TEXT Table 1. Number and percent distribution of fatal occupational Table 2. Number and percent distribution of fatal work injuries Table 3. Number and percent distribution of fatal occupational Table 4. Number and percent distribution of fatal occupational Table 5. Source documents used to compile information on fatal Table 6. CFOI participating state agencies and telephone numbers Technical information: USDL - 93 - 406 G. Toscano (202) 606-6175 Media contact: FOR RELEASE: 10 a.m. EDT K. Hoyle (202) 606-5902 Friday, October 1, 1993 FIRST NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES REPORTED BY BLS About one-third of the 6,083 fatalities due to work injuries in 1992 resulted from highway accidents or homicides, each of which accounted for over 1,000 deaths. Falls and workers being struck by objects followed, leading to nearly 600 workers' deaths apiece. These findings are from the first national Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The BLS census uses multiple sources to identify, verify, and profile fatal work injuries. Key information about each workplace fatality (occupation and other worker characteristics, equipment being used, and circumstances of the event) is obtained by cross-referencing the source records, for example, death certificates, workers' compensation records, and reports to federal and state agencies. Table 5 lists the data sources used in the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. 1992 Census Profiles The incidence of fatal work injury for certain groups of workers is greater than their proportion of total employment. These groups include men; the self employed; older workers (age 55 and over); those in farming and transportation-related occupations; and those in agriculture, mining, and construction industries. Major findings of the BLS census follow: * Highway vehicle accidents led all other events, accounting for 18 percent of the 6,083 fatal occupational injuries in 1992. (See table 1.) * Homicides were a close second, accounting for 17 percent of the fatally injured workers in 1992. Homicides were, by far, the most frequent manner in which women workers were fatally injured. * A large majority of the fatally injured workers were 25-54 years old. Workers age 55 and over, however, had a higher risk of a fatal injury than their 12 percent share of employment. * Over nine-tenths of the fatally injured workers were men, well above their 55 percent share of the nation's employment. (See table 2.) Men are fatally injured more often than women workers primarily because of differences in the industries and occupations where men and women typically work. * The self employed and those working in family businesses accounted for 20 percent of the workplace fatalities--double their share of the nation's workers. * Occupations with the largest number of worker fatalities included: Operators of transportation equipment; farm workers; construction trades; handlers, helpers, and laborers; and salesworkers. (See table 3.) - 2 - * Among industry groups with the largest number of fatal work injuries were agricultural crop production, special trades construction contractors (for example, roofing and electrical work), trucking and warehousing, and local government (for example, police and firefighters). (See table 4.) Data on workplace fatalities by state are available from the state agencies participating with BLS in the census program. Participating agencies and their telephone numbers are listed in table 6 of this release. Background of the program The 1992 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the recently redesigned BLS safety and health statistics program, provides a complete count of fatal work injuries. The annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, conducted since 1972, has been redesigned to generate worker and case characteristics of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in addition to frequency counts and incidence rates by industry. Initial results from the 1992 survey will be released this December. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries program is a federal/state cooperative venture developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to compile a comprehensive, accurate, and timely measure of fatal work injuries that occur during the year. The census approach to compiling data on fatal work injuries was initially tested by BLS in a cooperative effort with the Texas Department of Health during 1988. The study, which collected fatality data retrospectively for 1986, showed that: (1) Multiple data sources, including, at times, a followup questionnaire, are necessary to produce an accurate count; (2) matching individual fatalities across data sources is feasible; (3) for each incident, characteristics of the worker and the circumstances are commonly available from administrative reports; and (4) timeliness is important in maximizing response for verification purposes. The census approach was tested again during 1990-91 to determine whether the same kind of data could be obtained from multiple data sources on a current basis. That study, which was conducted in cooperation with the Texas Workers' Compensation Commission and the Colorado Department of Health, was successfully concluded in May 1991. Thirty-two states and New York City participated in the 1991 BLS census program. The program was expanded to include all 50 states and the District of Columbia during 1992. Funding for the annual census is shared equally between BLS and the cooperating states. - 3 - TECHNICAL NOTES Methods Data for the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries are compiled from various state and federal administrative sources--including death certificates, workers' compensation reports and claims, reports to various regulatory agencies, and medical examiner reports--as well as news reports. Multiple sources are used because studies have shown that no single source captures all on-the-job 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 followup questionnaire. Approximately 30 data elements are collected, coded, and