Fatal work injuries totaled 47 in 2012 for West Virginia, 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 West Virginia increased by four over the year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 95 in 2010 to a low of 40 in 2002. (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 47 fatal work injuries reported in West Virginia in 2012, 18 resulted from transportation incidents, unchanged from 2011. (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.) Contact with objects and equipment was the second-most frequent event in 2012 with 12 worker fatalities, compared to 11 in the prior year. Together these two major categories accounted for 64 percent of all workplace fatalities statewide. Exposure to harmful substances or environments resulted in seven worker deaths in 2012, while violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for six fatal work injuries; fatalities for both categories increased since 2011. (See table 1.)

Within transportation incidents, roadway incidents accounted for the most workplace fatalities with eight deaths, followed by pedestrian vehicular incidents with five, and nonroadway incidents with four. In the contact with objects and equipment category, eight deaths occurred from being struck by a falling object or equipment other than a powered vehicle. Four of the deaths in the exposure to harmful substances or environments category were the result of unintentional overdoses.

Transportation incidents was the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2012 in both the United States and West Virginia, accounting for 41 and 38 percent of fatal work injuries, respectively. (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, 4 percentage points higher than the share in West Virginia where it was the fourth-most frequent event. Contact with objects or equipment was the third-most frequent event in the nation, representing 16 percent of worker fatalities; this event category represented 26 percent of worker deaths in the state.

Additional key characteristics in West Virginia:

• Government had the largest number of fatalities in the state with nine, up from five in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents accounted for six of these worker deaths in 2012.
• The industries with the second-highest fatality counts were the mining sector and the transportation and warehousing sector, each with eight in 2012. Last year’s counts in these industries were 10 and 7, respectively. Transportation incidents accounted for four of the worker deaths in each of these industry sectors in 2012.
• Workers in construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities in West Virginia with 10. Five of these fatalities were the result of transportation incidents. (See table 3.) Transportation and material moving occupations had the next-highest fatality count at nine, five of these among heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
• Men accounted for 94 percent of the work-related fatalities in the state. (See table 4.) Nationally, men made up 92 percent of fatally-injured workers.
• In West Virginia, 98 percent of the workers 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 70 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2012. Nationally, workers in this group accounted for 59 percent of on-the-job fatalities. In West Virginia, workers 25-34 years old had the most fatalities of all age groups, accounting for 32 percent of worker fatalities in the state; this age group represented 16 percent of total workplace fatalities in the U.S. as a whole.
• Of the 47 fatally-injured workers in West Virginia, 89 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary 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, West Virginia had four fatally injured workers identified as fitting the contractor criteria.

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 ensures 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 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 event or exposure, West Virginia, 2011-2012

Event or exposure(1)	2011(2)	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	43	47	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	2	6	13
Animal and insect related incidents	-	3	6
Bites and stings	-	2	4
Stings and venomous bites	-	2	4
Struck by animal	-	1	2
Kicked by animal	-	1	2
Transportation incidents	18	18	38
Aircraft incidents	1	1	2
Aircraft crash due to low-altitude entanglement	-	1	2
Pedestrian vehicular incident	-	5	11
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in work zone	-	1	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in work zone	-	1	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	-	2	4
Pedestrian struck by vehicle propelled by another vehicle in nonroadway area	-	1	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area	-	1	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	12	8	17
Roadway collision with other vehicle	5	3	6
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	3	2	4
Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle in roadway	-	1	2
Roadway noncollision incident	2	3	6
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	2	2	4
Fall or jump from vehicle in normal operation, roadway	-	1	2
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	3	4	9
Nonroadway collision with object other than vehicle	-	1	2
Fires and explosions	-	1	2
Fires	-	1	2
Vehicle or machinery fire	-	1	2
Falls, slips, trips	6	3	6
Falls to lower level	6	3	6
Other fall to lower level	4	3	6
Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet	2	1	2
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	6	7	15
Exposure to temperature extremes	-	1	2
Exposure to environmental heat	-	1	2
Exposure to other harmful substances	-	5	11
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose	-	4	9
Inhalation of harmful substance	-	1	2
Inhalation of harmful substance--single episode	-	1	2
Contact with objects and equipment	11	12	26
Struck by object or equipment	7	12	26
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	2	2	4
Caught between rolling powered vehicle and other object	1	1	2
Struck by other falling powered vehicle	-	1	2
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	5	8	17
Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery--other than vehicle part	1	1	2
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 industry, West Virginia, 2011-2012

