional specialty 23 Technical, sales, and administrative support 13 6 1 Technicians and related support occupations 5 6 1 Health technologists and technicians 6 1 Airplane pilots and navigators 5 Sales occupations 5 Service occupations 17 396 96 Protective service occupations 396 96 Firefighting, including supervisors 335 81 Police and detectives, including supervisors 61 15 Guards, including supervisors Food preparation and service occupations Cleaning and building service 973 34 971 42 - 202 7 202 9 - 330 11 329 14 - 13 (1) 12 1 - 5 (1) - 230 8 168 7 59 141 5 120 5 21 622 22 204 9 10 124 4 116 5 7 118 4 114 5 4 49 2 43 2 3 449 16 45 2 25 1 - - - 344 12 - - - 79 3 41 2 - 1,271 44 1,157 50 104 1,072 37 993 43 70 199 7 164 7 34 930 32 905 39 19 92 3 78 3 8 8 (1) - - 8 (1) - - 8 565 20 557 24 8 549 19 128 6 25 433 15 37 2 - 336 12 - 64 2 33 - 3 - - - - 3 (1) - 1 33 1 - 64 2 64 3 - 25 1 25 1 - - Personal service occupations 17 Transportation attendants 17 Precision production, craft, and repair Mechanics and repairers Construction trades Operators, fabricators, and laborers Military occupations - 27 1 - - 25 25 1 - - 25 61 2 60 3 - 20 1 20 1 - 39 1 38 2 - 14 (1) 12 1 - 54 2 54 2 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 Less than 0.5 percent. 2 Includes fatalities to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry NOTE: These totals include work-related fatalities only. They may differ from totals published by other organizations primarily due to the differences in how work relationship, industry and occupation are categorized. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with state, New York City, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Table B. Fatal occupational injuries from events on September 11, 2001, by selected demographic characteristics Characteristics Total Office building Passenger airliner Rescue efforts Number Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Percent --------------- --------------Total 412 100 --------------- --------------- 2,886 100 2,323 100 151 100 2,699 94 2,198 95 89 59 165 6 125 5 40 26 22 1 - - 22 15 2,212 77 1,710 74 93 62 674 23 613 26 58 38 State New York (New York City only) 412 100 Virginia Pennsylvania Sex Men 409 Women 3 99 1 Age 20 to 24 years 4 1 25 to 34 years 108 26 35 to 44 years 181 44 45 to 54 years 100 24 55 to 64 years 13 3 65 and over - 112 4 104 4 4 3 822 28 682 29 32 21 1,068 37 831 36 56 37 608 21 465 20 43 28 237 8 211 9 13 9 30 1 25 1 3 2 Race or ethnic origin(1) White 2,122 74 1,653 71 117 77 352 85 Black or African American 261 9 232 10 10 7 19 5 Hispanic or Latino(2) 259 9 231 10 8 5 20 5 Asian 149 5 142 6 6 4 Native Hawaii or Pacific Islander 29 1 29 1 Other races or not reported 63 2 33 1 10 7 20 5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 The categories "White" and "Black or African American" do not include "Hispanic or Latino" persons. 2 Persons identified as Hispanic may be of any race. NOTE: These totals include work-related fatalities only. They may differ from totals published by other organizations primarily due to the differences in how work relationship, industry and occupation are categorized. Totals for major categories may include subcategories no shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with state, New York City and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, 1996-2001 Event or exposure(1) Fatalities 1996-2000 2000(2) 2001 average Number Number Percent --------- --------------Total, including fatalities from September 11th 8,786 -Total, excluding fatalities from September 11th 5,900 100 ------- N/A N/A 6,094 5,920 Transportation incidents 2,517 43 Highway 1,404 24 Collision between vehicles, mobile equipment 723 12 Moving in same direction 142 2 Moving in opposite directions, oncoming 256 4 Moving in intersection 137 2 Vehicle struck stationary object or equipment 295 5 Noncollision 339 6 Jackknifed or overturned--no collision 273 5 Nonhighway (farm, industrial premises) 324 5 Overturned 157 3 Aircraft 247 4 Worker struck by a vehicle 383 6 Water vehicle 90 2 Rail vehicle 62 1 Assaults and violent acts 902 15 Homicides 639 11 Shooting 505 9 Stabbing 