Fatal work injuries totaled 22 in 2014 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 2014 total was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in the Virginia Beach area declined by six over the year. 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 4,679 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 22 fatal work injuries reported in the Virginia Beach area in 2014, 10 resulted from transportation incidents, little changed from 2013. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for seven worker fatalities in 2014, similar to the number in 2013. Contact with objects and equipment accounted for three workplace fatalities in 2014, compared to the one in 2013. (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.)

Within transportation incidents, roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles was the most frequent type of workplace fatality in the Virginia Beach area with four deaths, followed by aircraft incidents with three deaths. Homicide was the most frequent event in the violence and other injuries by persons or animals category, accounting for 5 of the 7 these worker deaths. Being struck by objects or equipment accounted for all three fatalities in the contact with objects and equipment category. 

In the United States, transportation incidents was also the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2014, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. This event was responsible for a 45-percent share of on-the-job fatalities in the Virginia Beach area. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, or trips was the second-most frequent event nationally with 17 percent of work-related fatalities. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 16 percent of the nation’s workplace fatalities and contact with objects and equipment was responsible for 15 percent of the work-related fatalities. In the Virginia Beach area, these two events accounted for 32 and 14 percent, respectively, of the workplace fatalities.

 

Additional highlights:

• Government had the largest number of work-related fatalities in the area with 10 in 2014. In the previous year, government recorded seven fatalities. (See table 2.)
• The construction sector had the second-highest fatality count in the area with four, similar to the count in 2013.
• Military occupations had eight workplace fatalities, the highest number in the Virginia Beach area in 2014. Five of these deaths were a result of transportation incidents. (See table 3.)
• Men accounted for all of the work-related fatalities in the Virginia Beach area. (See table 4.) Nationwide, men made up 92 percent of 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 32 percent of the area’s fatal injuries. Nationwide, this group accounted for 10 percent of the workplace fatalities.  
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 55 percent of the area’s work-related fatalities in 2014, similar to the 58-percent share nationwide.
• Of the 22 fatally-injured workers in the area, 82 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents, while for the self-employed, it was violence and other injuries by persons or animals.
• The highest number of fatal workplace injuries in the Virginia Beach area occurred on Wednesday, with 27 percent of all worker fatalities in the area occurring on this day. Nationally, fatalities on this day represented 16 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 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C. Metropolitan Statistical Area 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.

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, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC, 2013-14

Event or exposure(1)	2013(2)	2014(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	28	22	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	6	7	32
Intentional injury by person	6	7	32
Homicides	-	5	23
Shooting by other person--intentional	2	5	23
Transportation incidents	12	10	45
Aircraft incidents	2	3	14
Explosion or fire on aircraft	-	3	14
Pedestrian vehicular incident	-	1	5
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	-	1	5
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area	-	1	5
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	4	4	18
Roadway collision with other vehicle	3	1	5
Roadway collision moving perpendicularly	-	1	5
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	-	3	14
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	-	3	14
Contact with objects and equipment	1	3	14
Struck by object or equipment	-	3	14
Struck by falling object or equipment	-	2	9
Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery other than vehicle part	-	2	9
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 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, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC, 2013-14

Industry(1)	2013(2)	2014(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	28	22	100
Private industry	21	12	55
Goods producing	8	6	27
Natural resources and mining	-	-	-
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction(3)	-	1	5
Mining (except oil and gas)	-	1	5
Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying	-	1	5
Sand, gravel, clay, and ceramic and refractory minerals mining and quarrying	-	1	5
Construction sand and gravel mining	-	1	5
Construction	5	4	18
Construction of buildings	-	2	9
Residential building construction	-	1	5
Residential building construction	-	1	5
New multifamily housing construction (except for-sale builders)	-	1	5
Nonresidential building construction	-	1	5
Commercial and institutional building construction	-	1	5
Heavy and civil engineering construction	1	1	5
Utility system construction	1	1	5
Water and sewer line and related structures construction	1	1	5
Service providing	13	6	27
Trade, transportation, and utilities	5	3	14
Retail trade	-	1	5
Health and personal care stores	-	1	5
Health and personal care stores	-	1	5
Pharmacies and drug stores	-	1	5
Transportation and warehousing	-	1	5
Truck transportation	-	1	5
General freight trucking	-	1	5
General freight trucking, long-distance	-	1	5
General freight trucking, long-distance, less than truckload	-	1	5
Leisure and hospitality	3	2	9
Accommodation and food services	2	2	9
Food services and drinking places	2	2	9
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	-	1	5
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	-	1	5
Restaurants and other eating places	-	1	5
Restaurants and other eating places	-	1	5
Full-service restaurants	-	1	5
Government(4)	7	10	45
Federal government	6	8	36
Service providing	6	8	36
Public administration	6	8	36
National security and international affairs	4	8	36
National security and international affairs	4	8	36
National security	4	8	36
Local government	1	2	9
Service providing	1	2	9
Leisure and hospitality	-	1	5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	-	1	5
Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions	-	1	5
Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions	-	1	5
Public administration	1	1	5
Justice, public order, and safety activities	1	1	5
Justice, public order, and safety activities	1	1	5
Police protection	1	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 fata injuries to all establishments categorized as Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, 2012, 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 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, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC, 2013-14

Occupation(1)	2013(2)	2014(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	28	22	100
Management, business, science, and arts occupations	-	2	9
Management, business, and financial occupations	-	2	9
Management occupations	-	2	9
Other management occupations	-	2	9
Construction managers	-	1	5
Construction managers	-	1	5
Food service managers	-	1	5
Food service managers	-	1	5
Service occupations	6	4	18
Protective service occupations	3	2	9
Law enforcement workers	3	1	5
Police officers	1	1	5
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	1	1	5
Other protective service workers	-	1	5
Security guards and gaming surveillance officers	-	1	5
Security guards	-	1	5
Sales and office occupations	-	1	5
Sales and related occupations	-	1	5
Supervisors, sales workers	-	1	5
First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers	-	1	5
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	-	1	5
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	9	4	18
Construction and extraction occupations	5	3	14
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	7	3	14
Transportation and material moving occupations	6	3	14
Motor vehicle operators	3	3	14
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	3	3	14
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	-	2	9
Military occupations(3)	4	8	36
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, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC, 2013-14

Worker characteristics	2013(1)	2014(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	28	22	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(2)	25	18	82
Self-employed(3)	3	4	18
Gender
Men	28	22	100
Age(4)
20 to 24 years	1	4	18
25 to 34 years	9	5	23
35 to 44 years	6	1	5
45 to 54 years	4	6	27
55 to 64 years	5	4	18
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White (non-Hispanic)	17	13	59
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	6	7	32
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 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.