tabulated, including information about the worker, the fatal incident, and the machinery or equipment involved. Definitions For a fatality to be considered within the scope of the program, 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 the criteria used by federal and state agencies administering specific laws and regulations. Data presented in this release include deaths occurring in 1992 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 thermal, mechanical, electrical, chemical, or other form of energy or from the absence of such essentials as heat or oxygen caused by a specific event or incident or series of events within a single workday or shift. Included are open wounds, intracranial and internal injuries, heatstroke, hypothermia, poisonings and asphyxiations 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 excluded from the BLS census and the attached tables because of the latency period of many occupational illnesses and the resulting difficulties associated with linking illnesses to work. Partial information on fatal occupational illnesses, compiled separately, is available to researchers upon request. A total of 1,361 illness cases were collected and coded in 1992. These cases were primarily heart attacks that occurred at work. Federal/state agency coverage Several federal and state agencies have jurisdiction over workplace safety and health. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and affiliated agencies in states with approved safety programs cover the largest portion of America's workers. However, accidents occurring in several other industries, such as coal, metal and nonmetal mining, and transportation on water, rails, or in the air, 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 industries regulated by federal agencies other than OSHA accounted for about 11 percent of the fatal work injuries for 1992. - 4 - Fatalities occurring among several other groups of workers are generally not covered by any federal or state agencies. These groups include self- employed and unpaid family workers, which accounted for about 20 percent of the fatalities; laborers on small farms, accounting for about 5 percent of the fatalities; and state and local government employees in states without OSHA- approved safety programs, about 4 percent. (About one-half of the states have approved OSHA safety programs which include state and local government employees in their coverage.) The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries includes data for all fatal work injuries, whether they are covered by 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 and definitions being used. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: BLS thanks the participating states for their efforts in implementing this new program and appreciates the efforts of all state and federal 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 Department of Justice (Bureau of Justice Assistance); the Mine Safety and Health Administration; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; the Employment Standards Administration (Federal Employees' Compensation and Longshore and Harbor Workers' divisions); the Department of Energy; the state vital statistics registrars, coroners, and medical examiners; the state departments of health, labor, and industries, and workers' compensation agencies; the state highway departments; and the state farm bureaus. ############################################################################## PUBLIC USE DATABASE A public use database will be available on diskette in February 1994. Because the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data are collected under a pledge of confidentiality, all personal identifiers will be deleted from the research file. The database will include about 30 data elements for each workplace fatality (for example, demographics of the deceased, nature of the injury), along with a short narrative on how the incident occurred. The database diskette will be available at cost from BLS. To place an order for the diskette, contact Cheong Underwood at 202-606-7789. The national Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries database will not identify the state where the fatality occurred. State-specific data on workplace fatalities may be requested from state agencies participating with BLS in the census program. (See table 6.) DEVELOPMENTAL FATALITY RATES On a developmental basis, fatality counts from the BLS census were combined with information on employment to estimate how frequently groups of workers sustain fatal work injuries. The results of this work, along with information about their interpretation and limitations, will be published in a future issue of the BLS Monthly Labor Review. For additional information, contact the Office of Safety, Health, and Working Conditions at 202-606-6175. Table 1. Number and percent distribution of fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, 1992 ------------------------------------------------------------ Fatalities Event or exposure1 Number Percent ------------------------------------------------------------ Total....................... 6,083 100 Transportation accidents............ 2,441 40 Highway accidents................. 1,121 18 Collisions between vehicles, mobile equipment............... 553 9 Noncollision accidents.......... 292 5 Nonhighway accidents (farm, industrial premises)............. 436 7 Aircraft accidents................ 350 6 Workers struck by vehicle......... 342 6 Water vehicle accidents........... 110 2 Railway accidents................. 66 1 Assaults and violent acts........... 1,216 20 Homicides......................... 1,004 17 Shooting........................ 822 14 Stabbing........................ 82 1 Self-inflicted injury............. 183 3 Contacts with objects and equipment. 1,001 16 Struck by object.................. 558 9 Struck by falling object........ 360 6 Struck by flying object......... 79 1 Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects.......... 312 5 Caught in or crushed in collapsing materials............. 