58 1 Other, including bombing 76 1 Self-inflicted injuries 228 4 Contact with objects and equipment 962 16 Struck by object 553 9 Struck by falling object 343 6 Struck by flying object 60 1 Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects 266 5 Caught in running equipment or machinery 144 2 Caught in or crushed in collapsing materials 122 2 Falls 808 14 Fall to lower level 698 12 Fall from ladder 122 2 2,608 2,573 1,408 1,365 685 696 117 136 247 243 151 154 289 279 372 356 298 304 378 399 212 213 263 280 376 370 105 84 71 71 1,015 930 766 677 617 533 68 66 80 78 216 221 1,005 1,006 567 571 364 357 57 61 293 294 157 157 128 123 714 734 636 659 106 110 Fall from roof 153 150 3 Fall from scaffold 90 85 91 2 Fall on same level 55 56 84 1 Exposure to harmful substances or environments 535 481 499 8 Contact with electric current 290 256 285 5 Contact with overhead powerlines 132 128 124 2 Contact with temperature extremes 40 29 35 1 Exposure to caustic, noxious, or allergenic substances 112 100 96 2 Inhalation of substance 57 48 49 1 Oxygen deficiency 92 94 83 1 Drowning, submersion 73 75 59 1 Fires and explosions 196 177 188 3 Other events or exposures(3) 20 19 24 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------159 1 Based on the 2 The BLS news calendar year 2000. Since bringing the 3 Includes the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Structures. release issued Aug. 14, 2001, reported a total of 5,915 fatal work injuries for then, an additional 5 job-related fatalities were identified, total job-related fatality count for 2000 to 5,920. 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. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with state, New York City, District of Columbia, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1996-2001. Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by industry, 2001 Fatalities --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Industry 1996-2000 2000 Employment(3) Fatalities Relative SIC (revised)(2) 2001 (in thousands) per 100,000 standard Code(1) Number Number Percent Number employed(4) error(5) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------ average Number -------- Total, including fatalities from September 11th N/A 8,786 136,252 N/A 6.4 Total, excluding fatalities from September 11th 5,920 5,900 100 136,252 Private industry 5,347 5,270 89 115,934 Agriculture, forestry, and fishing 720 740 13 3,208 Agricultural production - crops 277 301 5 888 Agricultural production - livestock 132 128 2 966 Agricultural services 213 191 3 1,277 Mining(6) 156 170 3 566 Coal mining 40 42 1 88 Oil and gas extraction 83 98 2 353 Construction 1,155 1,225 21 9,125 General building contractors 175 201 3 Heavy construction, except building 284 267 5 Special trades contractors 673 735 12 Manufacturing 668 599 10 18,897 Food and kindred products 68 57 1 1,632 Lumber and wood products 186 151 3 691 Transportation and public utilities 957 911 15 8,131 Local and interurban passenger transportation 84 80 1 622 Trucking and warehousing 566 533 9 2,691 Transportation by air 97 85 1 884 Electric, gas, and sanitary services 84 88 1 982 Wholesale trade 230 220 4 5,086 Retail trade 594 537 9 22,478 Food stores 145 132 2 2,862 Automotive dealers and service stations 95 83 1 Eating and drinking places 138 147 2 6,870 Finance, insurance, and real estate 79 86 1 8,616 Services 769 767 13 39,904 Business services 0.1 6,094 4.3 0.1 4.5 0.2 5,501 803 22.8 33.3 13.0 15.0 1.4 1 2.7 2 2.6 7 2.3 345 162 179 147 30.0 47.7 27.8 3.4 12 8.7 13 4.4 35 75 1,135 13.3 0.8 15 190 - 16 267 - 17 663 - - 3.2 0.6 20 2.0 24 3.1 711 3.5 21.9 75 190 971 11.2 12.9 19.8 9.6 - 0.9 41 3.3 42 1.6 45 2.7 49 - 91 566 89 86 242 4.3 1.1 2.4 0.5 54 55 58 1.0 606 2.1 154 102 142 98 1.0 0.9 754 1.9 0.4 73 181 199 191 3 9,698 Automotive repair, services, and parking 132 115 2 Government(7) 573 630 11 20,318 Federal (including resident armed forces) 149 161 3 4,436 State 109 112 2 5,678 Local 311 332 6 10,205 Police protection 112 121 2 - 2.0 - 0.8 75 - 3.1 0.5 3.6 1.2 2.0 1.1 3.3 0.8 9221 - 122 593 161 122 306 - 99 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 Edition. 