Fatal work injuries totaled 163 in 2012 for Pennsylvania, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that while the 2012 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in Pennsylvania declined by 23 over the year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 354 in 1994 to the 2012 low of 163. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a preliminary total of 4,383 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2012, down from a revised count of 4,693 fatal work injuries in 2011, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Revised 2012 CFOI data will be released in the late Spring of 2014.

Of the 163 fatal work injuries reported in Pennsylvania in 2012, 63 resulted from transportation incidents and 35 from contact with objects and equipment; together, these 2 major categories accounted for 60 percent of all workplace fatalities. (Note that transportation counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2012 data are released in Spring 2014 because key source documentation detailing specific transportation-related incidents has not yet been received.) Over the year, worker deaths from transportation incidents declined from 68 in 2011, while deaths from contact with objects and equipment rose slightly from 33. The third-most frequent event in 2012 was falls, slips, or trips with 23 fatalities, down from 34 in the prior year. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals caused 22 work-related deaths, down from 28 in 2011. (See table 1.)

Within transportation incidents, roadway incidents was the most frequent type of workplace fatality with 29 deaths accounting for 18 percent of all on-the-job fatalities in the state. The second-largest event in transportation incidents, pedestrian vehicular incidents, accounted for 16 fatalities. In the contact with objects and equipment category, 27 workers were killed by being struck by an object or equipment. Falls to a lower level accounted for 15, or 65 percent, of the fall, slip, or trip fatalities. Intentional injuries by other persons (homicides) were responsible for over three-quarters (17) of the worker deaths in the violence and other injuries by persons or animals category.

In the United States, transportation incidents was also the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2012, accounting for 41 percent of fatal work injuries. Pennsylvania’s share of on-the-job fatalities due to this event was 39 percent. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most frequent type of event nationally, with 17 percent of work-related fatalities; the share in Pennsylvania was 13 percent. Contact with objects or equipment (16 percent) and falls, slips, or trips (15 percent) were the third- and fourth-most frequent events in the nation, while in the state, these events were responsible for 21 and 14 percent of workplace fatalities, respectively.

Additional key characteristics in Pennsylvania:

• The construction industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in the state with 26, down from 30 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Nineteen of those fatally injured in this industry were specialty trade contractors.
• The agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry sector, along with transportation and warehousing had the next largest fatality counts with 22 each. Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting fatalities increased from 14 in 2011, while fatal injuries in transportation and warehousing declined from 2011 when there were 34 fatalities in this industry. Transportation incidents was the most frequent fatal event in each of these industry sectors.
• Transportation and material moving occupations and construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 33 and 29, respectively. (See table 3.) The majority of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (17). Falls, slips, or trips accounted for more than one-third (10) of the fatalities among construction and extraction workers.
• Men accounted for 91 percent of the work-related fatalities in the state, similar to the national share of 92 percent. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 39 percent of these fatalities in Pennsylvania. Transportation incidents and violence and other injuries by persons or animals each accounted for 5 of the 15 total workplace fatalities for women in the state in 2012.
• In Pennsylvania, 82 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were white non-Hispanics. Nationwide, this group accounted for 68 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 58 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2012, compared to 59 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally. In Pennsylvania, workers 45-54 years old suffered one-quarter of the state’s fatal work injuries, more than any other age group.
• Of the 163 fatally-injured workers in Pennsylvania, 85 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both groups of workers was transportation incidents.
• In 2011, CFOI began identifying if a fatally-injured worker was working as a contractor and recording the industry of both the worker and the contracting firm. A contractor is defined as a worker employed by one firm but working at the behest of another firm that exercises overall responsibility for the operations at the site of the fatal injury. In 2012, Pennsylvania had 30 fatally-injured workers identified as fitting the contractor criteria; 26 of these deaths occurred at private sector contracting firms and 4 at government operations. Falls to a lower level and being struck by objects or equipment each caused eight contractor deaths; together they accounted for over half of all contractor fatalities in the state.

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.

 Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by selected event or exposure, Pennsylvania, 2011-2012

Event or exposure(1)	2011(2)	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	186	163	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	28	22	13
Intentional injury by person	28	20	12
Intentional injury by other person	18	17	10
Self-inflicted injury--intentional	10	3	2
Injury by person--unintentional or intent unknown	-	1	1
Self-inflicted injury--unintentional or intent unknown	-	1	1
Animal and insect related incidents	-	1	1
Struck by animal	-	1	1
Transportation incidents	68	63	39
Aircraft incidents	2	2	1
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing	-	2	1
Animal and other non-motorized vehicle transportation incidents	1	4	2
Animal transportation incident	1	4	2
Pedestrian vehicular incident	14	16	10
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in work zone	3	4	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	-	2	1
Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road	-	3	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	7	6	4
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	42	29	18
Roadway collision with other vehicle	21	17	10
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	19	11	7
Roadway noncollision incident	-	1	1
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	7	12	7
Nonroadway noncollision incident	6	9	6
Fires and explosions	6	6	4
Fires	-	2	1
Collapsing building, structure, or structural element during fire	-	2	1
Explosions	4	4	2
Explosion of nonpressurized vapors, gases, or liquids	2	3	2
Explosion of pressure vessel, piping, or tire	1	1	1
Falls, slips, trips	34	23	14
Falls on same level	7	8	5
Fall on same level due to slipping	-	1	1
Falls to lower level	27	15	9
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment	3	4	2
Other fall to lower level	23	10	6
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	17	14	9
Exposure to electricity	7	9	6
Direct exposure to electricity	4	5	3
Indirect exposure to electricity	3	4	2
Exposure to other harmful substances	7	3	2
Exposure to oxygen deficiency, n.e.c.	-	-	-
Depletion of oxygen	-	1	1
Contact with objects and equipment	33	35	21
Struck by object or equipment	21	27	17
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	10	9	6
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	10	14	9
Injured by handheld object or equipment	1	1	1
Struck by swinging or slipping object, other than handheld	-	1	1
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	6	7	4
Caught in running equipment or machinery	5	5	3
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	6	1	1
Mine collapse or cave-in	-	1	1
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward. (2) Data for 2011 are revised and final. (p) Data for 2012 are preliminary. Revised and final 2012 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2014.
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.

 Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by selected industry, Pennsylvania, 2011-2012

Industry(1)	2011(2)	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	186	163	100
Private industry	174	149	91
Natural resources and mining	20	26	16
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	14	22	13
Crop production	3	6	4
Animal production	7	10	6
Forestry and logging	4	3	2
Support activities for agriculture and forestry	-	3	2
Mining(3)	6	4	2
Mining (except oil and gas)	1	1	1
Construction	30	26	16
Construction	30	26	16
Heavy and civil engineering construction	5	5	3
Specialty trade contractors	20	19	12
Manufacturing	17	13	8
Manufacturing	17	13	8
Wood product manufacturing	1	1	1
Paper manufacturing	-	2	1
Primary metal manufacturing	1	3	2
Transportation equipment manufacturing	-	1	1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	62	35	21
Wholesale trade	11	6	4
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	7	4	2
Retail trade	16	7	4
Food and beverage stores	11	1	1
General merchandise stores	-	1	1
Miscellaneous store retailers	-	1	1
Transportation and warehousing	34	22	13
Air transportation	-	2	1
Rail transportation	-	1	1
Truck transportation	26	11	7
Transit and ground passenger transportation	4	4	2
Scenic and sightseeing transportation	-	1	1
Couriers and messengers	-	1	1
Financial activities	4	3	2
Real estate and rental and leasing	-	3	2
Professional and business services	22	24	15
Professional and technical services	-	4	2
Professional, scientific, and technical services	-	4	2
Administrative and waste services	20	20	12
Administrative and support services	13	18	11
Educational and health services	6	7	4
Health care and social assistance	4	5	3
Hospitals	1	2	1
Nursing and residential care facilities	-	3	2
Leisure and hospitality	7	9	6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	-	3	2
Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries	1	1	1
Accommodation and food services	5	6	4
Food services and drinking places	3	6	4
Other services, except public administration	3	6	4
Repair and maintenance	1	3	2
Personal and laundry services	-	1	1
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations	-	2	1
Government(4)	12	14	9
State government	2	2	1
Local government	8	12	7
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2007. Total may include other industries not shown. (2) Data for 2011 are revised and final. (3) Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, including establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in Oil and Gas Extraction. (4) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. (p) Data for 2012 are preliminary. Revised and final 2012 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2014.
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.

 Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by selected occupation, Pennsylvania, 2011-2012

Occupation(1)	2011(2)	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	186	163	100
Management occupations	15	19	12
Other management occupations	10	17	10
Life, physical, and social science occupations	1	3	2
Life, physical, and social science technicians	1	2	1
Community and social services occupations	-	5	3
Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists	-	3	2
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	1	1	1
Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers	1	1	1
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	-	2	1
Health diagnosing and treating practitioners	-	1	1
Health technologists and technicians	-	1	1
Protective service occupations	8	12	7
Supervisors of protective service workers	-	2	1
Fire fighting and prevention workers	-	2	1
Law enforcement workers	5	6	4
Other protective service workers	3	2	1
Food preparation and serving related occupations	3	3	2
Other food preparation and serving related workers	-	1	1
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	11	15	9
Building cleaning and pest control workers	-	3	2
Grounds maintenance workers	10	10	6
Personal care and service occupations	3	3	2
Animal care and service workers	1	1	1
Personal appearance workers	-	1	1
Tour and travel guides	-	1	1
Sales and related occupations	11	5	3
Supervisors of sales workers	8	3	2
Retail sales workers	-	2	1
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	9	11	7
Agricultural workers	5	6	4
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	3	5	3
Construction and extraction occupations	36	29	18
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	2	5	3
Construction trades workers	25	17	10
Other construction and related workers	-	4	2
Extraction workers	4	3	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	10	10	6
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	6	6	4
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3	3	2
Production occupations	16	8	5
Metal workers and plastic workers	4	3	2
Woodworkers	1	1	1
Other production occupations	8	3	2
Transportation and material moving occupations	54	33	20
Air transportation workers	1	2	1
Motor vehicle operators	39	25	15
Rail transportation workers	-	1	1
Material moving workers	11	4	2
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. Total may include occupations not shown. (2) Data for 2011 are revised and final. (p) Data for 2012 are preliminary. Revised and final 2012 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2014.
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.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics, Pennsylvania, 2011-2012

Worker characteristics	2011(1)	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	186	163	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(2)	154	139	85
Self-employed(3)	32	24	15
Gender
Men	167	148	91
Women	19	15	9
Age(4)
Under 16 years	2	1	1
18 to 19 years	2	3	2
20 to 24 years	10	9	6
25 to 34 years	23	26	16
35 to 44 years	29	28	17
45 to 54 years	48	41	25
55 to 64 years	49	29	18
65 and over	23	26	16
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White (non-Hispanic)	150	133	82
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	13	13	8
Hispanic or Latino	14	13	8
Asian (non-Hispanic)	7	4	2
Footnotes: (1) Data for 2011 are revised and final. (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. (p) Data for 2012 are preliminary. Revised and final 2012 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2014.
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.