Fatal work injuries totaled 27 in 2013 for the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C. Metropolitan Statistical Area, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that while the 2013 total was preliminary, this was the highest count since 2007 when 29 fatalities were recorded. Since area data first became available in 2003, fatal occupational injuries in the area have ranged from a high of 36 in 2006 to a low of 17 in 2010. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a preliminary total of 4,405 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2013, lower than the revised count of 4,628 fatal work injuries in 2012, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Final 2013 data from CFOI will be released in the late spring of 2015.

 

Of the 27 fatal work injuries reported in the Virginia Beach area in 2013, 11 resulted from transportation incidents. (Note that transportation counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2013 data are released in the late spring of 2015 because key source documentation detailing specific transportation-related incidents has not yet been received.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals and falls, slips, or trips each accounted for six worker fatalities in 2013. Over the year, workplace fatalities resulting from violence and other injuries by persons or animals increased from four in 2012 to six, while falls, slips, or trips decreased from eight to six. Exposure to harmful substances or environments accounted for three workplace fatalities in 2013, the same count as 2012. (See table 1.)

Within transportation incidents, fatalities involving water vehicles was the most frequent type of workplace fatality in the Virginia Beach area with four deaths. Suicide was the most frequent event within violence and other injuries by persons or animals, accounting for three worker deaths. Falls to a lower level accounted for five of the six fatalities in the falls, slips, or trips category.

In the United States, transportation incidents was also the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2013, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. The Virginia Beach area’s share of on-the-job fatalities due to this event was similar at 41 percent. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most frequent event nationally with 17 percent of work-related fatalities; Virginia Beach’s share was higher at 22 percent. Contact with objects and equipment and falls, slips, or trips each accounted for 16 percent of the nation’s workplace fatalities; in Virginia Beach, these events accounted for 4 percent and 22 percent of total fatalities, respectively.

 

Additional key characteristics in the Virginia Beach area:

• Government had the largest number of number of work-related fatalities in the area with seven in 2013. In the previous year, government recorded three fatalities.  (See table 2.)
• The construction sector had the second-highest fatality count in the area with five, down from nine fatal work injuries in 2012. Specialty trade contractors accounted for four of these fatalities.
• Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities in the Virginia Beach area in 2013 with six. (See table 3.) Workers in the construction and extraction occupational group had the next-highest fatality count with five.
• Men accounted for all of the work-related fatalities in the Virginia Beach area. (See table 4.) Nationwide, men made up 93 percent of the those fatally injured at work.
• In the Virginia Beach area, 59 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 22 percent of the area’s fatal injuries, higher than the 9-percent share across the United States.
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for two-thirds of the area’s work-related fatalities in 2013. Nationally, this age group made up 60 percent of on-the-job fatalities.
• Of the 27 fatally-injured workers in the area, 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.

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 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of Currituck County in North Carolina; Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Mathews, Surry, York Counties in Virginia; and Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg Cities in Virginia.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC, 2012-2013

Event or exposure(1)	2012(2)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	20	27	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	4	6	22
Intentional injury by person	4	6	22
Homicides	1	-	-
Shooting by other person--intentional	1	2	7
Suicides	3	3	11
Transportation incidents	-	11	41
Aircraft incidents	-	2	7
Water vehicle incidents	-	4	15
Fall or jump from water vehicle	-	3	11
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	-	3	11
Roadway collision with other vehicle	-	-	-
Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle in roadway	-	1	4
Falls, slips, trips	8	6	22
Falls to lower level	8	5	19
Other fall to lower level	5	4	15
Other fall to lower level 26 to 30 feet	-	1	4
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	3	3	11
Contact with objects and equipment	3	1	4
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	-	1	4
Caught in running equipment or machinery	-	1	4
Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning	-	1	4
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward. (2) Data for 2012 are revised and final. (p) Data for 2013 are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released spring 2015.
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, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC, 2012-2013

