Fatal occupational injuries by day of week and month, 1992–2011

On October 1, 1993, the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) published the first comprehensive nationwide information on fatal occupational injuries in the United States. These numbers, for calendar year 1992, marked the beginning of a data series that has been used by government agencies, safety and health organizations, colleges and universities, and others to identify trends in workplace deaths. The goal for having these numbers is to eliminate future work-related fatal injuries. BLS publishes demographic and employment information about deceased workers and details about the fatal incidents.

During the 20-year period from 1992 to 2011, the majority (83 percent) of all fatal occupational injuries occurred during the traditional workweek, Monday through Friday. A total of 80,645 workers were fatally injured during the day (7 a.m. to 6:59 p.m.) from 1992 to 2011. Another 26,631 were fatally injured during the night and evening hours (7 p.m. to 6:59 a.m.). For 7,815 cases, time of incident was unknown.

From 1992 to 2011, July had the highest number of fatal occupational injuries (11,168), and the fewest number of injuries occurred in February (8,008). Just over a quarter of workers (28 percent, or 32,795) were fatally injured during the summer months of June, July, and August. In comparison, the winter months of December, January, and February totaled 25,380 fatal injuries (22 percent).

These data are from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. To learn more, see "Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries commemorates 20 years of occupational safety and health data," by Laura Kesy and Stephen Pegula, in Beyond the Numbers, October 2014.