CF AR 9/96 CWC Nat'l CFOI, 1995 NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES, 1995 by Guy Toscano and Janice Windau Fatal work injuries fell 6 percent in 1995 to a total of 6,210, according to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Much of the decrease resulted from a 35 percent drop in the number of workers killed in aircraft crashes and a 19 percent drop in the number of workers killed in firearm-related homicides. Most other types of fatal job-related events also declined in 1995. Although truckdrivers continued to encounter the highest number of fatal work injuries of any single occupation, fishers and timber cutters had the highest risk of fatal injury on the job. This article, which is based on BLS fatality census data, describes the major types of events which resulted in worker fatalities and profiles the most dangerous jobs in 1995. The BLS census, which began collecting data nationally in 1992, uses diverse data sources to identify, verify, and profile fatal work injuries. Key information about each workplace fatality, such as occupation and other worker characteristics and circumstances of the event, is obtained by cross-referencing source documents, including death certificates, workers' compensation records, and reports to Federal and State agencies. This method assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible. Major fatal events Highway traffic incidents and homicides led all other events that resulted in fatal work injuries in 1995. These two events accounted for over a third of the work injury deaths that occurred during the year. Both categories experienced a slight reduction in fatalities from the previous year. (See table 1.) Highway fatalities. Highway traffic incidents accounted for 21 percent of the 6,210 fatal work injuries in 1995. Slightly over half of highway fatality victims were driving or riding in a truck. The following tabulation summarizes the major types of vehicles in which the worker was riding at the time of the fatal incident. 1/ Type of vehicle Number Percent Total highway fatalities 1,329 100 Highway motor vehicle 1,271 96 Truck 729 55 Semitrailer, tractor trailer 359 27 Pickup truck 136 10 Automobile 344 26 Van 74 6 Tractors 29 2 Machinery 20 2 About half the highway fatalities resulted from collisions between two or more vehicles. One-fifth of the fatalities resulted from a crash with an object other than a vehicle, such as a tree, bridge abutment, or utility pole; another fifth occurred when the vehicle jackknifed or overturned. Patterns varied somewhat according to the type of vehicle involved. Collisions with other vehicles, crashes with objects on the side of the road, and jackknifings and overturnings contributed about equally (roughly 30 percent each) to the deaths of those riding in tractor trailers. For workers killed while riding in other types of highway vehicles, collisions between vehicles accounted for slightly over half of the fatalities. About two-fifths of the decedents were truckdrivers by profession with the rest scattered throughout other occupational groups, such as sales workers, farm occupations, police officers, and executives and managers. A similar pattern is evident in the industry of the worker's employer. One-fourth of the workers fatally injured in highway incidents worked in the trucking and courier service industry. The remaining fatalities were widely dispersed among other industries. Homicide. Job-related homicide accounted for 1 of every 6 of the fatal work injuries that occurred in 1995 and was the second leading cause of job-related deaths. The drop in firearm-related workplace homicides resulted in an overall decline in job-related homicide from the 1994 total, despite the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, which accounted for 12 percent of the homicide total in 1995. While three times as many male workers were murdered as female workers, homicide was the leading cause of job-related fatality for women, accounting for nearly half of women's fatal work injuries. And homicides of female workers went up by about one third from 1994, while homicides of male workers went down by about one-eighth. Because of their occupations, homicide was also the leading cause of job- related death for the self-employed and for blacks, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics. The table below shows the circumstances surrounding the 1,024 job-related homicides that occurred in 1995. Circumstance or alleged perpetrator Number Percent Total job-related homicides 1,024 100 Robberies and other crimes 727 71 Work associates 113 11 Coworker, former coworker 88 9 Customer, client 25 2 Police killed in the line of duty 81 8 Security guard killed in the line of duty 59 6 Personal acquaintance of the victim 44 4 Husband, boyfriend (current or former) 25 2 Wife, girlfriend (current or former) 4 - Other relative or acquaintance 15 1 Most of the workplace homicides appear to result from robberies or robbery-attempts. Typically these robberies involved store personnel, gas station attendants, or taxicab drivers being shot for cash receipts. But several workers were killed during carjackings, muggings, and robberies of goods or services, such as robberies of beer trucks. One-seventh of the job-related homicide victims