Industry(1)	2012(2)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	20	27	100
Private industry	17	20	74
Construction	9	5	19
Construction	9	5	19
Heavy and civil engineering construction	-	1	4
Utility system construction	-	1	4
Water and sewer line and related structures construction	-	1	4
Specialty trade contractors	6	4	15
Manufacturing	-	3	11
Manufacturing	-	3	11
Food manufacturing	-	1	4
Seafood product preparation and packaging	-	1	4
Seafood product preparation and packaging	-	1	4
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	-	1	4
Machine shops; turned product; and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing	-	1	4
Machine shops	-	1	4
Transportation equipment manufacturing	-	1	4
Ship and boat building	-	1	4
Ship and boat building	-	1	4
Ship building and repairing	-	1	4
Trade, transportation, and utilities	6	5	19
Wholesale trade	-	3	11
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	-	2	7
Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies merchant wholesalers	-	1	4
Motor vehicle supplies and new parts merchant wholesalers	-	1	4
Miscellaneous durable goods merchant wholesalers	-	1	4
Recyclable material merchant wholesalers	-	1	4
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	-	1	4
Grocery and related product merchant wholesalers	-	1	4
General line grocery merchant wholesalers	-	1	4
Professional and business services	-	3	11
Administrative and waste services	-	3	11
Administrative and support services	-	3	11
Services to buildings and dwellings	-	1	4
Landscaping services	-	1	4
Leisure and hospitality	-	3	11
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	-	1	4
Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries	-	1	4
Other amusement and recreation industries	-	1	4
Marinas	-	1	4
Accommodation and food services	-	2	7
Food services and drinking places	-	2	7
Limited-service eating places	-	2	7
Limited-service eating places	-	2	7
Limited-service restaurants	-	2	7
Government	3	7	26
Federal government	3	6	22
Local government	-	1	4
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2007. Total may include other industries not shown. (2) Data for 2012 are revised and final. (p) Data for 2013 are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2015.
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, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC, 2012-2013

Occupation(1)	2012(2)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	20	27	100
Protective service occupations	-	3	11
Law enforcement workers	-	3	11
Detectives and criminal investigators	-	2	7
Detectives and criminal investigators	-	2	7
Police officers	-	1	4
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	-	1	4
Food preparation and serving related occupations	-	2	7
Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	-	1	4
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	-	1	4
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	-	1	4
Food and beverage serving workers	-	1	4
Fast food and counter workers	-	1	4
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food	-	1	4
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	-	1	4
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	-	1	4
First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	-	1	4
First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers	-	1	4
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	-	1	4
Fishing and hunting workers	-	1	4
Fishers and related fishing workers	-	1	4
Fishers and related fishing workers	-	1	4
Construction and extraction occupations	10	5	19
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	-	1	4
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	-	1	4
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	-	1	4
Construction trades workers	9	4	15
Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters	-	1	4
Pipelayers	-	1	4
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	1	3	11
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	1	-	-
Maintenance and repair workers, general	-	1	4
Maintenance and repair workers, general	-	1	4
Production occupations	-	1	4
Metal workers and plastic workers	-	1	4
Machinists	-	1	4
Machinists	-	1	4
Transportation and material moving occupations	3	6	22
Motor vehicle operators	-	3	11
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	-	3	11
Light truck or delivery services drivers	-	1	4
Material moving workers	-	3	11
Laborers and material movers, hand	-	1	4
Cleaners of vehicles and equipment	-	1	4
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	-	1	4
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	-	1	4
Military occupations(3)	3	4	15
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. Total may include occupations not shown. (2) Data for 2012 are revised and final. (3) Includes fatal injuries to persons identified as resident armed forces regardless of individual occupation listed. (p) Data for 2013 are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2015.
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, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC, 2012-2013

Worker characteristics	2012(1)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	20	27	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(2)	18	24	89
Self-employed(3)	-	3	11
Gender
Men	19	27	100
Age(4)
18-19 years	-	1	4
20 to 24 years	2	1	4
25 to 34 years	3	8	30
35 to 44 years	6	6	22
45 to 54 years	5	4	15
55 to 64 years	4	5	19
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White (non-Hispanic)	12	16	59
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	4	6	22
Hispanic or Latino	-	4	15
Footnotes: (1) Data for 2012 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 2013 are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released spring 2015.
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.