Fatal work injuries totaled 17 in 2011 for the Richmond, 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 was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in the Richmond area was identical to the prior two years. (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 17 fatal work injuries reported in the Richmond area in 2011, 7 resulted from violence and other injuries by persons or animals and 6 from transportation incidents. (See table 1.) Together, these two event categories made up over three-quarters of the area’s fatality total in 2011. In the violence and other injuries by persons or animals category, four of the seven fatalities resulted from intentional shootings by other persons. Within transportation incidents, roadway collisions with other vehicles was the most frequent type of workplace fatality with three deaths.

In the United States, transportation incidents was the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2011, accounting for 41 percent of fatal work injuries. Richmond’s share of on-the-job fatalities due to this event was 35 percent. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most frequent event nationally, representing 17 percent of workplace fatalities, but the most frequent in the Richmond area with 41 percent of the total. Contact with objects and equipment was the third-most frequent event in the nation, representing 15 percent of total workplace fatalities; in Richmond, the share for this event was 6 percent.

Additional key characteristics in the Richmond area:

• The agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting; construction; and transportation and warehousing sectors had the largest number of fatalities in the Richmond area with four each. (See table 2.) Intentional shootings by other persons accounted for two fatalities each in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector and the transportation and warehousing sector.
• Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities in the Richmond area with six. Half of these fatalities were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. (See table 3.) Workers in the construction and extraction occupations had the next highest fatality count in the Richmond area at four; three of them were construction laborers.
• Men accounted for all of the work-related fatalities in the Richmond area; men made up 92 percent nationwide. (See table 4.)
• In the Richmond area, 41 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were black or African-American non-Hispanics. Nationally, this group made up 9 percent. White non-Hispanic workers made up 35 percent of the area’s fatal injuries, lower than the 71-percent share across the United States.
• Workers 35-64 years old accounted for 94 percent of the area’s work-related fatalities in 2011. Nationally, this age group made up 65 percent of on-the-job fatalities.
• Of the 17 fatally injured workers in the area, 76 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remaining were self-employed. The two most frequent fatal events for wage and salary workers were violence and other injuries by persons or animals, and transportation incidents, each accounting for 38 percent of these fatalities.

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 Virginia Department of Labor and Industry 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 Richmond, Va. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of  Amelia, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, King and Queen, King William, Louisa, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, and Sussex Counties in Virginia; and Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond Cities in Virginia.

 

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

Event or exposure(2)	Number	Percent
Total	17	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	7	41
Intentional injury by person	6	35
Homicides	4	24
Shooting by other person—intentional	4	24
Transportation incidents	6	35
Rail vehicle incidents	1	6
Rail vehicle collision	1	6
Collision between rail and roadway vehicles	1	6
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	3	18
Roadway collision with other vehicle	3	18
Roadway collision moving in same direction	1	6
Roadway collision moving in opposite directions, oncoming	1	6
Roadway collision moving and standing vehicle on side of roadway	1	6
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	3	18
Contact with objects and equipment	1	6
Struck by object or equipment	1	6
Struck by powered vehicle nontransport	1	6
Struck by falling part of powered vehicle still attached	1	6
* For full table detail, see www.bls.gov/ro3/cfoirichmondtables.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, Richmond, VA, 2010-2011

Industry(1)	2010	2011(2)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	17	17	100
Private industry	14	16	94
Natural resources and mining	-	4	24
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	-	4	24
Animal production	-	1	6
Cattle ranching and farming	-	1	6
Construction	3	4	24
Construction of buildings	-	1	6
Nonresidential building construction	-	1	6
Commercial and institutional building construction	-	1	6
Heavy and civil engineering construction	-	3	18
Trade, transportation, and utilities	6	6	35
Transportation and warehousing	5	4	24
Transit and ground passenger transportation	-	2	12
Taxi and limousine service	-	2	12
Taxi service	-	2	12
Government(3)	3	1	6
Local government	-	1	6
* For full table detail, see www.bls.gov/ro3/cfoirichmondtables.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, Richmond,VA, 2010-2011

Occupation(1)	2010	2011(2)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	17	17	100
Construction and extraction occupations	-	4	24
Construction trades workers	-	4	24
Carpenters	-	1	6
Construction laborers	-	3	18
Transportation and material moving occupations	5	6	35
Motor vehicle operators	4	6	35
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	4	4	24
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	4	3	18
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs	-	2	12
* For full table detail, see www.bls.gov/ro3/cfoirichmondtables.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. (3) Includes fatal injuries to persons identified as resident armed forces regardless of individual occupation listed.
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, Richmond, VA, 2010-2011

Worker characteristics	2010	2011(1)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	17	17	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(2)	12	13	76
Self-employed(3)	5	4	24
Gender
Men	13	17	100
Age(4)
35 to 44 years	-	5	29
45 to 54 years	3	7	41
55 to 64 years	7	4	24
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White (non-Hispanic)	9	6	35
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	6	7	41
Hispanic or Latino	-	3	18
* For full table detail, see www.bls.gov/ro3/cfoirichmondtables.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