110 2 Falls............................... 590 10 Fall to lower level............... 500 8 Fall on same level................ 60 1 Exposures to harmful substances or environments....................... 593 10 Contact with electric current..... 334 5 Exposure to caustic, noxious, or allergenic substances......... 118 2 Oxygen deficiency................. 109 2 Drowning, submersion............ 76 1 Fires and explosions................ 167 3 Other events and exposures2........ 75 1 ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 Based on the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Structures. 2 Primarily includes the category "Bodily reaction and exertion." NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to total due to rounding. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with federal and state agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992 Table 2. Number and percent distribution of fatal work injuries by selected worker characteristics, 1992 ---------------------------------------------------- Fatalities Characteristic Number Percent ---------------------------------------------------- Total fatalities............. 6,083 100 Employment status Wage and salary workers........ 4,876 80 Self-employed1................. 1,207 20 Sex and age Men............................ 5,657 93 Women.......................... 426 7 Both sexes: Under 20 years................ 169 3 20 to 24 years................ 528 9 25 to 34 years................ 1,521 25 35 to 44 years................ 1,511 25 45 to 54 years................ 1,143 19 55 to 64 years................ 751 12 65 years and over............. 460 8 Race White.......................... 5,069 83 Black.......................... 608 10 Asian or Pacific Islander...... 166 3 Other.......................... 240 4 Hispanic origin Hispanic2...................... 508 8 ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 Includes paid and unpaid family workers and may include owners of incorporated businesses, or members of partnerships. 2 Persons identified as Hispanic may be of any race. NOTE: Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with federal and state agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992 Table 3. Number and percent distribution of fatal occupational injuries by occupation, 1992 ------------------------------------------------------------ Fatalities Occupation1 Number Percent ------------------------------------------------------------ Total fatalities......................... 6,083 100 Managerial and professional specialty...... 694 11 Executive, administrative, and managerial.......................... 437 7 Professional specialty................... 257 4 Technical, sales, and administrative support................................... 814 13 Technicians and related support.......... 199 3 Sales occupations........................ 497 8 Administrative support occupations, including clerical......... 118 2 Service occupations........................ 526 9 Protective service....................... 273 4 Farming, forestry, and fishing............. 931 15 Farming occupations...................... 680 11 Forestry and logging occupations......... 155 3 Precision production, craft, and repair.... 1,054 17 Mechanics and repairers.................. 269 4 Construction trades...................... 578 10 Supervisors............................ 88 1 Carpenters............................. 86 1 Electricians........................... 83 1 Operators, fabricators, and laborers....... 1,882 31 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.......................... 223 4 Transportation and material moving occupations...................... 1,100 18 Motor vehicle operators................ 856 14 Truck drivers........................ 685 11 Taxicab drivers and chauffeurs....... 106 2 Material moving equipment operators.... 163 3 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers................... 559 9 Construction laborers.................. 226 4 Other laborers......................... 170 3 Military occupations (Resident Armed Forces) 1542 3 ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 Based on the 1990 Census of Population Occupational Classification System. 2 Includes 16 workers not reported as active duty military, but reported as working in a military occupation. NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. There were 28 fatalities for which there was insufficient information to determine an occupational classification. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with federal and state agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992 Table 4. Number and percent distribution of fatal occupational injuries by industry, 1992 ------------------------------------------------------------ | Fatalities SIC code1 | Industry Number Percent ------------------------------------------------------------ | Total fatalities.................. 6,083 100 | Private industry................... 5,384 89 01-02,07-09| Agriculture, forestry, and fishing.... 800 13 01 | Agricultural production--crops...... 401 7 02 | Agricultural production--livestock.. 164 3 07 | Agricultural services............... 136 2 10-14 | Mining................................ 182 3 12 | Coal mining......................... 60 1 13 | Oil and gas extraction.............. 83 1 15-17 | Construction.......................... 903 15 15 | General building contractors........ 169 3 16 | Heavy construction, except building. 240 4 17 | Special trades contractors.......... 494 8 20-39 | Manufacturing......................... 751 12 20 | Food and kindred products........... 93 2 24 | Lumber and wood products............ 220 4 40-42,44-49| Transportation and public utilities... 884 15 41 | Local and interurban transit........ 124 2 42 | Trucking and warehousing............ 443 7 45 | Air transportation.................. 93 2 49 | Public utilities.................... 86 1 50,51 | Wholesale trade....................... 244 4 52-59 | Retail trade.......................... 710 12 54 | Food stores......................... 205 3 55 | Auto dealers and gas stations....... 