A preliminary total of 4,405 fatal work injuries were
recorded in the United States in 2013, lower than the revised count of 4,628
fatal work injuries in 2012, according to results from the Census of Fatal
Occupational Injuries (CFOI) conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The rate of fatal work injury for U.S. workers in 2013 was 3.2 per 100,000
full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, compared to a final rate of 3.4 per 100,000
in 2012.
Final 2013 data from CFOI will be released in the late
spring of 2015. Over the last 5 years, net increases to the preliminary count
have averaged 165 cases, ranging from a low of 84 in 2011 to a high of 245 in
2012. The revised 2011 figure was 2 percent higher than the preliminary total,
while the 2012 figure was 6 percent higher.
Key preliminary
findings of the 2013 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:
- Fatal work injuries in private industry in 2013 were 6 percent below the 2012 figure. The preliminary 2013 count of 3,929 fatal injuries in private industry represents the lowest annual total since the fatality census was first conducted in 1992.
- Fatal work injuries among Hispanic or Latino workers were higher in 2013, rising 7 percent.
- The 797 Hispanic or Latino worker deaths in 2013 constituted the highest total since 2008. Fatal work injuries were lower among all other major racial/ethnic groups.
- Since 2011, CFOI has identified whether fatally-injured workers were working as contractors at the time of the fatal incident. In 2013, 734 decedents were identified as contractors, above the 715 reported in 2012.
- Workers who were working as contractors at the time of their fatal injury accounted for 17 percent of all cases in 2013.
- Fatal work injuries involving workers under 16 years of age were substantially lower, falling from 19 in 2012 to 5 in 2013—the lowest total ever reported by the census. Fatal work injuries in most other age groups were also lower in 2013, though fatal work injuries among workers 25 to 34 years of age were higher.
- Work-related suicides were 8 percent higher than in 2012, but workplace homicides were 16 percent lower. Overall, violence accounted for 1 out of every 6 fatal work injuries in 2013.
- The number of fatal work injuries among firefighters was considerably higher in 2013, rising from 18 in 2012 to 53 in 2013. The large increase resulted from a few major incidents in which multiple fatalities were recorded, including the Yarnell Hill wildfires in Arizona which claimed the lives of 19 firefighters.
- Fatal work injuries among self-employed workers were lower by 16 percent from 1,057 in 2012 to 892 in 2013. The preliminary 2013 total represents the lowest annual total since the series began in 1992.
Worker
characteristics
Fatal work injury counts were lower for all major
racial/ethnic groups in 2013 except Hispanic or Latino workers. Compared to final 2012 data, the number of fatal injuries was 6
percent lower among non-Hispanic white workers, 15 percent lower among
non-Hispanic black or African-American workers, and 22 percent lower among non-Hispanic
Asian workers.
Fatal work injuries among Hispanic or Latino workers were
7 percent higher – 797 in 2013 compared to 748 in 2012. Of the 797 fatal work injuries incurred by
Hispanic or Latino workers, 527 (or 66 percent) involved foreign-born workers.
The fatal injury rate for Hispanic or Latino workers was 3.8 per 100,000 FTE
workers, which was higher than the national rate of 3.2 per 100,000 FTE
workers. Overall, there were 845 fatal work injuries involving foreign-born
workers in 2013, of which the greatest share (352 or 42 percent) was born in
Mexico.
Fatal work injuries involving workers under 16 years of
age were down sharply to 5 in 2013 from 19 in 2012, reaching its lowest annual
total since the inception of the fatality census in 1992. There were 4,101
fatal work injuries among men in 2013 compared with 4,277 in 2012, and fatal
injuries among women were lower by 14 percent in 2013 to 302 from 351 in 2012.
Fatal injuries to self-employed workers were 16 percent
lower in 2013 – 892 compared to 1,057 in 2012. The 2013 preliminary total for
self-employed workers is also a new low for the series, though self-employed
workers still accounted for 20 percent of all fatal work injuries. Fatal
injuries among wage and salary workers were lower by 2 percent in 2013.
For more detailed information on fatal injuries by worker
characteristics, see the worker characteristics table in the 2013 data section
at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm.
Type of incident
Fatal transportation incidents were lower by 10 percent
in 2013, but still accounted for about 2 out of every 5 fatal work injuries in
2013. (See chart 1.) Of the 1,740 transportation-related fatal injuries in 2013,
nearly 3 out of every 5 (991 cases) were roadway incidents involving motorized
land vehicles. Nonroadway incidents, such as a tractor overturn in a farm
field, accounted for another 13 percent of the transportation-related fatal
injuries. About 16 percent of fatal transportation incidents (284 cases) in
2013 involved pedestrians who were struck by vehicles. Forty-eight of these
occurred in work zones. (Note that transportation counts presented in this
release are expected to rise when updated 2013 data are released in the late
spring of 2015 because key source documentation detailing specific
transportation-related incidents has not yet been received.)