were police officers and security guards killed in the line of duty; one-eighth were victims of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City (including some police officers). One-tenth of the workplace homicide victims were killed by a current or former work associate, almost double the number from the previous year. And several workers, primarily women, were killed as a result of domestic disputes that filtered into the workplace. Half the victims of workplace homicide worked in either a sales occupation (such as sales clerk, retail store owner, or cashier) or a service-related occupation (such as police officer, security guard, or food preparer). Taxicab drivers and various management-related occupations also reported high numbers of job-related homicides. Although job-related homicides in retail trade dropped by 21 percent from the previous year, they still accounted for 41 percent of all workplace homicides in 1995. Homicides in convenience and other grocery stores, eating and drinking places, and gasoline service stations predominated among retail establishments. Government workers accounted for one-fifth of the homicide victims, twice as many as the previous year because of the Oklahoma City bombing. Falls. Falls accounted for 10 percent of the fatal work injuries in 1995. The demographics of those sustaining fatal falls mirrored those of all workers fatally injured during the year. They were overwhelmingly white, male, wage and salary workers and most were in their prime working ages (25 to 54 years old). One-fourth of the fatal fall victims, however, were 55 years and older--double that age group's share of the work force. Not surprisingly, falls accounted for about one-third of the fatal injuries to construction workers, given that working at elevations is common for several of the construction trades, such as roofers and structural metal workers. The construction industry as a whole accounted for half of the fatal falls, compared with a sixth of all fatal work injuries and about a twentieth of the total work force. Agriculture forestry, and fishing, manufacturing, and services each contributed about one-tenth of the fatal falls to workers. The following table summarizes the types of falls resulting in fatal work injury in 1995. Type of fall Number Percent Total falls 643 100 Fall to lower level 573 89 From roof 142 22 From ladder 97 15 From scaffold, staging 82 13 From floor, dock, or ground level 33 5 From building girder or structural steel 33 5 From nonmoving vehicle 32 5 Down stairs or steps 16 2 Fall on same level 50 8 To floor, walkway, or other surface 31 5 Onto or against objects 12 2 Other or unspecified 20 3 While fatal job-related falls were down from 1994, falls from or through roofs rose slightly during 1995, accounting for about one-fifth of the fatal falls to workers. Working on roofs poses a variety of fall hazards. Workers can fall through an existing roof opening, through the roof surface itself, through a skylight, or off the roof edge. 2/ Fatal injuries due to falls from ladders also rose slightly during 1995 and accounted for about one-seventh of the total. Falls from scaffolding or staging resulted in another seventh of the fatal falls to workers; and falls from building girders or other structural steel, falls from nonmoving vehicles, and falls to walkways on the same level as the worker each accounted for about 5 percent of the total. Workers struck by objects. Nine percent of the fatally injured workers were struck by objects, such as falling trees, machinery that had slipped into gear, and building materials. Fatalities from these types of incidents were at their lowest level since the fatality census began in 1992. Excluded from this category are transportation incidents that occur under normal operation of the vehicle, such as a worker struck by a vehicle backing up on a construction site. The category does, however, include instances where a vehicle coasts, rolls, slips into gear, or falls off a jack. Over three-fifths of the "struck by" fatalities resulted from the worker being struck by a falling object, such as a tree being cut down, a cinder block falling off a construction scaffold, or a vehicle falling off a jack during repair. Another eighth resulted from flying objects, such as when an object becomes dislodged or is discharged from a machine. Examples of these types of incidents include a bullet accidentally discharging from a gun or a metal fragment dislodging from a lathe. Another eighth of the "struck by" fatalities occurred when the worker was struck by a rolling object on the floor or ground level, such as a tractor that is being jumpstarted slips into gear. Trees and tree branches accounted for one-fourth of the objects which fatally struck workers, more than any other single source. Machines and vehicles together accounted for about one-third of the objects, and building materials, such as lumber, bricks, and pipes, accounted for about one-eighth. Almost a third of the fatalities occurred to workers in various manufacturing industries, half of which were in logging. