Fatal work injuries totaled 62 in 2011 for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. Metropolitan Statistical Area, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that while the 2011 count is preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in the Washington metropolitan area decreased by 4 from the 66 deaths recorded a year earlier and was the second-lowest total in the nine-year history of the series. (See chart 1.) Final 2011 fatality data will be released in Spring 2013.

The Washington metropolitan area had the seventh-largest population nationally¹ and recorded the seventh-highest fatality count among the 10 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the United States. (See chart 2.) The most populated area in the country—New York—had the highest number of workplace fatalities (181) in 2011. The smallest metropolitan area in this group—Boston—had the lowest fatality count with 41 deaths. (See chart 4.)

Of the 62 fatal work injuries reported in the Washington metropolitan area in 2011, 19 were a result of violence and other injuries by persons or animals; 13 of these were homicides. (See table 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the most frequent fatal event in 6 of the 10 largest metropolitan areas in 2011, including Washington; in two more, it was tied with transportation incidents as the most frequent. (See table 1.) Among the 10 areas, Washington had the sixth-highest share of work-related deaths from violence and other injuries by persons or animals at 31 percent of total fatalities; all of the top 10 metropolitan areas had a higher share than the nation’s 17 percent.

Fatal transportation incidents were the second-most frequent cause of workplace deaths in the Washington metropolitan area, responsible for 27 percent of total fatalities. (See chart 3.) Seven of the 17 fatalities in this category were roadway collisions with other vehicles. Washington had the seventh-highest share of fatal transportation incidents among the top 10 metropolitan areas. Nationwide, transportation incidents accounted for 41 percent of work-related fatalities; all 10 metropolitan areas had shares well below that for the nation. Falls, slips, and trips; exposure to harmful substances or environments; and contact with objects and equipment each resulted in eight fatalities in the Washington metropolitan area in 2011.

Additional key characteristics in the Washington area:

• The construction sector accounted for the largest portion of the Washington area’s fatal workplace injuries with 17 deaths. Government had the second-highest fatality count with eight. (See table 3.) All of the government workers were men and half were between the ages of 35 and 44.
• Construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of on-the-job fatalities in the metropolitan area with 14; construction laborers accounted for 8 of these fatalities. Transportation and material moving occupations had the second-highest fatality count at 12, followed by building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations with 9. (See table 4.)
• Men accounted for 58, or 94 percent, of the work-related fatalities in the Washington metropolitan area in 2011. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 29 percent of these fatalities and transportation incidents accounted for 26 percent. Four women were fatally injured at work in the Washington area. (See table 5.)
• In the Washington area, 37 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were black or African-American non-Hispanics. Nationwide, this group accounted for 9 percent of work-related deaths.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 35 percent of work-related fatalities in the Washington area; this group accounted for 71 percent nationwide.
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 60 percent of the work-related fatalities in the Washington metropolitan area in 2011; this matched the 60-percent share of worker deaths for this age group nationwide.
• Of the 62 fatally injured workers in the Washington area, 76 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remaining were self-employed. Transportation incidents made up the largest number of deaths among wage and salary workers. Among the self-employed, 7 of the 15 fatalities were caused by violence and other injuries by persons or animals.
• Forty-four percent of work-related fatalities in the Washington area occurred on Fridays (15 fatalities) and Mondays (12); nationally, fatalities occurred most frequently on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

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.

Footnotes

¹ Metropolitan area populations based on 2011 estimates from the Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2011/tables/CBSA-EST2011-05.xls

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 assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible.

For technical information and definitions for the CFOI program, 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 thanks the District of Columbia Department of Health; Virginia Department of Labor and Industry; and Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation 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 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 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 industries, and workers' compensation agencies; state and local police departments; and state farm bureaus.

Area definitions. The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, dated December 2009. A detailed list of the geographic definitions is available at http://www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of the Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md. Metropolitan Division (MD) and the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. Metropolitan Division (MD).

• The Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md. MD consists of Frederick and Montgomery Counties in Maryland.
• The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. MD consists of the District of Columbia; Calvert, Charles, and Prince George's Counties in Maryland; Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren Counties in Virginia; Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park Cities in Virginia; and Jefferson County in West Virginia.

 

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by selected event groups in the 10 largest metropolitan areas in 2011

Metropolitan Areas(1)	Total fatalities(2)	Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	Transportation incidents	Falls, slips, trips	Contact with objects and equipment
United States(3)	4,609	780	1,898	666	708
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa.	181	56	50	35	28
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif.	110	32	17	29	17
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas	105	25	26	20	19
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis.	97	30	29	16	10
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	80	22	22	14	10
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md.	66	22	18	12	11
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va.	62	19	17	8	8
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla.	59	19	18	11	6
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga.	43	10	12	8	11
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H.	41	13	13	9	3
Footnotes: (1) Metropolitan areas used in this table are Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) based on definitions from the Office of Management and Budget Bulletin Number 10-02, December 2009. (2) Data are based on a preliminary total of 4,609 fatal work injuries for 2011. (3) Also includes fatalities occurring in nonmetropolitan areas.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure*, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 2011(1)

