Fatal work injuries totaled 19 in 2014 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 2014 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in the Richmond area increased by six over the year. Fatal occupational injuries in the area have ranged from a high of 30 in 2005 to a low of 13 in 2013. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a preliminary total of 4,679 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2014, up from the revised count of 4,585 fatal work injuries in 2013, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Final 2014 CFOI data will be released in the late spring of 2016.

 

Of the 19 fatal work injuries reported in the Richmond area in 2014, 8 resulted from transportation incidents, an increase from the 5 reported in 2013. Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles accounted for five of the transportation fatalities in the Richmond area. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for six workplace fatalities in 2014, similar to the number in 2013. Homicides was the most frequent event within this category, accounting for 4 of the 6 worker deaths. Exposure to harmful substances or environments accounted for three fatal work injuries in 2014. (See table 1.) (Note that roadway incident counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2014 data are released in the late spring of 2016 because key source documentation detailing specific transportation-related incidents has not yet been received.)

In the United States, transportation incidents was also the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2014, accounting for 40 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.) Falls, slips, or trips was the second-most frequent event nationally with 17 percent of workplace fatalities. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the third-most frequent event nationally with 16 percent of workplace fatalities; in Richmond, this event was responsible for 32 percent of the area’s fatalities.

 

Additional highlights:

• Within private industry, the transportation and warehousing sector had the largest number of fatalities in the area with seven in 2014; the construction sector had the second-highest fatality count with four, followed by retail trade with three. (See table 2.)
• Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities in the Richmond area with nine. Five of these fatalities were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. (See table 3.)
• Men accounted for 89 percent of the work-related fatalities in the Richmond area, similar to the 92-percent share nationally. (See table 4.) In Richmond, the most frequent fatal event for men was transportation incidents, accounting for 47 percent of these fatalities.
• In the Richmond area, 84 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were non-Hispanic white workers; nationally, this group accounted for 68 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 42 percent of the area’s work-related fatalities in 2014; nationally, workers in this group accounted for 58 percent of total workplace fatalities. In Richmond, workers 65 years of age and over had five fatalities, the largest number among the age groups, accounting for 26 percent of the area’s total fatalities. In the United States, workers in this age group accounted for 14 percent of on-the-job fatalities.
• Of the 19 fatally-injured workers in the area, 68 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal events for wage and salary workers were transportation incidents and violence and other injuries by persons or animals, each accounting for five fatalities. For the self-employed, the most frequent event was transportation incidents.
• The highest number of fatal workplace injuries in the Richmond area occurred on Monday, with 32 percent of all worker fatalities in the area occurring on this day. Nationally, fatalities on this day represented 17 percent of the total.

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 CFOI, 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 Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation 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 provided source documents used to identify fatal work injuries.

The Richmond, Va. Metropolitan Statistical Area 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.

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.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Richmond, VA, 2013-14

Event or exposure(1)	2013(2)	2014(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	13	19	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	5	6	32
Intentional injury by person	5	6	32
Homicides	4	4	21
Shooting by other person--intentional	3	2	11
Strangulation by other person	-	1	5
Multiple violent acts by other person	-	1	5
Suicides	-	-	-
Shooting--intentional self-harm	-	1	5
Transportation incidents	5	8	42
Aircraft incidents	-	1	5
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing	-	1	5
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing--into structure, object, or ground	-	1	5
Rail vehicle incidents	-	1	5
Pedestrian struck by rail vehicle--transportation incident	-	1	5
Pedestrian vehicular incident	-	1	5
Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road	-	1	5
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle on side of road	-	1	5
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	3	5	26
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	1	5	26
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	1	5	26
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	-	3	16
Exposure to electricity	-	-	-
Indirect exposure to electricity	-	1	5
Indirect exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts	-	1	5
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward. (2) Data for 2013 are revised and final. (p) Data for 2014 are preliminary. Revised and final 2014 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2016.
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, Richmond, VA, 2013-14