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing and construction each accounted for almost one-fifth of the "struck by" fatalities. Electrocutions. Contact with electric current accounted for 6 percent of the worker deaths in 1995. While most other major fatal event categories declined in number from the 1994 total, job-related electrocutions remained virtually at the same level as last year. Two-fifths of these fatalities resulted from the worker or equipment being used coming in contact with overhead power lines. The following table summarizes the type of electric current involved in the job-related electrocutions. Type of electric current Number Percent Total electrocutions 347 100 Overhead power lines 139 40 Wiring, transformers, or other electrical components 94 27 Machine, tool, appliance, light fixture 55 16 Lightning 17 5 Underground, buried power lines 5 1 Other or unspecified 37 11 The construction industry accounted for half the fatal contacts with electric current. Construction workers came into contact with electric current while on bucket trucks, cranes, bulldozers, and ladders. Several were electrocuted while in crawl spaces under houses or in ceilings or while drilling through paneling. The services and agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries each accounted for about one-tenth of the job-related electrocutions. Service workers were typically electrocuted while installing or repairing machines, appliances, or other equipment such as neon signs and billboards. Workers in agriculture, forestry, and fishing were electrocuted when equipment they were moving, such as irrigation pipes or grain augers, came into contact with a power line. Several farmers were struck by lightning. Dangerous jobs Fatality counts. Truckdrivers continued to encounter the highest number of job-related injury fatalities of any single occupation. (See table 2.) They accounted for 1 out of every 8 workers killed on the job. About two-thirds of these fatalities resulted from highway crashes and jackknifings. Workers in various farm occupations, such as farm operator and manager, farm supervisor, and farm worker, accounted for almost 10 percent of the fatal work injury total. Half of their deaths occurred in vehicle-related incidents, both on and off the highway. Laborers also incurred large numbers of fatal work injuries. Job-related fatalities to construction laborers rose by 25 percent over 1994 totals and resulted mainly from vehicle-related incidents and falls. Job-related fatalities to other laborers also resulted primarily from various vehicle-related incidents. Workplace homicide was the main cause of death among sales supervisors and proprietors. Fatality rates. Occupations with large numbers of worker fatalities are not always those at highest risk. For example, truckdrivers had the highest number of fatal work injuries in 1995, but several other occupational groups experienced higher risk of fatal work injury. (See charts 1 and 2. NOT AVAILABLE IN TEXT FORMAT PLEASE SEE PDF VERSION) The number of workers killed in a particular group, indicates the magnitude of the problem for a given employment group. Rates allow comparison of fatality risk among worker groups with varying levels of exposure. (However, there is more than one way to calculate fatality rates that measure the incidence of fatal work injuries for groups of workers. An hours-based rate measures the risk of fatality per standardized length of exposure; an employment-based rate measures the risk for those employed during a given period of time. The rates shown in this article are employment based.) Five of the 10 occupations with the highest fatality totals were also among the occupations with the highest rate of fatal work injury: Airplane pilots, taxicab drivers, construction laborers, truckdrivers, and farm occupations. Of the 10 occupations with the highest fatality rates in 1995, only 1, construction laborers, showed an increase over last year's fatality rate. Although the rate for roofers remained the same as the previous year, their total number of fatal work injuries increased slightly. Industry highlights The construction industry accounted for 1 out of every 6 fatal work injuries that occurred during 1995. (See table 3.) This industry along with government and finance, insurance, and real estate were the only ones that posted increases in fatal work injuries over 1994 totals. Retail trade had the largest decrease in fatal work injuries; fatalities went down 16 percent during 1995, primarily as a result of the drop in workplace homicides. Industry divisions with large numbers of fatalities relative to their employment include agriculture, forestry, and fishing; construction; transportation and public utilities; and mining. Worker characteristics Men accounted for about 91 percent of all fatal work injuries in 1995, but only 54 percent of the employment total. (See table 4.) The self-employed and workers 55 years old and over also had high fatality totals relative to their employment. The events responsible for fatal injuries varied among worker groups, reflecting their occupations and other characteristics. While highway crashes were cited as the most frequent fatal event for many of the worker groups, homicides accounted for the greatest portion of worker deaths for the self-employed, women, blacks, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics. State highlights In general, States that have the largest number of persons employed