Fatal work injuries totaled 148 in 2020 for Pennsylvania, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Pennsylvania in 2020 represented a series low for Pennsylvania. Total fatalities were down from 154 for the previous year. (See chart 1.) The series high for fatal occupational injuries in the state was 354 in 1994.

Nationwide, a total of 4,764 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2020, an 11-percent decrease from 5,333 in 2019, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). The 4,764 fatal occupational injuries in 2020 represents the lowest annual number since 2013.   

Fatal event or exposure

In Pennsylvania, transportation incidents resulted in 49 fatal work injuries and accounted for one-third of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were down from 62 over the year.

Falls, slips, and trips resulted in 28 fatalities, up from 16 in 2019. Contact with objects and equipment resulted in 27 fatalities, down from 32 in the prior year. Exposure to harmful substances or environments resulted in 25 work-related deaths, up from 22 in 2019.

Nationally, transportation incidents was the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2020, accounting for 37 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent).

Industry

The private construction industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Pennsylvania with 30, up from 26 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Falls, slips, and trips accounted for 12 of the 30 fatalities in this industry. The specialty trade contractors subsector accounted for 22 of the 30 fatal workplace injuries in the construction industry.

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had 25 fatal workplace injuries, 19 of them due to transportation incidents. The general freight trucking industry group accounted for 15, or 60 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 47. (See table 3.) Motor vehicle operators accounted for 30 of the 47 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 23. Construction trades workers suffered 19 of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction group.

Additional highlights:

• Men accounted for 93 percent of the work-related fatalities in Pennsylvania, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 33 percent of the fatalities for men in Pennsylvania.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 85 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 61 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 60 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2020, compared to 56 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
• Of the 148 fatal work injuries in Pennsylvania, 72 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents; falls, slips, and trips was the most frequent fatal event for self-employed workers.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Health Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Health and Safety Statistics (OSHS) program, is a count of all fatalities resulting from workplace injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI uses a variety of 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 2020 national data, over 21,600 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for the CFOI, see the BLS Handbook of Methods at https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm and the CFOI definitions at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm.

Federal/State agency coverage. The CFOI includes data for all fatal work injuries, some of which may be outside the scope of other agencies or regulatory coverage. Comparisons between CFOI counts and those released by other agencies should account for the different coverage requirements and definitions used by each agency. For more information on the scope of CFOI, see www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm.

Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the Pennsylvania Department of Health 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 entities that provided source documents used to identify fatal work injuries. Among these agencies are the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the National Transportation Safety Board; the U.S. Coast Guard; the Mine Safety and Health Administration; the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (Federal Employees' Compensation and Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation divisions); the Federal Railroad Administration; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; state vital statistics registrars, coroners, and medical examiners; state departments of health, labor, and industrial relations and workers' compensation agencies; state and local police departments; and state farm bureaus.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Pennsylvania, 2019–20

Event or exposure (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	154	148	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	21	15	10
Transportation incidents	62	49	33
Pedestrian vehicular incident	15	10	7
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in work zone	2	3	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	4	3	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in roadway	--	1	1
Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road	1	1	1
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle on side of road	1	1	1
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	7	3	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area	3	3	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	34	29	20
Roadway collision with other vehicle	13	18	12
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	4	5	3
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	5	6	4
Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle on side of roadway	--	1	1
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	9	7	5
Fires and explosions	--	2	1
Explosions	--	1	1
Falls, slips, trips	16	28	19
Falls on same level	--	6	4
Falls to lower level	13	22	15
Fall through surface or existing opening	5	1	1
Fall through surface or existing opening 11 to 15 feet	--	1	1
Other fall to lower level	8	19	13
Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet	--	5	3
Other fall to lower level 21 to 25 feet	--	3	2
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	22	25	17
Exposure to electricity	3	3	2
Exposure to other harmful substances	14	19	13
Contact with objects and equipment	32	27	18
Struck by object or equipment	22	21	14
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	11	15	10
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Pennsylvania, 2020