Fatal work injuries among those fatally injured in
aircraft incidents in 2013 were 5 percent higher than in 2012, accounting for
133 fatalities or about 8 percent of the transportation total.
Overall, 753 workers were killed as a result of violence
and other injuries by persons or animals, including 397 homicides and 270
suicides. The work-related suicide total for 2013 was 8 percent higher than the
2012 total. The homicide total was lower in 2013, falling 16 percent to 397
from 475 in 2012. Shootings were the most frequent manner of death in both
homicides (80 percent) and suicides (47 percent). Of the 302 fatal work
injuries involving female workers, 22 percent involved homicides, compared to 8
percent for men.
Fatal falls, slips, or trips took the lives of 699
workers in 2013. Falls to a lower level accounted for 574 (82 percent) of those
fatalities. In 2013, the height of the fall was reported for 466 of the fatal
falls to a lower level. Of those, about 1 in 4 occurred after a fall of 10 feet
or less. Another one-fifth of the fatal falls occurred from falls of over 30
feet.
A preliminary total of 717 fatal work injuries occurred
as a result of contact with objects and equipment in 2013. The number of
workers who were fatally injured after being struck by objects or equipment was
3 percent lower – 503 fatal work injuries in 2013 compared to 519 in 2012. This
total includes 245 workers struck by falling objects or equipment. Another 105
workers were fatally injured after being caught in running equipment or
machinery.
Fatal injuries involving fires and explosions were 21
percent higher in 2013 – 148 fatalities compared to 122 in 2012. This was due
in part to some incidents in which more than one worker was killed, including
the Yarnell Hill wildfires in Arizona which took the lives of 19 firefighters.
Overall, there were 146 multiple-fatality incidents in 2013 including
transportation, explosion, homicide, and other events, in addition to fires. A
total of 375 workers died in these 146 incidents.
For more detailed information on fatal injuries by
incident, see the event tables in the 2013 data section at
www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm.
Industry
In the private sector, a total of 3,929 fatal work
injuries were recorded in 2013, 6 percent lower than the final total of 4,175
in 2012. Fatal work injuries were lower in both goods-producing industries and
service-providing industries. The preliminary counts for all private industry
and for goods-producing and service-providing industries are currently series
lows for CFOI, but may be revised upward when final data are released in spring
2015.
Among goods-producing sectors, the number of fatal work
injuries in the private construction sector in 2013 remained about the same as
in 2012, though overall construction fatalities are down 36 percent since 2006.
The 796 fatal work injuries in construction, nevertheless, accounted for the
highest number of fatal work injuries of any industry sector in 2013. (See chart
2.)
Fatal work injuries in the private mining, quarrying, and
oil and gas extraction sector were 15 percent lower in 2013 at 154 from 181 in
2012. The number of fatal work injury cases in oil and gas extraction
industries were over 20 percent lower in 2013 to 112 from 142 in 2012. CFOI has
used the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to define
industry since 2003. Data on oil and gas extraction industries in CFOI comprise
NAICS 21111 Oil and gas extraction, NAICS 213111 Drilling oil and gas wells,
and NAICS 213112 Support activities for oil and gas operations.
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting fatalities
were 6 percent lower in 2013 at 479 compared to 509 in 2012—the third straight
year of declines. Fatal injuries in the crop production; animal production; and
fishing, hunting, and trapping industries were lower, but fatal work injuries
in forestry and logging were higher by 25 percent at 81—the highest number
since 2008. Despite the declines in fatal work injuries overall in this sector,
agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting still recorded the highest fatal
injury rate of any industry sector at 22.2 fatal injuries per 100,000 FTE
workers in 2013.
Among service-providing industries in the private sector,
fatal work injuries in transportation and warehousing accounted for 687 fatal
work injuries in 2013, 7 percent lower than the revised 2012 count of 741
fatalities. The number of fatal injuries in truck transportation, the largest
subsector within transportation and warehousing in terms of employment, was 8
percent lower in 2013 at 461 fatalities. (As noted previously, transportation
counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2013 data
are released in the late spring of 2015.) Among other transportation subsectors,
fatal work injuries in air transportation were lower in 2013, but fatal work
injury totals in water and rail transportation were about the same as in 2012.
Fatal occupational injuries among government workers were
higher by 5 percent to 476 fatal work injuries in 2013, up from 453 in 2012.
Both federal government and local government had higher fatal work injury
totals in 2013 (up 19 percent and 10 percent, respectively), though fatal
injuries among state government workers were lower by 22 percent.
For more detailed information on fatal injuries by
industry, see the industry tables in the 2013 data section at
www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm.
Occupation
Fatal work injuries in construction and extraction
occupations were 6 percent lower in 2013 at 818. (See chart 3.) Fatal injuries
among construction trades workers were lower by 5 percent in 2013 to 571
fatalities. The 2013 count of construction trades workers is also 42 percent
lower than the high of 977 fatal work injuries reported in 2006. Fatal work
injuries to construction laborers, the subgroup within construction trades with
the highest number of fatalities, remained about the same in 2013.