Event or exposure(2)	Number	Percent
Total	62	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	19	31
Intentional injury by person	18	29
Homicides	13	21
Shooting by other person—intentional	10	16
Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing	1	2
Multiple violent acts by other person	2	3
Suicides	5	8
Transportation incidents	17	27
Pedestrian vehicular incident	3	5
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in work zone	1	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in work zone	1	2
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	10	16
Roadway collision with other vehicle	7	11
Roadway collision moving in same direction	5	8
Roadway collision moving and standing vehicle in roadway	1	2
Roadway noncollision incident	1	2
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	3	5
Fall, slip, trip	8	13
Fall to lower level	7	11
Other fall to lower level	7	11
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	8	13
Exposure to electricity	6	10
Indirect exposure to electricity	4	6
Indirect exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts	4	6
Contact with objects and equipment	8	13
Struck by object or equipment	5	8
Struck by falling object or equipment	3	5
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	1	2
* See www.bls.gov/ro3/cfoidctables.htm#event
Footnotes: (1) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2011 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2013. (2) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward.
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 3. Fatal occupational injuries by selected* industry, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 2010-2011

Industry(1)	2010	2011(2)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	66	62	100
Private industry	51	54	87
Construction	18	17	27
Specialty trade contractors	11	14	23
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	-	4	6
Masonry contractors	-	1	2
Building equipment contractors	5	4	6
Other specialty trade contractors	-	4	6
Site preparation contractors	-	3	5
All other specialty trade contractors	-	1	2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	10	15	24
Wholesale trade	-	4	6
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	-	1	2
Grocery and related product merchant wholesalers	-	1	2
General line grocery merchant wholesalers	-	1	2
Retail trade	-	5	8
Food and beverage stores	-	3	5
Grocery stores	-	3	5
Convenience stores	-	2	3
Sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores	-	1	2
Sporting goods, hobby, and musical instrument stores	-	1	2
Sporting goods stores	-	1	2
Transportation and warehousing	6	6	10
Air transportation	-	1	2
Scheduled air transportation	-	1	2
Truck transportation	5	3	5
Specialized freight trucking	3	1	2
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance	-	1	2
Support activities for transportation	-	1	2
Support activities for road transportation	-	1	2
Motor vehicle towing	-	1	2
Professional and business services	7	7	11
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	6	6	10
Administrative and support services	6	6	10
Services to buildings and dwellings	6	5	8
Landscaping services	4	5	8
Education and health services	-	2	3
Health care and social assistance	-	2	3
Ambulatory health care services	-	1	2
Offices of physicians	-	1	2
Hospitals	-	1	2
General medical and surgical hospitals	-	1	2
Leisure and hospitality	5	7	11
Accommodation and food services	4	6	10
Food services and drinking places	3	5	8
Limited-service eating places	-	5	8
Other services, except public administration	4	3	5
Government(3)	15	8	13
Federal government	4	4	6
Local government	7	4	6
* For full table detail, see www.bls.gov/ro3/cfoidctables.htm#industry
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2007. Total may include other industries not shown. (2) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2011 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2013. (3) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry.
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 selected* occupation, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 2010-2011

Occupation(1)	2010	2011(2)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	66	62	100
Management occupations	6	5	8
Top executives	-	1	2
Chief executives	-	1	2
Other management occupations	4	3	5
Education, training, and library occupations	-	1	2
Primary, secondary, and special education school teachers	-	1	2
Secondary school teachers	-	1	2
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	-	1	2
Health diagnosing and treating practitioners	-	1	2
Physicians and surgeons	-	1	2
Protective service occupations	5	3	5
Law enforcement workers	4	1	2
Police officers	4	1	2
Food preparation and serving related occupations	-	1	2
Supervisors, food preparation and serving workers	-	1	2
First-line supervisors/managers, food preparation and serving workers	-	1	2
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	7	9	15
Grounds maintenance workers	4	8	13
Personal care and service occupations	-	1	2
Personal appearance workers	-	1	2
Barbers and cosmetologists	-	1	2
Sales and related occupations	5	6	10
Supervisors, sales workers	4	1	2
First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers	4	1	2
Retail sales workers	-	4	6
Office and administrative support occupations	-	3	5
Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers	-	3	5
Cargo and freight agents	-	1	2
Postal service workers	-	1	2
Construction and extraction occupations	16	14	23
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	-	3	5
First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers	-	3	5
Construction trades workers	11	11	18
Construction laborers	5	8	13
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	7	3	5
Production occupations	-	2	3
Supervisors of production workers	-	1	2
First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers	-	1	2
Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers	-	1	2
Shoe and leather workers	-	1	2
Transportation and material moving occupations	9	12	19
Motor vehicle operators	7	12	19
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	6	11	18
* For full table detail, see www.bls.gov/ro3/cfoidctables.htm#occupation
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. Total may include occupations not shown. (2) 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 5. Fatal occupational injuries by selected* worker characteristics, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 2010-2011

Worker characteristics	2010	2011(1)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	66	62	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(2)	51	47	76
Self-employed(3)	15	15	24
Gender
Men	59	58	94
Women	7	4	6
Age(4)
18-19 years	-	2	3
20 to 24 years	5	4	6
25 to 34 years	14	10	16
35 to 44 years	14	18	29
45 to 54 years	17	9	15
55 to 64 years	9	8	13
65 and over	6	11	18
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White (non-Hispanic)	33	22	35
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	17	23	37
Hispanic or Latino	11	15	24
* For full table detail, see www.bls.gov/ro3/cfoidctables.htm#characteristic
Footnotes: (1) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2011 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2013. (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 race categories shown exclude Hispanic and Latino workers.
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