Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2006

Technical information:	(202) 691-6170				USDL 07-1202
Media information:	(202) 691-5902				FOR RELEASE:  10 a.m. EDT
Internet address:  http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm		Thursday, August 9, 2007
 

NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN 2006

	There were 5,703 fatal work injuries in the United States in 2006, down slightly
from the revised total of 5,734 fatalities in 2005.  The rate of fatal work injuries in
2006 was 3.9 per 100,000 workers, down from a rate of 4.0 per 100,000 in 2005.  The
numbers reported in this release are preliminary and will be updated in April 2008.

Key findings of the 2006 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:

-	The overall fatal work injury rate for the U.S. in 2006 was lower than the rate
        for any year since the fatality census was first conducted in 1992.
-	Coal mining industry fatalities more than doubled in 2006, due to the Sago Mine
        disaster and other multiple-fatality coal mining incidents.
-	The number of workplace homicides in 2006 was a series low and reflected a
        decline of over 50 percent from the high reported in 1994.
-	Fatalities among workers under 25 years of age fell 9 percent, and the rate of
        fatal injury among these workers was down significantly.
-	The 937 fatal work injuries involving Hispanic or Latino workers in 2006 was
        a series high, but the overall fatality rate for Hispanic or Latino workers
        was lower than in 2005.
-	Fatalities among self-employed workers declined 11 percent and reached a
        series low in 2006.
-	Aircraft-related fatalities were up 44 percent, led by a number of
        multiple-fatality events including the August 2006 Comair crash.

Profile of 2006 fatal work injuries by type of incident

	While fatal highway incidents remained the most frequent type of fatal
work-related event, accounting for nearly one out of four fatal work injuries, the
number of highway incidents fell 8 percent in 2006.  The 1,329 fatal highway
incidents in 2006 was the lowest annual total since 1993.  Nonhighway incidents
(such as those that might occur on a farm or industrial premises) remained at about
the same level in 2006.  Work-related pedestrian fatalities were lower.

	Aircraft related fatalities increased sharply in 2006 after declining
in 2005.  The 215 fatalities involving aircraft in 2006 represented a 44 percent
increase over the 149 in 2005.  Overall, there were 44 multiple-fatality aircraft
incidents claiming 137 workers in 2006, including one (the August 2006 Comair crash)
that resulted in 23 fatalities. The annual number of aircraft fatalities tends to be
volatile and has ranged from a high of 426 fatalities in 1994 to a low of 149
in 2005.

	Fatal work injuries involving falls increased 5 percent in 2006 after a
sharp decrease in 2005.  The 809 fatal falls in 2006 was the third highest total
since 1992, when the fatality census began.  Fatal falls from roofs increased
from 160 fatalities in 2005 to 184 in 2006, a rise of 15 percent.
  
	Workplace homicides decreased 9 percent to 516 in 2006, the lowest annual
total ever reported by the fatality census.  Overall, workplace homicides have
decreased more than 50 percent from the series high in 1994.

	The number of workers who were fatally injured from being struck by
objects was lower in 2006, after increasing for the last three years.  The 583
fatalities resulting from being struck by objects in 2006 represented a 4 percent
decline from the 2005 total.

	Fatalities involving fires and explosions increased by 26 percent in 2006,
rising from 159 in 2005 to 201 in 2006.  Fatalities resulting from exposure to
harmful substances or environments were also higher in 2006, led by a 12 percent
increase in exposure to caustic, noxious, or allergenic substances (from 136
in 2005 to 153 in 2006).

Profile of fatal work injuries by demographic characteristics

	Fatal work injuries involving female workers increased 5 percent in 2006
after declining the past two years.  Despite the increase, the 428 fatal work
injuries involving female workers was the third lowest annual total for female
workers in the 15 years of the fatality census.  The number and rate of fatal
injury among male workers were both lower in 2006.