also reported the largest number of work-related fatalities. Three of the largest States accounted for one-fourth of the total fatality count: California (614), Texas (475), and Florida (376). (See table 5.) A State's industry mix 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. Eight States reported changes in fatalities of 20 or more that also represented a difference of at least 20 percent compared with 1994 totals. Major disasters, such as the Oklahoma City bombing or an airline crash, can cause substantial year-to-year fluctuations in occupational fatality totals. (See table below.) State 1994 1995 Numeric Percent Contributing change change factor Indiana 195 156 -39 -20 Airline crash in 1994 Iowa 74 54 -20 -27 Fewer vehicular incidents Louisiana 187 139 -48 -26 Fewer transport- related incidents Nebraska 83 54 -29 -35 Fewer multiple fatality incidents Oklahoma 97 199 102 105 Federal building bombing in 1995 Pennsylva- 354 233 -121 -34 Airline crash in nia 1994 South 83 103 20 24 Increase in Carolina transport-related incidents Virginia 164 132 -32 -20 Fewer highway fatalities Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, 1992-1995 Fatalities Event or exposure(1) 1992 1993 1994(2) 1995 Number Number Number Number Percent Total............ 6,217 6,331 6,632 6,210 100 Transportation incidents......... 2,484 2,501 2,762 2,560 41 Highway.......... 1,158 1,243 1,343 1,329 21 Collision between vehicles...... 578 657 654 634 10 Moving in same direction.... 78 99 120 125 2 Moving in opposite directions... 201 244 230 244 4 Moving in intersection. 107 123 144 97 2 Vehicle struck stationary object, eqpt. 192 190 255 268 4 Noncollision..... 301 336 373 350 6 Jackknifed or overturned.... 213 237 274 260 4 Nonhighway (farm, industrial premises)436 392 409 388 6 Overturned...... 208 212 226 210 3 Aircraft........... 353 282 426 278 4 Worker struck by a vehicle.......... 346 365 391 385 6 Water vehicle...... 109 120 94 84 1 Railway............ 66 86 81 82 1 Assaults and violent acts.............. 1,281 1,329 1,321 1,262 20 Homicides........ 1,044 1,074 1,080 1,024 16 Shooting....... 852 884 934 754 12 Stabbing....... 90 95 60 67 1 Other, including bombing....... 102 95 86 203 3 Self-inflicted injury.......... 205 222 214 215 3 Contact with objects and equipment..... 1,004 1,045 1,017 915 15 Struck by object. 557 566 590 546 9 Struck by falling object........ 361 346 372 340 5 Struck by flying object........ 77 82 68 63 1 Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects......... 316 309 280 255 4 Caught in running equipment.. .. 159 151 147 131 2 Caught or crushed in collapsing materials....... 110 1 38 132 99 2 Falls............... 600 618 665 643 10 Fall to lower level 507 533 580 573 9 Fall from ladder. 78 76 86 97 2 Fall from roof.. 108 120 129 142 2 Fall from scaffold, staging....... 66 71 89 82 1 Fall on same level. 62 49 63 50 1 Exposure to harmful substances or environments....... 605 592 641 598 10 Contact with electric current. 334 325 348 347 6 Overhead power lines......... 140 115 132 139 2 Contact with temperature extremes........ 33 38 50 55 1 Exposure to caustic, noxious, allergenic substances...... 127 115 133 101 2 Inhalation of substance..... 83 68 84 62 1 Oxygen deficiency. 111 111 109 94 2 Drowning.... 78 89 89 74 1 Fires and explosions.. 167 204 202 208 3 Other events or exposures(3)....... 76 43 24 24 - ____________________________________________________________ 1/ Based on the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Structures. 2/ The BLS news release issued August 3, 1995, reported a total of 6,588 fatal work injuries for calendar year 1994. Since then, an additional 44 job-related fatalities were identified, bringing the total job-related fatality count for 1994 to 6,632. 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, 1992-1995. Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and event or exposure, 1995 Fatalities Major event (2) Occupation(1) (percent) Struck by Fall to Number Percent Highway(3) Homicide object lower Rate(4) level ---------------------- ------- -------- ---------- -------- --------- -------- ---------- Total............... 6,210 100 21 16 9 9 5 Managerial and professional specialty.......... 699 11 25 28 3 6 2 Executive, administrative, and managerial... 467 8 22 34 3 7 3 Professional specialty........ 232 4 30 16 3 5 1 Technical, sales, and administrative support............ 815 13 19 46 2 2 2 Technicians and related support occupations...... 189 3 13 7 2 2 5 Airplane pilots and navigators. 111 2 - - - - 97 Sales occupations... 492 8 19 61 2 2 3 Supervisors and proprietors, sales occupations.... 212 3 13 63 3 1 5 Sales workers, retail and personal services....... 213 3 15 73 - 1 3 Cashiers........ 116 2 3 92 - - 4 Administrative support occupations, including clerical......... 134 2 25 47 - 5 1 Service occupations... 533 9 20 40 1 6 3 Protective service occupations...... 314 5 22 45 - 2 14 Firefighting and fire prevention occupations, including supervisors.... 39 1 28 - - - 13 Police and detectives, including supervisors.... 174 3 28 47 - 2 17 Guards, including supervisors.... 101 2 9 58 - - 11 Farming, forestry, and fishing............ 864 14 10 2 20 6 23 Farming operators and managers..... 332 5 10 3 11 7 23 Farmers, except horticultural.. 