2 The BLS news release issued Aug. 14, 2001, reported a total of 5,915 fatal work injuries for calendar year 2000. Since then, an additional 5 job-related fatalities were identified, bringing the total job-related fatality count for 2000 to 5,920. 3 Employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older from the Current Population Survey, 2001, adjusted to include data for resident armed forces from the Department of Defense. 4 The employment figures, except for military, are annual average estimates of employed civilians, 16 years of age and older, from the Current Population Survey (CPS), 2001. The resident military figure, obtained from the Department of Defense, was added to the CPS employment total. 5 The rate represents the number of fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 employed workers and was calculated as follows: (N/W) x 100,000, where N = the number of fatal work injuries, and W = the number of employed workers. There were 20 fatally injured workers under the age of 16 years that were not included in the rate calculations to maintain consistency with the CPS employment. 6 Includes fatalities at all establishments categorized as Mining (Division B) in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 Edition, including establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in Oil and Gas Extraction. 7 Includes fatalities to workers employed by government 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 15 fatalities for which there was insufficient information to determine a specific industry classification, although 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, New York City, District of Columbia, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1996-2001. Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and selected event or exposure, 2001 Occupation(1) Selected event or exposure(2)(percent of total for occupation) Percent Highway(3) Homicide Struck by Fatalities Number Fall to lower level object ---------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- -------- 24 -------- ---------- ------------- Total, including fatalities from September 11th Total, excluding fatalities from September 11th 11 9 12 Managerial and professional specialty 23 19 5 8 Executive, administrative, and managerial 20 24 5 10 Managers, food serving and lodging establishments 67 Professional specialty 27 11 5 7 Technical, sales, and administrative support 25 32 3 4 Technicians and related support occupations 20 3 3 Airplane pilots and navigators Sales occupations 23 47 2 3 Supervisors and proprietors, sales occupations 18 53 3 3 Sales workers, retail and personal services 17 51 4 Cashiers 82 Administrative support occupations, including clerical 39 16 8 7 Service occupations 19 33 3 6 Protective service occupations 24 35 4 3 Firefighting occupations, including supervisors 22 Police and detectives, including supervisors 34 39 Guards, including supervisors 49 9 Cleaning and building services 12 13 24 Farming, forestry, and fishing 13 1 18 7 Farm operators and managers 12 17 4 Farmers, except horticultural 11 16 4 Managers, farms, except horticultural Other agricultural and related occupations 19 9 13 Farm occupations, except managerial 23 6 5 Farm workers, including supervisors 22 6 6 Related agricultural occupations 15 13 22 Groundskeepers and gardeners, except farm 12 15 23 Forestry and logging occupations 8,786 - 5,900 100 637 11 378 6 63 1 259 4 641 11 154 3 87 1 388 7 191 3 148 3 55 1 99 2 511 9 287 5 50 1 159 3 78 1 78 1 805 14 321 5 305 5 11 0 327 6 185 3 170 3 142 2 120 2 95 2 - 63 6 Timber cutting and logging occupations 82 1 67 6 Fishers, hunters, and trappers 62 1 Fishers, including vessel captains and officers 62 1 Precision production, craft, and repair 1,140 19 11 3 11 29 Mechanics and repairers 287 5 15 4 20 11 Construction trades 666 11 8 2 5 42 Carpenters and apprentices 112 2 6 4 62 Electricians and apprentices 109 2 8 16 Roofers 78 1 72 Structural metal workers 45 1 87 Extractive occupations 97 2 12 21 Operators, fabricators, and laborers 2,043 35 37 5 10 10 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors 208 4 5 2 15 12 Transportation and material moving occupations 1,185 20 55 6 8 3 Motor vehicle operators 966 16 65 7 5 3 Truck drivers 799 14 68 2 6 3 Taxicab drivers and chauffeurs 62 1 40 55 Material moving equipment operators 183 3 11 20 8 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers 650 11 14 3 14 20 Construction laborers 349 6 13 13 26 Laborers, except construction 167 3 14 4 14 14 Military(4) 110 1 15 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 13 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, New York City, District of Columbia, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2001. Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by selected worker characteristics, 2001 thousands)(1) Characteristics Most frequent events(2) Fatalities Employment (in Number Percent Percent (percent of total) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Total, including fatalities from Sept. 11th -Total, excluding fatalities from Sept. 11th 100 Highway (24), falls (14) Number 8,786 -- -- 5,900 100 136,252 4,770 81 126,298 1,130 19 9,954 5,429 92 73,087 471 8 63,164 Employee status Wage and salary workers 93 Highway (26), falls (14) Self-employed(3) 7 Homicides (15), highway (14) Sex Men 54 Women 46 Highway (23), falls (14) Highway (29), homicides (27) Age(4) Under 16 16 to 17 2 18 to 19 3 20 to 24 10 25 to 34 22 35 to 44 27 45 to 54 22 55 to 64 10 65 years 3 years 20 - - Nonhighway (25) years 33 1 2,576 122 2 4,432 440 7 13,682 1,140 19 30,091 1,474 25 36,474 1,363 23 30,627 773 13 14,135 529 9 4,175 4,168 71 99,963 563 10 14,815 891 15 14,815 48 1 - Highway (30) years Highway (25), homicides (11) years Highway (24), falls (15) years Highway (27), falls (12) years Highway (23), homicides (12) years Highway (23), falls (14) years Highway (24), falls (14) and over Falls (20), highway (20) Race or ethnic origin(5) White 73 Highway (25), falls (14) Black or African American 11 Highway (28), homicides (20) Hispanic or Latino 11 Highway (19), falls (18) American Indian or Alaskan Native Highway (23), aircraft (21) Asian 172 3 Homicides (41), falls (13) Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 9 Multiple races 6 Other races or not reported 43 1 Homicides (30), highway (19) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 Employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces, from the Current Population Survey, 2001, adjusted to include data for resident armed forces from the Department of Defense. 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 6 fatalities for which age was not reported. 5 The categories "White" and "Black or African American" do not include "Hispanic or Latino" persons. Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 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, New York City, District of Columbia, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2001 Table 5. Fatal occupational injuries by state and event or exposure, 2001 Total fatalities Event or exposure2 (percent of state total for 2001) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Contact Assaults Exposure to with objects harmful Fires Transportation and violent and State of injury acts equipment substances or and 2000(3) 2001(4) Falls environments explosions (revised) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Total, including fatalities from Sept. 11th ---Total, excluding fatalities from Sept. 11th 15 16 14 Northeast N/A -- 8,786 incidents --------------- -- -5,920 8 5,900 43 722 39 3 733 19 15 Connecticut 15 Maine Massachusetts 25 21 New Hampshire New Jersey 19 14 New York (including N.Y.C.) 20 15 New York City 27 12 Pennsylvania 17 17 Rhode Island Vermont - 16 7 5 55 22 26 22 - 115 17 9 17 4 199 8 - - - - 8 16 17 12 18 9 8 8 85 156 6 9 10 207 - 14 5 43 62 48 93 53 175 37 76 37 143 41 57 58 25 64 209 40 35 51 110 52 2,513 43 138 47 68 53 10 50 107 - South 2,600 13 10 9 9 3 103 9 106 10 7 13 - 13 - 11 - 329 17 152 7 35 - - 32 9 - 231 34 15 16 Alabama 9 16 Arkansas 19 Delaware District of Columbia 55 Florida 18 9 Georgia 42 59 19 1,368 148 23 - 4 68 21 12 35 - 13 11 17 - 9 - 42 7 71 13 - 225 4 159 9 39 4 206 19 100 6 1,335 13 14 40 - 18 21 