	The 937 fatal work injuries among Hispanic or Latino workers in 2006 was
up from the 923 fatal work injuries in 2005 and represented the largest annual
total since the fatality census began in 1992.  Due to increased employment,
however, the fatality rate for Hispanic or Latino workers was lower (4.7
fatalities per 100,000 workers in 2006 versus 4.9 per 100,000 in 2005).
Among foreign-born Hispanic or Latino workers, fatalities decreased slightly
after reaching a series high in 2005.  Fatalities among White workers,
Black or African-American workers, and Asian, Native Hawaiian,
or Pacific Islander workers were all lower.

	The number of fatal work injuries among workers younger than 25 years of
age decreased 9 percent (516 in 2006 versus 568 in 2005).  Fatality rates were
also lower, especially for workers 16 to 17 years of age, whose fatality rates
declined 40 percent.  Fatal work injuries among workers 55 years of age or older
were slightly higher in 2006, but the fatality rate for this group of workers was
lower, reflecting the growing number of older workers in the workforce.

	Fatalities among self-employed workers were down for the second straight
year and represented the lowest annual total in the history of the fatality
census.  The rate of fatal injury among self-employed workers fell to 9.4
fatalities per 100,000 workers, down from 10.7 per 100,000 in 2005.  Fatalities
among wage and salary workers rose 2 percent in 2006, but the rate of fatal
injury for wage and salary workers was unchanged from 2005.

Profiles of fatal injuries by industry

	Of the 5,703 fatal work injuries in 2006, 5,202 occurred in private
industry.  Service-providing industries in the private sector accounted for
47 percent (2,693 fatalities), while private goods-producing industries
accounted for 44 percent (2,509 fatalities).  Government workers accounted
for 9 percent (501) of fatalities in 2006.  The fatality rate for
goods-producing industries was unchanged in 2006, while the fatality rate
for service-providing industries and for government were both lower in 2006.

	Construction accounted for 1,226 fatal work injuries, the most of
any industry sector.  The total for construction represented an increase
of 3 percent over the 2005 total.  Fatalities among specialty trade
contractors rose 6 percent (from 677 fatalities in 2005 to 721 in 2006),
due primarily to higher numbers of fatal work injuries among building
finishing contractors and roofing contractors.  Fatalities in building
construction and in heavy and civil engineering construction
decreased in 2006.

	Transportation and warehousing fatalities decreased from 885
in 2005 to 832 in 2006, a 6 percent decline.  The decrease was due in large
part to a sharp decline in fatal injuries in general freight trucking.
Rail and water transportation fatalities were also lower, but air
transportation fatalities rose sharply.

	Mining fatalities increased 19 percent in 2006.  Fatal work
injuries in coal mining more than doubled in 2006 due in part to the
Sago mine disaster and other mining incidents.  A total of
47 coal mining fatalities were recorded in 2006, up from 22 in 2005,
due in part to 4 multiple-fatality incidents in coal mining in 2006,
claiming a total of 21 workers.  The fatality rate for coal mining
jumped 84 percent in 2006 to 49.5 fatalities per 100,000 workers, up from
26.8 in 2005.  Oil and gas extraction fatalities were also higher in 2006.
	
	Fatalities in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting
sector decreased 10 percent in 2006, and the rate of fatal injury dropped
from 32.5 per 100,000 in 2005 to 29.6 per 100,000 in 2006.
Crop production, which reported the highest number of fatalities in
agriculture, had 14 percent fewer fatal work injuries in 2006 than in 2005.
The rate of fatal injury in crop production fell from 38.2 in 2005 to
33.0 in 2006.
 
	Manufacturing fatalities were up 14 percent in 2006.  The fatality
rate in manufacturing rose from 2.4 fatalities per 100,000 manufacturing
workers in 2005 to 2.7 per 100,000 in 2006, an increase of 13 percent.