244 4 10 2 9 7 20 Managers, farms, except horticultural.. 73 1 12 - 18 7 45 Other agricultural and related occupations...... 359 6 13 3 13 7 17 Farm workers, including supervisors.. 262 4 12 2 11 5 30 Forestry and logging occupations...... 116 2 4 - 74 4 90 Timber cutting and logging occupations.... 98 2 - - 81 3 101 Fishers, hunters, and trappers..... 57 1 - - - - 97 Fishers........... 48 1 - - - - 104 Precision production, craft, and repair.. 1,041 17 10 4 9 25 8 Mechanics and repairers........ 265 4 15 6 14 9 6 Construction trades. 607 10 8 2 6 36 12 Carpenters and apprentices.. 96 2 9 - 14 42 8 Electricians and apprentices.. 117 2 4 - 3 16 16 Electrical power installers and repairers. 35 1 - - - 17 28 Painters, construction and maintenance.. 45 1 - - - 38 9 Roofers......... 60 1 - - - 75 29 Structural metal workers...... 38 1 - - 11 66 64 Operators, fabricators, and laborers........... 2,051 33 32 8 11 8 11 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors....... 238 4 5 6 19 10 3 Transportation and material moving occupations...... 1,148 18 51 10 6 2 22 Motor vehicle operators...... 918 15 61 12 4 2 24 Truck drivers... 749 12 68 3 5 2 26 Driver-sales workers...... 33 1 45 36 - - 21 Taxicab drivers and chauffeurs... 99 2 18 70 - - 46 Material moving equipment operators...... 167 3 10 - 16 5 15 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers......... 665 11 11 5 15 16 13 Construction laborers....... 309 5 10 1 16 27 39 Laborers, except construction... 212 3 13 4 16 8 16 Military.............. 143 2 22 6 6 - 11 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 The rate represents the number of fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 employed workers and was calcualted as follows: (N/W) x 100,000, where N = the number of fatal work injuries, and W = the number of employed workers. The employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces, from the BLS Current Population Survey, 1995. There were 26 fatally injured workers under the age of 16 that were not included in the rate calculations to maintain consistency with the CPS employment. 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 that 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. Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by industry, 1995 Fatalities ------------------------------ 1994 Employment(2) (revised) 1995 (in thousands) Rate(3) SIC --------- ------------------ ---------------- Industry code(1) Number Number Percent Number Percent ---------------------- ------- ------ ------ ------- ------ ------- ------- Total........... 6,632 6,210 100 126,248 100 5 Private industry...... 5,959 5,438 88 106,522 84 5 Agriculture, forestry and fishing........ 852 752 13 3,515 3 22 Agricultural production - crops............ 01 443 362 6 1,042 1 34 Agricultural production - livestock........ 02 172 161 3 1,301 1 12 Agricultural services......... 07 163 155 3 1,082 1 14 Mining................ 180 156 3 625 1 25 Coal mining......... 12 41 43 1 114 - 38 Oil and gas extraction....... 13 99 77 1 336 - 23 Construction.......... 1,028 1,048 17 7,153 6 15 General building contractors...... 15 190 175 3 - - - Heavy construction, except building.. 16 246 245 4 - - - Special trades contractors...... 17 592 613 10 - - - Manufacturing......... 789 702 11 20,389 16 3 Food and kindred products......... 20 79 74 1 1,700 1 4 Lumber and wood products......... 24 199 182 3 815 1 22 Transportation and public utilities... 949 880 14 7,138 6 12 Local and interurban passenger transportation... 41 114 116 2 523 - 22 Trucking and warehousing...... 42 505 462 7 2,323 2 20 Transportation by air.............. 45 99 75 1 792 1 9 Electric, gas, and sanitary services 49 89 91 1 1,094 1 8 Wholesale trade....... 271 254 4 4,973 4 5 Retail trade.......... 808 675 11 20,999 17 3 Food stores......... 54 237 188 3 3,428 3 5 Automotive dealers and service stations......... 55 123 122 2 2,087 2 6 Eating and drinking places........... 58 184 164 3 6,266 5 3 Finance, insurance, and real estate.... 113 124 2 7,761 6 2 Services.............. 853 737 12 33,970 27 2 Business services... 73 255 211 3 5,282 4 4 Automotive repair, services, and parking.......... 75 91 114 2 1,454 1 8 Government(3)........ 673 772 12 19,726 16 4 Federal (including resident armed forces)............. 211 299 5 4,790 4 6 State................. 114 124 2 5,185 4 2 Local................. 338 338 5 9,751 8 3 Police protection... 9221 117 110 2 - - - 1 Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 Edition. 2 The employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces, from the BLS Current Population Survey, 1995. 3 Includes fatalities to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. 4 The rate represents the number of fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 employed workers and was calcualted as follows: (N/W) x 100,000, where N = the number of fatal work injuries, and W = the number of employed workers. The employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces, from the BLS Current Population Survey, 1995. There were 26 fatally injured workers under the age of 16 that were not included in the rate calculations to maintain consistency with the CPS employment. NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. There were 69 fatalities for which there was insufficient information to determine a specific industry classification, though a distinction between private sector and government was made for each. Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with state and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1994-1995. Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by selected worker characteristics, 1995 Employment Characteristics Fatalities (in thousands)(1) ---------------- ---------------- Most frequent event(2) Rate(3) Number Percent Number Percent (percent of total) --------------------- ------ ------- ------ ------- ------------------- --------- Total.............. 6,210 100 126,248 100 Highway (21 percent) 5 Employee status Wage and salary workers........... 5,024 81 115,610 92 Highway (24) 4 Self-employed(4)..... 1,186 19 10,638 8 Homicide (17)/ 11 Nonhighway (16) Sex Men.................. 5,676 91 68,556 54 Highway (19) 8 Women................ 534 9 57,692 46 Homicide (46) 1 Age(5) Under 16 years....... 26 - - - Highway (19) - 16 to 17 years....... 40 1 2,574 2 " (18) 2 18 to 19 years....... 128 2 3,934 3 " (26) 3 20 to 24 years....... 484 8 12,868 10 " (25) 4 25 to 34 years....... 1,395 22 32,880 26 " (21) 4 35 to 44 years....... 1,555 25 34,474 27 " (20) 5 45 to 54 years....... 1,242 20 24,213 19 " (22) 5 55 to 64 years....... 811 13 11,436 9 " (23) 7 65 years and over.... 514 8 3,666 3 Nonhighway(18)/ 14 Highway (17) Race White................ 5,061 81 107,533 85 Highway (22) 5 Black................ 689 11 13,537 11 Homicide (30) 5 Asian or Pacific Islander.......... 161 3 - - Homicide (56) - American Indian, Aleut, Eskimo..... 27 - - - Highway (22) - Other................ 272 4 - - " (26) - Hispanic origin Hispanic(6)......... 610 10 11,208 9 Homicide (21) 5 1 The employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces, from the BLS Current Population Survey, 1995. 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 The rate represents the number of fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 employed workers and was calcualted as follows: (N/W) x 100,000, where N = the number of fatal work injuries, and W = the number of employed workers. The employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces, from the BLS Current Population Survey, 1995. There were 26 fatally injured workers under the age of 16 that were not included in the rate calculations to maintain consistency with the CPS employment. 4 Includes paid and unpaid family workers, and may include owners of incorporated businesses, or members of partnerships. 5 There were 15 fatalities for which age was not available. 6 Persons identified as Hispanic may be of any race. Hispanic employment does not include resident armed forces. 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, 1995. Table 5. Fatal occupational injuries by State and event or exposure, 1995 Total fatalities(1) Event or exposure(2) (percent of State total for 1995) ------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ Exposure Contact to Trans- Assaults with harmful Fires and portation and objects Falls sub- explosio- in- violent and stances ns State of injury cidents(3) acts(4) equipment or 1994 1995 environ- (revised) ments ---------------------- ------ ------ --------- -------- ----------- -------- ---------- --------- Total............... 6,632 6,210 41 20 15 10 10 3 Alabama............... 153 150 34 21 17 10 15 3 Alaska................ 60 78 86 - 5 - - - Arizona............... 79 86 55 22 9 - 6 - Arkansas.............. 85 91 59 8 16 4 9 - California............ 639 614 41 30 10 8 7 3 Colorado.............. 120 112 43 21 14 11 9 - Connecticut........... 35 32 41 25 19 - - - Delaware.............. 15 12 33 - 33 - - - District of Columbia............ 21 16 - 69 - - - - Florida............... 358 376 39 21 10 15 12 2 Georgia............... 249 237 46 20 11 13 8 2 Hawaii................ 21 24 29 33 - - 17 - Idaho................. 50 53 60 13 8 - 8 - Illinois.............. 247 249 31 17 15 18 13 5 Indiana............... 195 156 41 15 15 11 13 5 Iowa.................. 74 54 39 - 31 11 11 - Kansas................ 106 95 46 15 15 9 11 4 Kentucky.............. 158 140 59 6 16 4 10 4 Louisiana............. 187 139 37 17 19 13 10 3 Maine................. 22 18 56 - 22 - - - Maryland.............. 80 86 29 36 13 9 7 6 Massachusetts......... 74 65 34 17 17 23 6 - Michigan.............. 180 149 38 20 20 9 11 - Minnesota............. 82 84 39 12 25 11 10 - Mississippi........... 126 128 48 21 13 7 7 4 Missouri.............. 155 125 34 13 23 14 11 3 Montana............... 50 34 44 - 18 12 18 - Nebraska.............. 83 54 43 11 24 17 - - Nevada................ 41 51 41 24 16 12 - - New Hampshire......... 14 12 33 - - - - - New Jersey............ 114 118 35 23 14 12 10 6 New Mexico............ 54 58 52 9 16 10 9 - New York (except N.Y.C.)............ 180 158 40 16 17 11 11 4 New York City......... 184 144 11 63 6 12 6 - North Carolina........ 226 187 46 17 16 11 9 - North Dakota.......... 21 28 54 - 21 - - - Ohio.................. 209 186 51 13 10 10 12 4 Oklahoma.............. 97 199 15 65 8 2 7 4 Oregon................ 80 73 53 7 22 11 5 - Pennsylvania.......... 354 233 40 16 14 13 9 8 Rhode Island.......... 12 10 - - - - - - South Carolina........ 83 103 43 14 17 10 13 - South Dakota.......... 