220 15 29 33 4 7 18 129 5 12 14 - 5 111 15 21 7 233 26 53 - Midwest 14 Illinois 19 Indiana 16 Iowa Kansas 6 Michigan 21 Minnesota Missouri 12 Nebraska North Dakota Ohio 21 South Dakota Wisconsin 7 43 9 - 13 23 13 - 48 70 21 40 - 13 368 41 235 41 195 20 13 Kentucky 10 28 Louisiana 8 21 Maryland 28 11 Mississippi 11 14 North Carolina 15 16 Oklahoma 11 22 South Carolina 11 11 Tennessee 9 19 Texas 18 16 Virginia 7 21 West Virginia 21 16 8 132 11 7 143 11 10 84 11 11 14 13 9 13 11 64 38 111 48 203 46 115 38 21 9 89 42 136 47 534 39 146 47 63 52 82 115 6 160 8 4 572 10 4 148 8 6 46 14 49 234 11 117 125 13 39 - 11 12 105 5 - - West 1,248 1,294 45 16 16 14 7 2 Alaska 53 64 75 8 8 Arizona 118 87 43 24 13 10 9 California 553 510 41 19 12 18 9 Colorado 117 139 40 19 19 14 6 Hawaii 20 41 44 20 24 Idaho 35 45 47 11 29 Montana 42 58 47 22 17 Nevada 51 40 52 18 12 New Mexico 35 59 47 14 22 10 Oregon 52 44 45 23 18 Utah 61 65 45 12 22 9 8 Washington 75 102 43 9 18 18 6 7 Wyoming 36 40 55 22 12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 The BLS news release issued Aug. 14, 2001 reported a total of 5,915 fatal work injuries for calendar year 2000. Since then, an additional 5 job-related fatalities were identified, bringing the total job-related fatality count for 2000 to 5,920. 4 Includes 3 fatalities that occurred within the territorial boundaries of the United States, but a State of incident could not be determined. 5 Includes highway, nonhighway, air, water, and rail fatalities and fatalities to workers struck by vehicles. 6 Includes homicides, self-inflicted injuries, and animal attacks. 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, New York City, District of Columbia, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2000-2001. Table 6. CFOI participating agencies and telephone numbers State Agency Telephone number Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Department of Labor Department of Labor and Workforce Development Industrial Commission of Arizona Department of Labor Department of Industrial Relations Department of Public Health Labor Department Department of Labor Center for Health Statistics Department of Insurance (334) (907) (602) (501) (415) (303) (860) (302) (202) (850) 242-3460 465-4539 542-3739 682-4542 703-4776 692-2173 566-4380 761-8223 442-5920 922-8953 Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Department of Labor Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Industrial Commission Department of Public Health Department of Labor Division of Labor Services Department of Health and Environment Labor Cabinet Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Standards (404) (808) (208) (217) (317) (515) (785) (502) (225) (207) 679-0687 586-9001 334-6090 782-5750 232-2668 281-5151 296-1058 564-3070 342-3126 624-6440 Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire Division of Labor and Industry Department of Public Health Department of Consumer and Industry Services Department of Labor and Industry Department of Health Department of Health Department of Labor and Industry Workers' Compensation Court Division of Industrial Relations Department of Public Health (410) (617) (517) (651) (601) (573) (406) (402) (775) (603) 767-2356 624-5627 322-5258 284-5568 576-7186 751-6155 444-3297 471-3547 684-7081 271-4647 New Jersey New Mexico New York State New York City North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Department of Health and Senior Services Occupational Health and Safety Bureau Department of Health Department of Health Department of Labor U.S. Department of Labor Department of Health Department of Labor Department of Consumer and Business Services (609) (505) (518) (212) (919) (312) (614) (405) (503) 984-1863 827-4230 402-7900 788-4585 733-0337 353-7200 466-4183 528-1500 947-7051 Pennsylvania Department of Health (717) 783-2548 Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming TECHNICAL NOTES Department of Health Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation U.S. Department of Labor Department of Labor and Workforce Development Workers' Compensation Commission Labor Commission Department of Labor and Industry Department of Labor and Industry Department of Labor and Industries Department of Labor Department of Workforce Development U.S. Department of Labor (401) (803) (312) (615) (512) (801) (802) (804) (360) (304) (608) (816) 222-2812 734-4298 353-7200 741-1749 804 4637 530-6823 828-5076 786-6427 902-5512 558-7890 266-7850 426-2483 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 2001 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, asphyxiation, 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 is not reported in the BLS census and is 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. 