Fatal work injuries totaled 29 in 2011 for the Pittsburgh, Pa. 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 was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in the Pittsburgh area declined by 12 over the year. Fatal occupational injuries in the area have ranged from a high of 45 in 2008 to a low of 26 in 2007. The average annual number of worker fatalities in the Pittsburgh area from 2003, when area data were first published, to 2011 was 37. (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 29 fatal work injuries reported in the Pittsburgh area in 2011, 8 resulted from transportation incidents. Falls, slips, and trips and contact with objects and equipment each resulted in seven fatalities. (See table 1.) Together, these three event categories made up over three-quarters of the area’s fatality total in 2011. Within transportation incidents, roadway incidents was the most frequent type of workplace fatality with six deaths, or three-quarters of all on-the-job fatalities in this event category. All of the fatalities in the falls, slips, and trips category resulted from falls to lower levels.

In the United States, transportation incidents was also the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2011, accounting for 41 percent of fatal work injuries. In Pittsburgh, the share of on-the-job fatalities due to this event was 28 percent. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most frequent event nationally, with 17 percent of work-related fatalities; the share in Pittsburgh was slightly lower at 14 percent. Contact with objects and equipment (15 percent) and falls, slips, and trips (14 percent) were the third- and fourth-most frequent events in the nation; in Pittsburgh, these two event categories each accounted for 24 percent of total fatalities.

Additional key characteristics in the Pittsburgh area:

• The construction industry had the largest number of fatalities in the Pittsburgh area with 10, up from 4 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Falls to lower levels accounted for half of these worker deaths.
• The transportation and warehousing sector had the second-highest fatality count in the area with five, down from nine in 2010. Roadway incidents accounted for four of the five worker deaths in this industry sector.
• Construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities in the Pittsburgh area with 10. (See table 3.) The transportation and material moving occupational group was second in the Pittsburgh area, accounting for eight worker deaths. Half of these fatalities were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
• Men accounted for 97 percent of the work-related fatalities in the Pittsburgh area. (See table 4.) Men made up 92 percent of the total nationwide.
• In the Pittsburgh area, 86 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were white non-Hispanics; nationally, this group made up 71 percent.
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 48 percent of the area’s work-related fatalities in 2011. In the United States, this age group made up 60 percent of on-the-job fatalities. Workers in the 55- to 64-year-old age group comprised over one-third of the fatalities in the Pittsburgh area with 10.
• Of the 29 fatally injured workers in the area, 83 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remaining were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents, accounting for one-third of these fatalities.
• The highest number of fatal workplace injuries in the Pittsburgh area occurred on Monday with eight, followed by Friday with six. Together, these two days accounted for almost half of all worker fatalities in the area. Nationally, fatalities on these two days combined to represent slightly less than one-third of the total.

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 (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 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 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 Pittsburgh, Pa. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is composed of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland Counties in Pennsylvania.

 

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by selected* event or exposure, Pittsburgh, PA, 2011(1)

Event or exposure(2)	Number	Percent
Total	29	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	4	14
Intentional injury by person	4	14
Homicides	3	10
Shooting by other person—intentional	3	10
Transportation incidents	8	28
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	6	21
Roadway collision with other vehicle	5	17
Roadway collision moving in same direction	4	14
Roadway collision moving perpendicularly	1	3
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	1	3
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	1	3
Fire or explosion	1	3
Fire	1	3
Other structural fire without collapse	1	3
Fall, slip, trip	7	24
Fall to lower level	7	24
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment	1	3
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment 16 to 20 feet	1	3
Other fall to lower level	6	21
Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet	1	3
Contact with objects and equipment	7	24
Struck by object or equipment	3	10
Struck by powered vehicle nontransport	1	3
Struck by falling part of powered vehicle still attached	1	3
Injured by handheld object or equipment	1	3
Injured by slipping or swinging object held by injured worker	1	3
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	1	3
Caught in running equipment or machinery	1	3
Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation	1	3
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	3	10
* For full table detail, see www.bls.gov/ro3/cfoipitttables.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 2. Fatal occupational injuries by selected* industry, Pittsburgh, Pa, 2010-2011