Industry(1)	2011(2)	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	43	47	100
Private industry	38	38	81
Goods-producing	24	20	43
Natural resources and mining	16	14	30
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	6	6	13
Animal production	3	-	-
Other animal production	-	1	2
Forestry and logging	3	4	9
Logging	3	4	9
Logging	3	4	9
Mining(3)	10	8	17
Mining (except oil and gas)	6	7	15
Coal mining	5	7	15
Coal mining	5	7	15
Bituminous coal underground mining	4	7	15
Support activities for mining	4	1	2
Support activities for mining	4	1	2
Support activities for mining	4	1	2
Support activities for oil and gas operations	4	1	2
Construction	7	4	9
Construction	7	4	9
Heavy and civil engineering construction	1	1	2
Utility system construction	1	1	2
Oil and gas pipeline and related structures construction	-	1	2
Specialty trade contractors	4	3	6
Other specialty trade contractors	2	1	2
Site preparation contractors	1	1	2
Manufacturing	1	2	4
Manufacturing	1	2	4
Machinery manufacturing	-	1	2
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing	-	1	2
Mining and oil and gas field machinery manufacturing	-	1	2
Mining machinery and equipment manufacturing	-	1	2
Electrical equipment, appliance, and component manufacturing	-	1	2
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing	-	1	2
All other electrical equipment and component manufacturing	-	1	2
Carbon and graphite product manufacturing	-	1	2
Service-providing	14	18	38
Trade, transportation, and utilities	10	10	21
Wholesale trade	1	1	2
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	-	1	2
Chemical and allied products merchant wholesalers	-	1	2
Retail trade	-	1	2
Nonstore retailers	-	1	2
Vending machine operators	-	1	2
Vending machine operators	-	1	2
Transportation and warehousing	7	8	17
Air transportation	1	1	2
Nonscheduled air transportation	1	1	2
Nonscheduled air transportation	1	1	2
Nonscheduled chartered passenger air transportation	-	1	2
Truck transportation	5	4	9
Specialized freight trucking	2	1	2
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	1	1	2
Support activities for transportation	1	2	4
Support activities for rail transportation	-	1	2
Support activities for rail transportation	-	1	2
Support activities for road transportation	1	1	2
Couriers and messengers	-	1	2
Couriers	-	1	2
Couriers	-	1	2
Professional and business services	-	1	2
Administrative and waste services	-	1	2
Administrative and support services	-	1	2
Services to buildings and dwellings	-	1	2
Landscaping services	-	1	2
Educational and health services	-	3	6
Health care and social assistance	-	3	6
Hospitals	-	1	2
General medical and surgical hospitals	-	1	2
General medical and surgical hospitals	-	1	2
Nursing and residential care facilities	-	1	2
Residential mental retardation, mental health and substance abuse facilities	-	1	2
Residential mental retardation facilities		1	2
Leisure and hospitality	-	-	-
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	-	1	2
Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries	-	1	2
Spectator sports	-	1	2
Spectator sports	-	1	2
Other services, except public administration	-	2	4
Other services, except public administration	-	2	4
Repair and maintenance	-	1	2
Automotive repair and maintenance	-	1	2
Automotive mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance	-	1	2
General automotive repair	-	1	2
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations	-	1	2
Religious organizations	-	1	2
Religious organizations	-	1	2
Government(4)	5	9	19
State government	-	6	13
Goods-producing	-	2	4
Natural resources and mining	-	1	2
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	-	1	2
Animal production	-	1	2
Animal aquaculture	-	1	2
Animal aquaculture	-	1	2
Finfish farming and fish hatcheries	-	1	2
Construction	-	1	2
Construction	-	1	2
Heavy and civil engineering construction	-	1	2
Highway, street, and bridge construction	-	1	2
Highway, street, and bridge construction	-	1	2
Service-providing	-	4	9
Leisure and hospitality	-	1	2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	-	1	2
Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions	-	1	2
Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions	-	1	2
Public administration	-	3	6
Public administration	-	3	6
Justice, public order, and safety activities	-	2	4
Justice, public order, and safety activities	-	2	4
Police protection	-	2	4
Administration of environmental quality programs	-	1	2
Administration of environmental quality programs	-	1	2
Administration of air and water resource and solid waste management programs	-	1	2
Local government	1	3	6
Service-providing	1	3	6
Educational and health services	-	1	2
Health care and social assistance	-	1	2
Ambulatory health care services	-	1	2
Other ambulatory health care services	-	1	2
Ambulance services	-	1	2
Public administration	1	2	4
Public administration	1	2	4
Executive, legislative, and other general government support	-	1	2
Executive, legislative, and other general government support	-	1	2
Justice, public order, and safety activities	1	1	2
Justice, public order, and safety activities	1	1	2
Fire protection	1	1	2
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 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 fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, West Virginia, 2011-2012