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 and other non-governmental reports. Diverse sources are used because studies have shown that no single source captures all job-related fatalities. Source documents are matched so that each fatality is counted only once. To ensure that a fatality occurred while the decedent was at work, information is verified from two or more independent source documents or from a source document and a follow-up questionnaire. Approximately 30 data elements are collected, coded, and tabulated, including information about the worker, the fatal incident, and the machinery or equipment involved. Identification and verification of work-related fatalities. In 2001, there were 148 cases included for which work relationship could not be independently verified; 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 16 fatalities submitted by states were not included because the initiating source document had insufficient information to determine work relationship and could not be verified by either an independent source document or a follow-up questionnaire. States may identify additional fatal work injuries after data collection closeout for a reference year. In addition, other fatalities excluded from the published count because of insufficient information to determine work relationship may subsequently be verified as work related. States have up to one year to update their initial published state counts. This procedure ensures that fatality data are disseminated as quickly as possible and that no legitimate case is excluded from the counts. Thus, each year's report should be considered preliminary until the next year's data are issued. Increases in the published counts based on additional information have averaged less than 100 fatalities per year or less than 1.5 percent of the total. The BLS news release issued August 14, 2001, reported a total of 5,915 fatal work injuries for 2000. Since then, an additional 5 fatal work injuries were identified, bringing the total for 2000 to 5,920. Federal/state 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 the nation's workers. However, injuries and illnesses occurring in certain industries or activities, such as coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and highway, 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 and various agencies within the Department of Transportation. Fatalities occurring in activities regulated by federal agencies other than OSHA accounted for about 16 percent of the fatal work injuries in 2001. 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 1 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, New York City, and the District of Columbia for their efforts in collecting accurate, comprehensive, and useful data on fatal work injuries. BLS would like to thank in particular the New York City Department of Health, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry for an exceptional job when faced with a unusually heavy workload. BLS also appreciates the efforts of all federal, state, local, and private sector agencies that submitted source documents used to identify fatal work injuries. Among these agencies are the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the National Transportation Safety Board; the U.S. Coast Guard; the Mine Safety and Health Administration; the Employment Standards Administration (Federal Employees' Compensation and Longshore and Harbor Workers' divisions); the Department of Energy; 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.