Fatal work injuries totaled 26 in 2012 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 2012 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in the Richmond area increased by nine over the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the area have ranged from a high of 30 in 2005 to a low of 17 in 2009, 2010, and 2011. (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 26 fatal work injuries reported in the Richmond area in 2012, 11 resulted from transportation incidents and 5 each from violence and other injuries by persons or animals and contact with objects and equipment. (See table 1.) Together, these three event categories made up 81 percent of the area’s fatality total in 2012. Transportation incidents increased from 6 in 2011 to 11 in 2012. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals decreased by two over the year, while contact with objects and equipment increased by four. Falls, slips, and trips accounted for four worker fatalities in 2012. (See table 1. Note that transportation counts presented 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.)

Within the transportation incidents category, roadway collision with other vehicle was the most frequent type of workplace fatality in the Richmond area with seven deaths, making up more than half of the incidents in the broader category. Intentional injury by other person (homicide) was the most frequent event within violence and other injuries by persons or animals, accounting for three worker deaths, and within the contact with objects and equipment category, two of the five fatalities resulted from being struck by a falling object or equipment.

In the United States, transportation incidents was also the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2012, accounting for 41 percent of fatal work injuries. The Richmond area’s share of on-the-job fatalities due to this event was similar at 42 percent. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most frequent event nationally with 17 percent of workplace fatalities; the share in Richmond was also similar at 19 percent. Contact with objects and equipment was the third-most frequent event in the nation, representing 16 percent of total workplace fatalities; in Richmond, the share for this event was 19 percent.

 

Additional key characteristics in the Richmond area:

• The transportation and warehousing sector had the largest number of fatalities in the Richmond area with six, up from four in 2011. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents accounted for five of the six fatalities in 2012.
• The retail trade industry had the second-highest fatality count in the area with five; three were due to intentional shootings by other persons.
• Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities in the Richmond area with seven. Six of these fatalities were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. (See table 3.) Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations and sales and related occupations tied for the next-highest fatality count in the Richmond area at five each. Within the building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupational group, three of the fatalities were landscaping and groundskeeping workers. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers accounted for four of the five fatal work injuries within the sales and related occupations.
• 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, 46 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were white, non-Hispanics; nationally, this group made up 68 percent. Non-Hispanic black or African-American workers accounted for 35 percent of the area’s fatal injuries, substantially higher than the 10-percent share nationwide.  
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 42 percent of the area’s work-related fatalities in 2012. In the United States, workers in this group accounted for 59 percent of on-the-job fatalities. The largest number of fatal work injuries occurred in the 55-64 age group, accounting for eight incidents.
• Of the 26 fatally-injured workers in the area, 20, or 77 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 11 of the fatalities. For the self-employed, three of the six fatal work injuries were a result of violence and other injuries by persons or animals.

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 https://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 event or exposure, Richmond, VA, 2011-2012

Event or exposure(1)	2011(2)	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	17	26	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	7	5	19
Intentional injury by person	6	5	19
Intentional injury by other person	4	3	12
Shooting by other person--intentional	4	3	12
Self-inflicted injury--intentional	-	2	8
Shooting--intentional self-harm	-	2	8
Transportation incidents	6	11	42
Pedestrian vehicular incident	-	1	4
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	1	1	4
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in roadway	1	1	4
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	3	10	38
Roadway collision with other vehicle	3	7	27
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	1	1	4
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	1	6	23
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	-	3	12
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	-	3	12
Falls, slips, trips	-	4	15
Falls to lower level	-	3	12
Other fall to lower level	-	3	12
Contact with objects and equipment	1	5	19
Struck by object or equipment	1	5	19
Struck by falling object or equipment	-	2	8
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward. (2) Data are revised and final. (p) Data 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, Richmond, VA, 2011-2012

Industry(1)	2011(2)	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	17	26	100
Private industry	16	22	85
Construction	4	4	15
Construction	4	4	15
Construction of buildings	1	1	4
Residential building construction	-	1	4
Residential building construction	-	1	4
New single-family housing construction (except operative builders)	-	1	4
Specialty trade contractors	-	3	12
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	-	1	4
Glass and glazing contractors	-	1	4
Nonresidential glass and glazing contractors	-	1	4
Trade, transportation, and utilities	6	12	46
Retail trade	-	5	19
Food and beverage stores	-	2	8
Grocery stores	-	2	8
Convenience stores	-	2	8
Transportation and warehousing	4	6	23
Truck transportation	-	6	23
General freight trucking	-	-	-
General freight trucking, long-distance	-	-	-
General freight trucking, long-distance, less than truckload	-	1	4
Specialized freight trucking	-	3	12
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	-	3	12
Information	-	1	4
Telecommunications	-	1	4
Other telecommunications	-	1	4
Other telecommunications	-	1	4
Telecommunications resellers	-	1	4
Professional and business services	-	2	8
Administrative and waste services	-	2	8
Administrative and support services	-	2	8
Services to buildings and dwellings	-	2	8
Landscaping services	-	2	8
Education and health services	-	1	4
Health care and social assistance	-	1	4
Ambulatory health care services	-	1	4
Medical and diagnostic laboratories	-	1	4
Medical and diagnostic laboratories	-	1	4
Medical laboratories	-	1	4
Government(3)	1	4	15
State government	-	1	4
Local government	1	3	12
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 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 occupation, Richmond,VA, 2011-2012

Occupation(1)	2011(2)	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	17	26	100
Management occupations	-	1	4
Other management occupations	-	1	4
Agricultural managers	-	1	4
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	-	1	4
Protective service occupations	-	2	8
Law enforcement workers	-	2	8
Police officers	-	2	8
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	-	2	8
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	-	5	19
Grounds maintenance workers	-	4	15
Grounds maintenance workers	-	4	15
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	-	3	12
Tree trimmers and pruners	-	1	4
Sales and related occupations	-	5	19
Supervisors of sales workers	-	4	15
First-line supervisors of sales workers	-	4	15
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	-	4	15
Construction and extraction occupations	4	4	15
Construction trades workers	4	4	15
Transportation and material moving occupations	6	7	27
Motor vehicle operators	6	6	23
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	4	6	23
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	3	6	23
Material moving workers	-	1	4
Laborers and material movers, hand	-	1	4
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	-	1	4
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data for 2011 and 2012 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, Richmond, VA, 2011-2012

Worker characteristics	2011(1)	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	17	26	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(2)	13	20	77
Self-employed3	4	6	23
Gender
Men	17	26	100
Age(4)
25 to 34 years	-	2	8
35 to 44 years	5	2	8
45 to 54 years	7	7	27
55 to 64 years	4	8	31
65 and over	-	5	19
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White (non-Hispanic)	6	12	46
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	7	9	35
Asian or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic)	-	3	12
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. 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.