Fatal work injuries totaled 44 in 2015 for Oregon, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Oregon decreased from 69 in the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 88 in 1992 to a low of 43 in 2012. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 4,836 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2015, a slight increase from the 4,821 fatal injuries in 2014, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

Type of incident

In Oregon, transportation incidents resulted in 22 fatal work injuries, accounting for half of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents decreased by seven over the year.

Contact with objects and equipment was the second-most frequent fatal work event with eight fatalities, down five from the prior year. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals and falls, slips, or trips each resulted in five work-related deaths, a decrease of seven and five, respectively, from 2014.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2015, accounting for approximately 42 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, or trips was the second-most frequent type of event (17 percent), followed by contact with objects and equipment (15 percent) and violence and other injuries by persons or animals (15 percent).

Industry

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in Oregon with 12, down from 19 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents and contact with objects and equipment each accounted for five worker deaths. Half of those fatally injured in this sector worked in logging.

The private transportation and warehousing sector had nine workplace fatalities, down four from the previous year. Specialized freight trucking accounted for 4 of the 9 fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 16. (See table 3.) The majority of the fatalities were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (11). Management occupations had seven workplace fatalities. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for four of these fatalities.

Additional highlights:

• Men accounted for 93 percent of the work-related fatalities in Oregon, matching the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 51 percent of the fatalities for men in Oregon.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 84 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 67 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 61 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2015, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
• Of the 44 fatally-injured workers in Oregon, 73 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both groups of workers was transportation incidents.

Technical Note

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 2015 data, over 21,400 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 web site at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch9.pdf.

Federal/State agency coverage. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries includes data for all fatal work injuries, whether the decedent was working in a job covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or other federal or state agencies or was outside the scope of regulatory coverage. Thus, any comparison between the BLS fatality census counts and those released by other agencies should take into account the different coverage requirements and definitions being used by each agency.

Acknowledgments. BLS 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 sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200. Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Oregon, 2014–15

Event or exposure (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	69	44	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	12	5	11
Intentional injury by person	10	4	9
Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)	4	3	7
Shooting by other person--intentional	2	3	7
Transportation incidents	29	22	50
Aircraft incidents	--	2	5
Aircraft crash due to low-altitude entanglement	--	1	2
Other in-flight crash	--	1	2
Other in-flight crash due to mechanical failure	--	1	2
Pedestrian vehicular incident	9	3	7
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in work zone	--	1	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	2	1	2
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in roadway	2	1	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	15	13	30
Roadway collision with other vehicle	6	5	11
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	--	4	9
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	3	7	16
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	--	6	14
Fires and explosions	1	2	5
Explosions	1	2	5
Falls, slips, trips	10	5	11
Falls to lower level	8	5	11
Other fall to lower level	6	4	9
Contact with objects and equipment	13	8	18
Struck by object or equipment	9	5	11
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	7	2	5
Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery--other than vehicle part	1	1	2
Struck by swinging or slipping object, other than handheld	--	1	2
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	--	1	2
Struck, caught, or crushed in other collapsing structure or equipment	--	1	2
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. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Oregon, 2014–15

Industry (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	69	44	100
Private industry	63	41	93
Natural resources and mining	20	12	27
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	19	12	27
Other crop farming	1	1	2
Hay farming	--	1	2
Animal production and aquaculture	2	4	9
Cattle ranching and farming	2	4	9
Beef cattle ranching and farming, including feedlots	1	4	9
Beef cattle ranching and farming	1	4	9
Forestry and logging	13	6	14
Logging	13	6	14
Logging	13	6	14
Construction	6	6	14
Construction	6	6	14
Heavy and civil engineering construction	1	2	5
Highway, street, and bridge construction	1	2	5
Highway, street, and bridge construction	1	2	5
Specialty trade contractors	3	3	7
Other specialty trade contractors	--	2	5
All other specialty trade contractors	--	2	5
All other nonresidential specialty trade contractors	--	1	2
Manufacturing	3	1	2
Manufacturing	3	1	2
Wood product manufacturing	2	1	2
Sawmills and wood preservation	1	1	2
Sawmills and wood preservation	1	1	2
Sawmills	1	1	2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	18	13	30
Wholesale trade	--	3	7
Transportation and warehousing	13	9	20
Truck transportation	12	8	18
General freight trucking	7	3	7
General freight trucking, long-distance	4	2	5
Specialized freight trucking	3	4	9
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	1	3	7
Transit and ground passenger transportation	--	1	2
School and employee bus transportation	--	1	2
School and employee bus transportation	--	1	2
Professional and business services	5	1	2
Administrative and waste services	4	1	2
Waste management and remediation services	1	1	2
Waste collection	--	1	2
Waste collection	--	1	2
Solid waste collection	--	1	2
Educational and health services	--	1	2
Educational services	--	1	2
Educational services	--	1	2
Technical and trade schools	--	1	2
Technical and trade schools	--	1	2
Flight training	--	1	2
Leisure and hospitality	2	2	5
Accommodation and food services	2	2	5
Food services and drinking places	1	2	5
Restaurants and other eating places	1	2	5
Restaurants and other eating places	1	2	5
Full-service restaurants	1	1	2
Government (2)	6	3	7
Local government	3	3	7
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Oregon, 2014–15

Occupation (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	69	44	100
Management occupations	5	7	16
Other management occupations	3	7	16
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	--	4	9
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	--	4	9
Food service managers	1	1	2
Food service managers	1	1	2
Property, real estate, and community association managers	--	1	2
Property, real estate, and community association managers	--	1	2
Education, training, and library occupations	--	2	5
Postsecondary teachers	--	2	5
Arts, communications, and humanities teachers, postsecondary	--	1	2
English language and literature teachers, postsecondary	--	1	2
Miscellaneous postsecondary teachers	--	1	2
Vocational education teachers, postsecondary	--	1	2
Protective service occupations	--	3	7
Law enforcement workers	--	1	2
Police officers	--	1	2
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	--	1	2
Other protective service workers	1	2	5
Security guards and gaming surveillance officers	1	1	2
Security guards	1	1	2
Miscellaneous protective service workers	--	1	2
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	13	6	14
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	12	5	11
Logging workers	12	5	11
Logging equipment operators	--	1	2
Construction and extraction occupations	9	5	11
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	1	2	5
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	1	2	5
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	1	2	5
Extraction workers	--	1	2
Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters	--	1	2
Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters	--	1	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	8	3	7
Transportation and material moving occupations	16	16	36
Motor vehicle operators	15	13	30
Bus drivers	--	1	2
Bus drivers, school or special client	--	1	2
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	14	12	27
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	14	11	25
Material moving workers	--	3	7
Crane and tower operators	--	1	2
Crane and tower operators	--	1	2
Industrial truck and tractor operators	--	1	2
Industrial truck and tractor operators	--	1	2
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics, Oregon, 2014–15

Worker characteristics	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	69	44	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	52	32	73
Self-employed (2)	17	12	27
Gender
Men	60	41	93
Women	9	3	7
Age (3)
25 to 34 years	10	3	7
35 to 44 years	15	11	25
45 to 54 years	13	13	30
55 to 64 years	18	9	20
65 years and over	10	5	11
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	58	37	84
Hispanic or Latino	8	5	11
Footnotes: (1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. (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 Hispanic and Latino workers.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.