Fatal work injuries in transportation and material moving
occupations were 5 percent lower to 1,184 in 2013. Drivers/sales workers and
truck drivers accounted for more than 3 out of every 5 fatal injuries in this
sector (748 of the 1,184 fatal injuries in 2013). As noted previously,
transportation and material moving counts presented in this release are
expected to rise when updated 2013 data are released in the late spring of
2015.
The number of fatal work injuries among protective
service occupations was higher by 7 percent in 2013 to 247 fatalities. This was
led by higher numbers of fatal injuries involving firefighting and prevention
workers. Fatal injuries among firefighters rose 194 percent to 53 fatal work
injuries from 18 in 2012. Two incidents alone accounted for over half of the 53
fatal injuries involving firefighters. Fatal work injuries among law
enforcement workers were down 20 percent to a new series low of 97 fatalities.
Fatalities among farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
were lower by 13 percent to 225 in 2013. The decline was led by the 19 percent
drop in fatalities involving agricultural workers to a series low of 123 in
2013 from 152 in 2012.
Fatal injuries to resident military personnel were higher
in 2013 – 67 fatal work injuries compared to 50 in 2012.
For more detailed information on fatal injuries by
occupation, see the occupation tables in the 2013 data section at
www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm.
Contract workers
In addition to identifying the industry in which a
decedent was employed, CFOI began in 2011 to identify whether a worker was a
contractor. A contractor is defined as a worker employed by one firm but
working at the behest of another firm that exercises overall responsibility for
the operations at the site where the decedent was fatally injured. This information
helps to identify the location and type of work being performed when the fatal
work injury occurred.
In 2013, the number of fatal occupational injuries
incurred by contractors was 734, or 17 percent of all fatal injuries, compared
to 715 (15 percent) reported in 2012. Falls to a lower level accounted for 31
percent of contractor deaths while struck by object or equipment (18 percent),
pedestrian struck by vehicle (11 percent), and exposure to electricity (7
percent) incidents also were frequent events among contractors. These four
types of incidents each constituted a greater share of contractor fatalities
than they did for all workers.
Fatally-injured contractors were most often contracted by
a government entity (146 or 20 percent of all contractors) and by firms in the
private construction (139 or 19 percent); financial activities (61 or 8
percent); mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (59 or 8 percent); and
manufacturing (58 or 8 percent) industry sectors.
Half of all contractors (367) were working in
construction and extraction occupations when fatally injured. Decedents in this
occupation group were most often employed as construction laborers (95),
first-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers
(48), roofers (39), carpenters (26), and electricians (26). Among contractors
who were employed outside the construction and extraction occupations group,
the largest number of fatal occupational injuries was incurred by heavy and
tractor-trailer truck drivers (55); security guards (22); landscaping and
groundskeeping workers (14); tree trimmers and pruners (14); and welders,
cutters, solderers, and brazers (13).
For more detailed information on fatal injuries incurred
by contract workers, see the contractor table in the miscellaneous CFOI data
tables section at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm#other.
State and
metropolitan statistical area (MSA)
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia reported
higher numbers of fatal work injuries in 2013 than in 2012, while 30 states
reported lower numbers. Three states reported the same number as in 2012. For
more detailed state results, contact the individual state agency responsible
for the collection of CFOI data in that state. Although data for Puerto Rico,
the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam are not included in the national totals for
this release, results for these jurisdictions are available.
Participating agencies and their telephone numbers are
listed in Table 6. For more detailed information on fatal injuries in a
particular state, please contact the individual state agency.
Detailed data are available on fatal work injuries for
more than 50 MSAs and counts of fatal work injuries are available for over 300
MSAs. For additional data by MSA, see the tables in the MSA data tables section
at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm#MSA.
Background of the
program
The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of
the BLS Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, compiles a
count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar
year. The CFOI program uses diverse state, federal, and independent data
sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries. This ensures
counts are as complete and accurate as possible. For the 2013 data, over 19,100
unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process.
For technical information and definitions for CFOI, please go to the BLS
Handbook of Methods on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch9.pdf.
The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII),
another component of the OSHS program, presents frequency counts and incidence
rates by industry and also by detailed case circumstances and worker
characteristics for nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses for cases that
result in days away from work. Incidence rates for 2013 by industry and case
type will be published in October 2014, and information on 2013 case
circumstances and worker characteristics will be available in November 2014.
For additional data, access the BLS website: www.bls.gov/iif/.
These data are being released 13 years after the
terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Information on the 2,886 workers| |who were killed while working at the time of
the 9/11 attacks is available at: www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfnr0008.pdf.
- Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, 2012-2013
- Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry and selected event or exposure, 2013
- Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and selected event or exposure, 2013
- Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected worker characteristics and selected event or exposure, 2013
- Table 5. Fatal occupational injuries by state and event or exposure, 2012-2013
- Table 6. CFOI participating agencies and telephone numbers
- Technical notes
- HTML version of the entire news release
Source: Bureau Labor Statistics
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