Industry(1)	2010	2011(2)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	41	29	100
Private industry	39	27	93
Natural resources and mining	5	1	3
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	3	1	3
Animal production	-	1	3
Cattle ranching and farming	-	1	3
Dairy cattle and milk production	-	1	3
Construction	4	10	34
Heavy and civil engineering construction	-	1	3
Utility system construction	-	1	3
Water and sewer line and related structures construction	-	1	3
Specialty trade contractors	-	7	24
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	-	1	3
Roofing contractors	-	1	3
Residential roofing contractors	-	1	3
Building finishing contractors	-	3	10
Painting and wall covering contractors	-	1	3
Residential painting and wall covering contractors	-	1	3
Manufacturing	4	2	7
Primary metal manufacturing	-	1	3
Foundries	-	1	3
Ferrous metal foundries	-	1	3
Steel foundries (except investment)	-	1	3
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	-	1	3
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing	-	1	3
All other fabricated metal product manufacturing	-	1	3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	14	8	28
Wholesale trade	-	3	10
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	-	2	7
Miscellaneous durable goods merchant wholesalers	-	2	7
Recyclable material merchant wholesalers	-	2	7
Transportation and warehousing	9	5	17
Truck transportation	4	4	14
Transit and ground passenger transportation	3	1	3
Charter bus industry	-	1	3
Financial activities	-	1	3
Real estate and rental and leasing	-	1	3
Rental and leasing services	-	1	3
Automotive equipment rental and leasing	-	1	3
Truck, utility trailer, and rv (recreational vehicle) rental and leasing	-	1	3
Professional and business services	5	3	10
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	5	3	10
Administrative and support services	5	3	10
Services to buildings and dwellings	4	2	7
Landscaping services	-	2	7
Education and health services	5	1	3
Health care and social assistance	3	1	3
Hospitals	-	1	3
General medical and surgical hospitals	-	1	3
Government(3)	-	2	7
Local government	-	2	7
* For full table detail, see www.bls.gov/ro3/cfoipitttables.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 3. Fatal occupational injuries by selected* occupation, Pittsburgh, Pa, 2010-2011

Occupation(1)	2010	2011(2)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	41	29	100
Protective service occupations	-	3	10
Law enforcement workers	-	2	7
Police officers	-	2	7
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	-	2	7
Other protective service workers	-	1	3
Security guards and gaming surveillance officers	-	1	3
Security guards	-	1	3
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	4	2	7
Grounds maintenance workers	-	2	7
Grounds maintenance workers	-	2	7
Tree trimmers and pruners	-	2	7
Construction and extraction occupations	7	10	34
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	-	2	7
First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers	-	2	7
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	-	2	7
Construction trades workers	5	7	24
Construction laborers	-	3	10
Painters and paperhangers	-	1	3
Painters, construction and maintenance	-	1	3
Transportation and material moving occupations	11	8	28
Motor vehicle operators	9	7	24
Bus drivers	-	1	3
Bus drivers, transit and intercity	-	1	3
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	5	5	17
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	5	4	14
Light truck or delivery services drivers	-	1	3
Miscellaneous motor vehicle operators	-	1	3
Material moving workers	-	1	3
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	-	1	3
* For full table detail, see www.bls.gov/ro3/cfoipitttables.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 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected* worker characteristics, Pittsburgh, Pa, 2010-2011

Characteristic	2010	2011(1)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	41	29	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(2)	31	24	83
Self-employed(3)	10	5	17
Gender
Men	36	28	97
Women	5	1	3
Age(4)
20 to 24 years	-	1	3
25 to 34 years	8	3	10
35 to 44 years	6	3	10
45 to 54 years	8	8	28
55 to 64 years	7	10	34
65 and over	11	4	14
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White (non-Hispanic)	38	25	86
* For full table detail, see www.bls.gov/ro3/cfoipitttables.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