31 26 35 - 27 15 23 - Tennessee............. 170 179 41 11 27 8 10 3 Texas................. 497 475 42 18 14 12 10 4 Utah.................. 66 51 49 14 12 10 14 - Vermont............... 8 16 69 - 25 - - - Virginia.............. 164 132 45 15 12 14 10 3 Washington............ 118 109 42 13 16 12 9 6 West Virginia......... 61 56 43 7 32 - 11 - Wisconsin............. 109 117 43 15 21 5 11 3 Wyoming............... 35 32 62 - 16 - 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 Includes highway, nonhighway, air, water, and rail fatalities. 4 Includes violence by persons, self inflicted injury, and assaults by animals. NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding and because of dashes which indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1994 and 1995. 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 1995 that resulted from traumatic occupational injuries. An injury is defined as any intentional or unintentional wound or damage to the body resulting from acute exposure to energy, such as heat or electricity, or kinetic energy from a crash; or from the absence of such essentials as heat or oxygen caused by a specific event, incident, or series of events within a single workday or shift. Included are open wounds, intracranial and internal injuries, heatstroke, hypothermia, asphyxiation, acute poisoning resulting from a short-term exposure limited to the worker's shift, suicides and homicides, and work injuries listed as underlying or contributory causes of death. Information on work-related fatal illnesses are not reported in the BLS census and are excluded from the attached tables because the latency period of many occupational illnesses and the difficulty of linking illnesses to work makes identification of a universe problematic. Partial information on fatal occupational illnesses, compiled separately, is available for 1991-1993 in BLS Report 891. Measurement techniques and limitations Data for the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries are compiled from various Federal, State, and local administrative sources--including death certificates, workers' compensation reports and claims, reports to various regulatory agencies, medical examiner reports, and police reports--as well as news reports. Multiple sources are used because studies have shown that no single source captures all job-related fatalities. Source documents are matched so that each fatality is counted only once. To ensure that a fatality occurred while the decedent was at work, information is verified from two or more independent source documents, or from a source document and a follow-up questionnaire. Approximately 30 data elements are collected, coded, and tabulated, including information about the worker, the fatal incident, and the machinery or equipment involved. Identification and verification of work-related fatalities. Because some State laws and regulations prohibit enumerators from contacting the next-of-kin, it was not possible to independently verify work relationship (whether a fatality is job related) for 306 fatal work injuries in 1995; 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 67 fatalities submitted by states were not included because the initiating source document had insufficient information to determine work relationship, which could not be verified by either an independent source document or a follow-up questionnaire. States may identify additional fatal work injuries after data collection close-out for a reference year. In addition, other fatalities excluded from the published count because of insufficient information to determine work relationship may be subsequently verified as work related. States have up to 1 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. Experimental fatality rates. Both absolute numbers (or frequencies) and rates are useful when examining fatal work injuries for research or prevention efforts. Frequency indicates "how many" fatal work injuries occurred; rate indicates the relative danger. The relative danger of an occupation or industry group can be shown by combining frequency data with either employment or hours data to calculate a rate. An hours-based rate indicates the relative danger using time of exposure. An employment-based rate indicates the relative danger using the number of employed workers. Employment-based fatality rates measure the incidence of fatal injury for all workers in the group regardless of exposure time. It does not take into consideration that part-time workers may have fewer fatal work injuries because they spend less time in the work environment. An hours-based fatality rate accounts for different time of exposure levels among workers. Hours-based measurements are especially useful for industry and occupation comparisons, when the number of workers can vary greatly among industry or occupation groups for a given period. Work fatality counts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) can be combined with employment or hours at work data to produce a fatal work injury rate. Since hours at work and employment data are not collected by CFOI, experimental fatality rates were calculated using estimates of employed civilian workers (aged 16 and older) from the Current Population Survey (CPS). In addition, resident military