Fatal work injuries totaled 41 in 2011 for Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that while the 2011 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in Boston increased by six over the year. Fatal occupational injuries in the metropolitan area have ranged from a high of 49 in 2005 to a low of 35 in both 2002 and 2010. Over the last five years, the number of fatalities has trended slightly lower with five fewer fatal work injuries since 2007. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a preliminary total of 4,609 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2011, down from the final count of 4,690 fatalities recorded in 2010, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Final 2011 CFOI data will be released in Spring 2013.

Of the 41 fatal work injuries reported in Boston in 2011, violence and other injuries by persons or animals and transportation incidents each resulted in 13 deaths; together these two major categories accounted for nearly two-thirds of all fatal work injuries. Other major event categories each reported less than 10 deaths. (See table 1.) Within violence and other injuries, suicides was the most frequent type of workplace fatality with eight deaths; in fact, it accounted for approximately 20 percent of all on-the-job fatalities in the metropolitan area. The second largest event in violence and other injuries, homicides, accounted for four fatalities. In the transportation incidents category, nine deaths were caused by roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles.

In the United States, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2011, accounting for 41 percent of fatal work injuries. Boston’s 32-percent share of on-the-job fatalities due to this event was below the nationwide share. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries was the second most frequent type of event nationally, with 17 percent of work-related fatalities, much lower than the share in Boston. Contact with objects or equipment (15 percent) and falls, slips, and trips (14 percent) were the third and fourth most frequent events, respectively, in the nation. 

Additional key characteristics:

• The trade, transportation, and utilities industry sector was tied with construction for the largest number of fatalities in the state with nine, up from three the previous year. (See table 2.) Of these nine fatalities, six were roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles.
• The construction industry also recorded nine workplace fatalities, little changed from last year. Falls to a lower level accounted for six of these workplace deaths.
• Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of fatal work injuries with 13. (See table 3.) The majority of these fatalities were motor vehicle operators (eight).  Workers in construction and extraction occupations had the next highest fatality count at eight.
• Men accounted for 38, or 93 percent, of the work-related fatalities in the state. (See table 4.)
• In Boston, 20 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were Hispanic or Latino. Nationwide, this group accounted for 16 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 55-64 years old age group accounted for 15, or 37 percent, of the area’s work-related fatalities in 2011. Nationally, workers in this group accounted for 20 percent of on-the-job fatalities.
• Of the 41 persons that suffered fatal work injuries in Boston, 93 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder was self-employed. Out of 38 fatalities among wage and salary workers, 11 were the result of homicides or suicides.

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.

Technical Note

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. during the calendar year. The program uses diverse state, federal, and independent data sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries. This assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible.

For technical information about the CFOI program, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS web site here: www.bls.gov/opub/hom/homch9_a1.htm. The technical information and definitions for the CFOI program are in Chapter 9, Part III of the BLS Handbook of Methods.

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.The Bureau of Labor Statistics appreciates the efforts of all federal, state, local, and private sector entities that submitted source documents used to identify fatal work injuries, in particular the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, 2011(p)

Event or exposure(1)	Number	Percent
Total	41	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	13	32
Intentional injury by person	12	29
Homicides	4	10
Shooting by other person--intentional	1	2
Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing	2	5
Multiple violent acts by other person	1	2
Suicides	8	20
Animal and insect related incidents	1	2
Transportation incidents	13	32
Pedestrian vehicular incident	3	7
Water vehicle incident	1	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	9	22
Fire or explosion	1	2
Fall, slip, trip	9	22
Fall to lower level	9	22
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	2	5
Contact with objects and equipment	3	7
Struck by object or equipment	1	2
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	2	5
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward. (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2011 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2013.
NOTE: 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. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, 2010-2011

Industry(1)	2010	2011(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	35	41	100
Private industry	27	36	88
Natural resources and mining	--	1	2
Construction	10	9	22
Construction of buildings	5	3	7
Speciality trade contractors	5	5	12
Trade, transportation, and utilities	3	9	22
Retail trade	--	3	7
Transportation and warehousing	--	6	15
Transit and ground passenger transportation	--	3	7
Information	--	3	7
Publishing industries (except internet)	--	1	2
Motion picture and sound recording industries	--	1	2
Other information services	--	1	2
Financial activities	3	1	2
Real estate and rental and leasing	3	1	2
Professional and business services	--	4	10
Adminstrative and support and waste management and remediation services	--	4	10
Waste management and remediation services	--	2	5
Education and health services	--	4	10
Health care and social assistance	--	3	7
Leisure and hospitality	3	2	5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	--	1	2
Accommodation and food services	--	1	2
Government (NAICS)(2)	8	5	12
State government (NAICS)	--	1	2
Local government (NAICS)	3	4	10
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2007. Total may include other industries not shown. (2) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. Includes all fatal occupational injuries meeting this ownership criterion across all specified years, regardless of industry classification system. (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2011 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2013.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, 2010-2011

Occupation(1)	2010	2011(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	35	41	100
Computer and mathematical occupations	--	1	2
Community and social services occupations	--	3	7
Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists	--	3	7
Counselors	--	1	2
Miscellaneous community and social service specialists	--	2	5
Protective service occupations	--	2	5
First-line supervisors/managers, protective service workers	--	1	2
Law enforcement workers	--	1	2
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	--	3	7
Building cleaning and pest control workers	--	2	5
Farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	1	2
Construction and extraction occupations	11	8	20
Construction trades workers	10	5	12
Painters and paperhangers	--	2	5
Structural iron and steel workers	--	1	2
Other construction and related workers	--	1	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3	4	10
Transportation and material moving occupations	6	13	32
Motor vehicle operators	--	8	20
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	--	4	10
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs	--	3	7
Miscellaneous motor vehicle operators	--	1	2
Other transportation workers	--	1	2
Material moving workers	--	4	10
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	--	1	2
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data for 2010 are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2000. Occupation data for 2011 are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2011 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2013.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics, Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, 2010-2011

Worker characteristics	2010	2011(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total(1)	35	41	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(2)	31	38	93
Self-employed(3)	4	3	7
Gender
Women	--	3	7
Men	33	38	93
Age(4)
25 to 34 years	4	8	20
35 to 44 years	8	7	17
45 to 54 years	6	7	17
55 to 64 years	10	15	37
65 years and over	5	4	10
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White, non-Hispanic	28	27	66
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	--	4	10
Hispanic or Latino	5	8	20
Footnotes: (1) The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data elements have changed. Please see the CFOI Definitions page (http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcdef.htm) for a more detailed description of each data element and their definitions. (2) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. (3) 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. (4) Information may not be available for all age groups. (5) Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The racial categories shown exclude data for Hispanics and Latinos. (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2011 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2013.
NOTE: 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. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

Last Modified Date: January 9, 2013