108 2 58 | Eating and drinking places.......... 187 3 60-67 | Finance, insurance, and real estate... 118 2 70-89 | Services.............................. 725 12 73 | Detective, guard, and other | business services.................. 200 3 75 | Auto repair, services, and parking.. 73 1 91-97 | Government2........................ 699 11 | Federal............................... 241 4 | State................................. 112 2 | Local................................. 338 6 ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 From Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 edition. 2 Also includes workers employed by governmental organizations in other SICs. There were 8 fatalities to workers employed by foreign or regional governmental agencies. NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. There were 67 fatalities for which there was insufficient information to determine a major industry classification within private industry. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with federal and state agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992 Table 5. Source documents used to compile information on fatal work injuries, 1992 ----------------------------------------------------------- Fatalities Source document Number1 Percent ----------------------------------------------------------- Total........................ 6,083 100 Death certificates1............. 5,633 93 State workers' compensation reports........................ 2,434 40 Coroner, medical examiner, and autopsy reports............ 3,768 61 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports2.. 1,926 32 News media...................... 2,077 34 Followup questionnaires3........ 1,504 25 State motor vehicle reports..... 485 8 Other federal reports4.......... 328 5 Other reports5.................. 2,033 33 ----------------------------------------------------------- 1 The total of source documents (20,188) exceeds the total of verified cases (6,083) because two or more source documents were used to substantiate each case. Note that some source documents were received only upon request. In general, these included autopsy, coroner, and medical examiner reports; followup questionnaires; and state motor vehicle reports. The number of death certificates shown includes some death certificates initially not marked "at work." Seventy-five percent of the death certificates that the states initially received were marked "at work." 2 This figure is not a comprehensive count of fatalities reported to or investigated by OSHA, but represents the available OSHA reports used to identify or substantiate a work injury fatality in the CFOI program. 3 Includes telephone followup for missing data and for clarification of inconsistent data. 4 Includes reports received from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Employment Standards Administration, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Fatal Accident Circumstances and Epidemiology program, the Department of Justice, the Department of Energy, and the National Transportation Safety Board. 5 Includes reports received from other organizations, such as state farm bureaus, local police departments, and emergency medical services. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with federal and state agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992 Table 6. CFOI participating state agencies and telephone numbers STATE AGENCY TELEPHONE # Alabama Department of Labor (205) 242-3460 Alaska Department of Labor (907) 465-4520 Arizona Industrial Commission (602) 542-3739 Arkansas Department of Labor (501) 682-4542 California Department of Industrial Relations (415) 703-5661 Colorado Department of Health (303) 692-2164 Connecticut Labor Department (203) 566-4380 Delaware Department of Labor (302) 577-2889 District of Columbia Commission of Public Health (202) 727-0682 Florida Department of Labor & Emp. & Security (904) 922-8953 Georgia Department of Labor (404) 656-3032 Hawaii Dept. of Labor and Industrial Relations (808) 586-9005 Idaho Industrial Commission (208) 334-6050 Illinois Department of Public Health (217) 785-1873 Indiana Department of Labor (317) 232-2682 Iowa Department of Employment Services (515) 281-5151 Kansas Department of Health and Environment (913) 296-5641 Kentucky Labor Cabinet (502) 564-2454 Louisiana Department of Employment and Training (504) 342-3126 Maine Bureau of Labor Standards (207) 624-6442 Maryland Division of Labor and Industry (410) 333-4202 Massachusetts Department of Public Health (617) 727-2735 Michigan Department of Labor (517) 322-1851 Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (612) 297-7428 Mississippi Department of Health (601) 960-7741 Missouri Bureau of Health Statistics (314) 751-6274 Montana Department of Labor and Industry (800) 541-3904 Nebraska Workers' Compensation (402) 471-3513 Nevada Div. of Occupational Safety and Health (702) 687-5240 New Hampshire Department of Public Health (603) 271-4651 New Jersey Department of Health (609) 984-1863 New Mexico Health and Environment Department (505) 827-2850 New York Department of Health (518) 458-6228 New York City Department of Health (212) 788-4585 North Carolina Department of Labor (919) 733-2355 North Dakota Workers' Compensation Bureau (701) 224-3893 Ohio Department of Health (614) 466-4183 Oklahoma Department of Labor (405) 528-1500 Oregon Department of Insurance and Finance (503) 378-8254 Pennsylvania Department of Health (717) 783-2548 Rhode Island Department of Health (401) 277-2812 South Carolina Department of Labor (803) 734-9613 South Dakota Bureau of Labor Statistics (816) 426-2483 Tennessee Department of Labor (615) 741-1991 Texas Workers' Compensation Commission (512) 448-7978 Utah Industrial Commission (801) 530-6823 Vermont Department of Labor and Industry (802) 828-2765 Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (804) 786-6427 Washington Department of Labor and Industries (206) 956-5509 West Virginia Department of Labor (304) 558-7890 Wisconsin Workers' Compensation Division (608) 266-7850 Wyoming Department of Employment (307) 777-5962