Occupation(1)	2011(2)	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	43	47	100
Management occupations	3	1	2
Operations specialties managers	-	1	2
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers	-	1	2
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers	-	1	2
Business and financial operations occupations	-	1	2
Business operations specialists	-	1	2
Compliance officers	-	1	2
Compliance officers	-	1	2
Life, physical, and social science occupations	-	1	2
Life, physical, and social science technicians	-	1	2
Agricultural and food science technicians	-	1	2
Agricultural and food science technicians	-	1	2
Community and social services occupations	-	1	2
Religious workers	-	1	2
Clergy	-	1	2
Clergy	-	1	2
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	-	1	2
Health technologists and technicians	-	1	2
Emergency medical technicians and paramedics	-	1	2
Emergency medical technicians and paramedics	-	1	2
Protective service occupations	2	3	6
Supervisors of protective service workers	-	1	2
First-line supervisors of law enforcement workers	-	1	2
First-line supervisors of police and detectives	-	1	2
Fire fighting and prevention workers	1	1	2
Firefighters	1	1	2
Firefighters	1	1	2
Law enforcement workers	1	1	2
Police officers	1	1	2
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	1	1	2
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	-	3	6
Grounds maintenance workers	-	3	6
Grounds maintenance workers	-	3	6
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	-	1	2
Tree trimmers and pruners	-	1	2
Personal care and service occupations	-	2	4
Animal care and service workers	-	1	2
Animal trainers	-	1	2
Animal trainers	-	1	2
Other personal care and service workers	-	1	2
Personal care aides	-	1	2
Personal care aides	-	1	2
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	4	6	13
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	4	4	9
Logging workers	3	4	9
Fallers	3	4	9
Construction and extraction occupations	9	10	21
Construction trades workers	3	5	11
Construction equipment operators	1	2	4
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators	1	2	4
Electricians	-	1	2
Electricians	-	1	2
Other construction and related workers	-	1	2
Highway maintenance workers	-	1	2
Highway maintenance workers	-	1	2
Extraction workers	3	4	9
Mining machine operators	-	-	-
Continuous mining machine operators	-	1	2
Roustabouts, oil and gas	-	1	2
Roustabouts, oil and gas	-	1	2
Helpers--extraction workers	-	1	2
Helpers--extraction workers	-	1	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	7	6	13
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	1	1	2
Automotive technicians and repairers	-	1	2
Automotive service technicians and mechanics	-	1	2
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	6	5	11
Maintenance and repair workers, general	-	4	9
Maintenance and repair workers, general	-	4	9
Transportation and material moving occupations	12	9	19
Air transportation workers	1	1	2
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	1	1	2
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers	-	1	2
Motor vehicle operators	8	6	13
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	7	6	13
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	7	5	11
Light truck or delivery services drivers	-	1	2
Other transportation workers	-	1	2
Miscellaneous transportation workers	-	1	2
Material moving workers	3	1	2
Mine shuttle car operators	-	1	2
Mine shuttle car operators	-	1	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, West Virginia, 2011-2012

Worker characteristics	2011(1)	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	43	47	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(2)	33	42	89
Self-employed(3)	10	5	11
Gender
Men	43	44	94
Women	-	3	6
Age(4)
20 to 24 years	4	3	6
25 to 34 years	6	15	32
35 to 44 years	6	8	17
45 to 54 years	15	10	21
55 to 64 years	9	10	21
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White (non-Hispanic)	43	46	98
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.