Industry (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	154	148	100
Private industry (2)	144	137	93
Goods producing	--	--	--
Natural resources and mining	19	14	9
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	13	13	9
Crop production	--	4	3
Oilseed and grain farming	--	1	1
Corn farming	--	1	1
Animal production and aquaculture	7	5	3
Cattle ranching and farming	6	5	3
Dairy cattle and milk production	6	5	3
Forestry and logging	--	4	3
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (3)	6	1	1
Mining (except oil and gas)	3	1	1
Coal mining	3	1	1
Coal mining	3	1	1
Construction	26	30	20
Construction	26	30	20
Specialty trade contractors	--	22	15
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	--	9	6
Roofing contractors	--	8	5
Siding contractors	--	1	1
Nonresidential siding contractors	--	1	1
Building equipment contractors	--	3	2
Plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors	--	3	2
Other specialty trade contractors	--	6	4
Manufacturing	--	13	9
Manufacturing	--	13	9
Textile mills	--	1	1
Chemical manufacturing	--	1	1
Other chemical product and preparation manufacturing	--	1	1
All other chemical product and preparation manufacturing	--	1	1
Custom compounding of purchased resins	--	1	1
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	--	3	2
Miscellaneous manufacturing	--	1	1
Service providing (4)	--	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	40	41	28
Wholesale trade	10	7	5
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	6	4	3
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	4	3	2
Retail trade	4	9	6
Furniture and home furnishings stores	--	1	1
Food and beverage stores	--	4	3
Grocery stores	--	3	2
Specialty food stores	--	1	1
Transportation and warehousing	26	25	17
Truck transportation	17	20	14
General freight trucking	11	15	10
General freight trucking, local	--	3	2
General freight trucking, long-distance	11	12	8
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	7	4	3
General freight trucking, long-distance, less than truckload	--	2	1
Specialized freight trucking	6	5	3
Scenic and sightseeing transportation	--	1	1
Support activities for transportation	--	1	1
Support activities for road transportation	--	1	1
Motor vehicle towing	--	1	1
Information	--	2	1
Information	--	2	1
Telecommunications	--	2	1
Wired and wireless telecommunication carriers	--	2	1
Wired and wireless telecommunication carriers	--	2	1
Wired telecommunications carriers	--	2	1
Professional and business services	23	--	--
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	20	17	11
Educational and health services	5	--	--
Health care and social assistance	4	5	3
Leisure and hospitality	9	9	6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	4	4	3
Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries	1	4	3
Other amusement and recreation industries	1	4	3
Accommodation and food services	5	5	3
Other services, except public administration	6	1	1
Other services, except public administration	6	1	1
Personal and laundry services	--	1	1
Other personal services	--	1	1
Pet care (except veterinary) services	--	1	1
Government (5)	10	11	7
Federal government	--	1	1
State government	2	1	1
Local government	8	9	6
Footnotes: (1) CFOI has used several versions of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) since 2003 to define industry. For complete information on the version of NAICS used in this year, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. (2) Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts. (3) Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, including establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in oil and gas extraction. (4) Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts. (5) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. Cases classified as foreign government and other government are included in all government counts, but not displayed separately.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Pennsylvania, 2020

Occupation (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	154	148	100
Management occupations	8	10	7
Other management occupations	6	7	5
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	6	5	3
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	6	5	3
Construction managers	--	1	1
Construction managers	--	1	1
Lodging managers	--	1	1
Lodging managers	--	1	1
Protective service occupations	4	6	4
Other protective service workers	1	1	1
Miscellaneous protective service workers	--	1	1
Crossing guards and flaggers	--	1	1
Food preparation and serving related occupations	4	3	2
Food and beverage serving workers	--	1	1
Fast food and counter workers	--	1	1
Fast food and counter workers	--	1	1
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	10	14	9
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	4	8	5
First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	4	8	5
First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers	4	8	5
Sales and related occupations	3	6	4
Supervisors of sales workers	3	4	3
First-line supervisors of sales workers	3	4	3
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	--	2	1
First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers	--	2	1
Retail sales workers	--	2	1
Cashiers	--	2	1
Cashiers	--	2	1
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	7	9	6
Supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	4	3
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	4	3
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	4	3
Agricultural workers	--	4	3
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	--	4	3
Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals	--	1	1
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	--	1	1
Logging workers	--	1	1
Fallers	--	1	1
Construction and extraction occupations	32	23	16
Construction trades workers	21	19	13
Construction laborers	11	10	7
Construction laborers	11	10	7
Roofers	--	5	3
Roofers	--	5	3
Other construction and related workers	2	1	1
Highway maintenance workers	--	1	1
Highway maintenance workers	--	1	1
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	11	11	7
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	2	8	5
Line installers and repairers	--	1	1
Telecommunications line installers and repairers	--	1	1
Production occupations	9	4	3
Transportation and material moving occupations	53	47	32
Motor vehicle operators	35	30	20
Material moving workers	13	15	10
Laborers and material movers	9	10	7
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	8	7	5
Stockers and order fillers	1	3	2
Footnotes: (1) CFOI has used several versions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system since 2003 to define occupation. For complete information on the version of SOC used in this year, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Pennsylvania, 2019–20

Worker characteristics	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	154	148	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	128	107	72
Self-employed (2)	26	41	28
Gender
Men	140	137	93
Women	14	11	7
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	7	7	5
25 to 34 years	25	23	16
35 to 44 years	26	34	23
45 to 54 years	29	32	22
55 to 64 years	37	35	24
65 years and over	27	13	9
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	121	126	85
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	15	8	5
Hispanic or Latino	13	11	7
Asian, non-Hispanic	5	3	2
Footnotes: (1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. Cases where employment status is unknown are included in the counts of wage and salary workers. (2) Includes self-employed workers, owners of unincorporated businesses and farms, paid and unpaid family workers, and may include some owners of incorporated businesses or members of partnerships. (3) Information may not be available for all age groups. (4) Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude data for Hispanics and Latinos. Cases where ethnicity is unknown are included in counts of non-Hispanic workers.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.