Industry(1)	2013(2)	2014(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	13	19	100
Private industry	12	18	95
Goods producing	6	5	26
Natural resources and mining	-	1	5
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	-	1	5
Crop production	-	1	5
Oilseed and grain farming	-	1	5
Other grain farming	-	1	5
Construction	4	4	21
Construction of buildings	-	2	11
Residential building construction	-	2	11
Residential building construction	-	2	11
New housing for-sale builders	-	1	5
Residential remodelers	-	1	5
Service providing	6	13	68
Trade, transportation, and utilities	3	10	53
Retail trade	1	3	16
Motor vehicle and parts dealers	-	1	5
Automotive parts, accessories, and tire stores	-	1	5
Tire dealers	-	1	5
Clothing and clothing accessories stores	-	1	5
Jewelry, luggage, and leather goods stores	-	1	5
Jewelry stores	-	1	5
Miscellaneous store retailers	-	1	5
Other miscellaneous store retailers	-	1	5
Pet and pet supplies stores	-	1	5
Transportation and warehousing	-	7	37
Rail transportation	-	1	5
Rail transportation	-	1	5
Rail transportation	-	1	5
Line-haul railroads	-	1	5
Truck transportation	-	2	11
General freight trucking	-	1	5
General freight trucking, long-distance	-	1	5
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	-	1	5
Specialized freight trucking	-	1	5
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	-	1	5
Transit and ground passenger transportation	-	1	5
Taxi and limousine service	-	1	5
Taxi service	-	1	5
Scenic and sightseeing transportation	-	1	5
Scenic and sightseeing transportation, other	-	1	5
Support activities for transportation	-	2	11
Support activities for road transportation	-	2	11
Motor vehicle towing	-	2	11
Professional and business services	-	-	-
Professional, scientific, and technical services	-	1	5
Professional, scientific, and technical services	-	1	5
Other professional, scientific, and technical services	-	1	5
Veterinary services	-	1	5
Leisure and hospitality	-	1	5
Accommodation and food services	-	1	5
Food services and drinking places	-	1	5
Restaurants and other eating places	-	1	5
Restaurants and other eating places	-	1	5
Limited-service restaurants	-	1	5
Government(3)	1	1	5
Federal government	-	1	5
Service providing	-	1	5
Public administration	-	1	5
National security and international affairs	-	1	5
National security and international affairs	-	1	5
National security	-	1	5
Footnotes: (1) Industry data for 2013 are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2007. Industry data for 2014 are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) Data for 2013 are revised and final. (3) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. (p) Data for 2014 are preliminary. Revised and final 2014 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2016.
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, 2013-14

Occupation(1)	2013(2)	2014(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	13	19	100
Management, business, science, and arts occupations	-	2	11
Management, business, and financial occupations	-	1	5
Management occupations	-	1	5
Other management occupations	-	1	5
Agricultural managers	-	1	5
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	-	1	5
Professional and related occupations	-	1	5
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	-	1	5
Health technologists and technicians	-	1	5
Health diagnosing and treating practitioner support technicians	-	1	5
Veterinary technologists and technicians	-	1	5
Food preparation and serving related occupations	-	1	5
Food and beverage serving workers	-	1	5
Fast food and counter workers	-	1	5
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food	-	1	5
Sales and office occupations	1	2	11
Sales and related occupations	1	2	11
Supervisors, sales workers	1	2	11
First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers	1	2	11
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	1	2	11
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	4	3	16
Construction and extraction occupations	4	-	-
Construction trades workers	1	1	5
Construction laborers	1	1	5
Construction laborers	1	1	5
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	3	9	47
Transportation and material moving occupations	-	9	47
Air transportation workers	-	1	5
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	-	1	5
Commercial pilots	-	1	5
Motor vehicle operators	-	7	37
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	-	6	32
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	-	5	26
Light truck or delivery services drivers	-	1	5
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs	-	1	5
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs	-	1	5
Rail transportation workers	-	1	5
Railroad conductors and yardmasters	-	1	5
Railroad conductors and yardmasters	-	1	5
Military occupations(3)	-	1	5
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. Total may include occupations not shown. (2) Data for 2013 are revised and final. (3) Includes fatal injuries to persons identified as resident armed forces regardless of individual occupation listed. (p) Data for 2014 are preliminary. Revised and final 2014 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2016.
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, 2013-14

Worker characteristics	2013(1)	2014(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	13	19	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(2)	10	13	68
Self-employed(3)	3	6	32
Gender
Women	3	2	11
Men	10	17	89
Age(4)
20 to 24 years	1	3	16
25 to 34 years	-	3	16
35 to 44 years	3	1	5
45 to 54 years	2	4	21
55 to 64 years	6	3	16
65 years and over	-	5	26
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White (non-Hispanic)	4	16	84
Footnotes: (1) Data for 2013 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 2014 are preliminary. Revised and final 2014 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2016.
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.