	Fatalities in wholesale trade also increased, while fatalities in
retail trade decreased 12 percent.  The decline in retail trade fatalities
was led by a drop of close to 25 percent in both the rate and number of
fatalities in the food and beverage stores industry.  Homicides in retail
trade decreased 25 percent in 2006 (from 184 in 2005 to 138 in 2006).  

	The number of fatal injuries in professional and business services
decreased 7 percent in 2006, and the rate of fatal injury was also lower.
However, the number and rate of fatal injury in both educational and health
services and in leisure and hospitality services were higher.
 
	Overall, fatal work injuries decreased 4 percent among government
workers.  The rate of fatal injury was lower for local government workers
in 2006, but higher for federal government workers.  The rate for State
government remained about the same as in 2005.

Profile of fatal work injuries by occupation

	Two occupational groups (construction and extraction occupations
and transportation and material moving occupations) together accounted for
nearly half of all fatal work injuries in 2006 (48 percent).

	Construction and extraction worker fatalities rose 6 percent in 2006
(from 1,184 in 2005 to 1,258 in 2006), though the rate of 13.2 per 100,000 in
2006 was not significantly higher than the rate in 2005.  Construction laborers
accounted for the highest number of fatal work injuries among construction and
extraction occupations, accounting for 360 fatal work injuries, up 5 percent
from 2005.  Fatalities among electricians, roofers, painters, and drywall and
ceiling tile installers also rose.  Fatalities decreased among carpenters,
construction trade helpers, and among plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters.

	Transportation and material moving worker fatalities decreased 6 percent
in 2006, primarily as a result of a 7 percent decline in motor vehicle operator
fatalities (from 1,100 in 2005 to 1,021 in 2006).  The overall fatality rate for
transportation and material moving occupations decreased 8 percent in 2006
to 16.5 per 100,000 workers.  Fatalities among air transportation workers
rose by 22 percent in 2006, but fatalities decreased among rail transportation,
water transportation, and material moving workers.

	Farming, fishing, and forestry worker fatalities decreased 11 percent
in 2006, from 325 in 2005 to 289 in 2006, though the fatality rate was not
significantly lower.  Fatalities were lower among agricultural workers and among
forest conservation and logging workers, but slightly higher among fishing and
related fishing workers, such as captains and mates.

	Fatalities in protective service occupations increased 6 percent in 2006,
led by a rise in fire fighter fatalities (from 28 fatalities in 2005 to 42
in 2006).  There were fewer work-related fatalities among law enforcement workers
in 2006 as compared to 2005.  Military fatalities (domestic only) were slightly
higher in 2006.

Profile of fatal work injuries by state

	Twenty-seven States reported higher numbers of fatalities in 2006, and
23 States and the District of Columbia had lower totals.  Texas recorded the
highest number of fatalities of any State (486), followed by California (448),
and Florida (355).  Twelve States reported increases of 20 percent or more
(Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico,
North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia).  Seven states (Alabama,
Iowa, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) and the
District of Columbia recorded declines of 20 percent or more.

Background of the program

	The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS occupational
safety and health statistics program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries
occurring in the U.S. in each calendar year.  The program uses diverse State
and Federal data sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries.
Information about each workplace fatality (industry, 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, news accounts, and reports to Federal and State agencies.
This method assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible.  For the
2006 data, over 21,000 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the
data collection process.

	This is the 15th 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 program in which costs are shared equally.  Additional State-specific
data are available from the participating State agencies listed in Table 6.

	Another BLS program, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses,
presents frequency counts and incidence rates by industry and also profiles worker
and case characteristics of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses that result
in days away from work.  Copies of the news releases on nonfatal injuries and
illnesses in 2005 are available from BLS by calling (202) 691-6170 or by accessing
the website listed below.  Incidence rates for 2006 by industry will be published
in October 2007, and information on 2006 worker and case characteristics will be
available in November 2007.  For additional data, access the 
BLS Internet site: http://www.bls.gov/iif/.