figures, derived from resident and civilian population data from the Bureau of the Census, were added to the CPS employment figures to maintain consistency with the CFOI fatality data. The fatality rates shown in this article relate the total number of workplace deaths in 1995 to the annual average number of workers facing that risk. These measurements are developmental and do not reflect the movement of persons into and out of the labor force, the length of their work week or work year, or the effect of multiple jobholders. The fatality rates presented in the tables were calculated as follows: (N / W) x 100,000, where: N = the number of fatally injured workers W = the number of employed workers The ratio N/W is multiplied by 100,000; the rate is expressed as a whole number and represents the number of fatal work injuries per 100,000 workers. There were 6,210 total work fatalities in 1995 and there were 126,248,000 employed workers (124,900,000 employed civilian workers age 16 and older, and 1,348,000 resident military personnel). As "N" must be adjusted to maintain consistency with "W," the 26 fatally injured workers under age 16 are not included in the rate calculation. (Adjustments of "N" are not reflected in the "Number" and "Percent" columns of the tables, which include all fatalities regardless of age.) N = 6,210 - 26 = 6,184 W = 126,248,000 Therefore,(6,184 / 126,248,000) x 100,000 = 5, or 5 fatalities per 100,000 workers. The CPS employment data used to calculate rates are estimates that are based upon a sample of persons employed rather than a complete count. Therefore, the employment estimates and fatality rates have sampling errors; that is, they may differ from figures that would have been obtained if it had been possible to take a complete census of employed persons. See "Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" in the January 1996 Employment and Earnings for an explanation of CPS sampling and estimation methodology, and standard error computations. The relative standard errors of the CPS employment estimates can be used to approximate confidence ranges for the fatality rates. Federal/State agency coverage. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries includes data for all fatal work injuries, whether they are covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or other Federal or State agencies or are outside the scope of regulatory coverage. Thus, any comparison between the BLS census counts and those released by other agencies should take into account the different coverage requirements and definitions being used. Several Federal and State agencies have jurisdiction over workplace safety and health. OSHA and affiliated agencies in States with approved safety programs cover the largest portion of America's workers. However, injuries and illnesses occurring in several other industries, such as coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and water, rail, and air transportation, are excluded from OSHA coverage because they are covered by other Federal agencies, such as the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration. Fatalities occurring in activities regulated by Federal agencies other than OSHA accounted for about 20 percent of the fatal work injuries for 1995. Fatalities occurring among several other groups of workers are generally not covered by any Federal or State agencies. These groups include self-employed and unpaid family workers, which accounted for about 19 percent of the fatalities; laborers on small farms, accounting for about 2 percent of the fatalities; and State and local government employees in States without OSHA-approved safety programs, which account for about 4 percent. (Approximately one-half of the states have approved OSHA safety programs, which cover State and local government employees.) 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. This is the fourth 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 State agencies participating with BLS in the census program. For a list of participating agencies and their telephone numbers, contact the Office of Safety, Health and Working Conditions at (202)606-6175. Since 1972, this office also has collected data on nonfatal injuries and illnesses through its Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. This survey profiles worker and case characteristics of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses resulting in lost worktime in addition to presenting frequency counts and incidence rates by industry. Copies of the 1994 news release are available from BLS by calling (202)606-6304. Incidence rates for 1995 by industry and information on worker and case characteristics will be published in early 1997. For additional occupational safety and health data, access the BLS World Wide Web Internet site: http://www.bls.gov/oshhome.htm --Endnotes-- 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 US 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; 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. 1/ A full summary of job-related highway fatalities is presented on pp. 57-61 of the September 1996 issue of Compensation and Working Conditions. 2/ For more information on how falls are classified, see Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual, 1992.