Fatal work injuries totaled 23 in 2016 for the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the number of work-related fatalities in the Virginia Beach area was little changed from the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the Virginia Beach area have ranged from a high of 36 in 2006 to a low of 17 in 2010. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 5,190 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2016, a 7-percent increase from the 4,836 fatal injuries reported in 2015, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. This was the third consecutive increase in annual workplace fatalities and the first time more than 5,000 fatalities have been recorded since 2008.

Type of incident

In the Virginia Beach area, exposure to harmful substances or environments resulted in eight fatal work injuries and violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for six fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 61 percent of all workplace fatalities in the Virginia Beach area. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from exposure to harmful substances or environments increased from six in 2015, and worker fatalities due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals was little changed. Six of the eight fatalities in 2016 in exposure to harmful substances or environments were due to overdoses from the non-medical use of drugs or alcohol at work.

Transportation incidents was the third-most frequent fatal work event with five fatalities, followed by falls, slips, or trips with three fatalities. The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents declined by two over the year, while fatalities due to falls, slips, or trips was unchanged.

Nationally, transportation incidents remained the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2016, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most frequent type of event, with 17 percent of work-related fatalities, followed by falls, slips, or trips (16 percent) and contact with objects and equipment (15 percent).

Industry

The private administrative and support and waste management and remediation services industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in the Virginia Beach area with six, up from one in the previous year. (See table 2.) Inhalation of harmful substances accounted for two worker deaths in this sector in 2016.

The private manufacturing sector had four fatalities in 2016, compared to one in the previous year.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations and construction and extraction occupations had the highest numbers of workplace fatalities with six and five, respectively. (See table 3.) Half of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (3). Construction laborers accounted for three of the five fatalities in the construction and extraction occupations group.

Contracted Workers

A contracted worker 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 2016, Virginia Beach had three fatally-injured workers identified as fitting the contracted worker criteria.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 91 percent of the work-related fatalities in the Virginia Beach area, similar to the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals and exposure to harmful substances or environments each accounted for six of the fatalities for men in the Virginia Beach area.
• White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 61 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 67 percent of work-related deaths. The share of fatalities among black or African-American non-Hispanic workers was 30 percent in the Virginia Beach area, compared to 11 percent nationwide.
• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 61 percent of the area’s work-related fatalities in 2016, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
• Of the 23 fatally-injured workers in the Virginia Beach area, 83 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was exposure to harmful substances or environments, while for the self-employed it was violence and other injuries by persons or animals.
• Thirty percent of workplace fatalities in the Virginia Beach area occurred on a Tuesday. This day accounted for 16 percent of workplace fatalities nationally.

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. Nationwide, for the 2016 data, over 23,300 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for CFOI, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm.

Federal/State agency coverage. The CFOI includes data for all fatal work injuries, even those that may be outside the scope of other agencies or 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. More on the scope of CFOI can be found at www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm.

Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry and the North Carolina Department of Labor 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. 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 industrial relations 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, Bulletin Number 13-01, February 2013. A detailed list of the geographic definitions is available at www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

The Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Currituck and Gates Counties in North Carolina; Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Mathews, and York Counties in Virginia; and Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg Cities in Virginia.

Information in this release is available to sensory-impaired individuals. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event, Virginia Beach, VA, 2015-16

Event or exposure (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	22	23	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	5	6	26
Intentional injury by person	5	5	22
Homicides	2	4	17
Shooting by other person—intentional	1	3	13
Injury by person—unintentional or intent unknown	-	1	4
Self-inflicted injury—unintentional or intent unknown	-	1	4
Self-inflicted shooting—unintentional	-	1	4
Transportation incidents	7	5	22
Pedestrian vehicular incident	-	1	4
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	-	1	4
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in nonroadway area	-	1	4
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	3	4	17
Roadway collision with other vehicle	-	1	4
Roadway collision moving in opposite directions, oncoming	-	1	4
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	3	3	13
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	3	3	13
Fall, slip, trip	3	3	13
Fall to lower level	3	3	13
Other fall to lower level	3	3	13
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	6	8	35
Exposure to other harmful substances	-	8	35
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol unintentional overdose	-	6	26
Inhalation of harmful substance	-	2	9
Inhalation of harmful substance single episode	-	2	9
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Virginia Beach, VA, 2015-16

Industry (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	22	23	100
Private industry	20	21	91
Goods producing	8	6	26
Manufacturing	1	4	17
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	-	2	9
Cement and concrete product manufacturing	-	2	9
Ready-mix concrete manufacturing	-	1	4
Other concrete product manufacturing	-	1	4
Transportation equipment manufacturing	1	2	9
Ship and boat building	1	2	9
Ship and boat building	1	2	9
Ship building and repairing	1	2	9
Service providing	12	15	65
Trade, transportation, and utilities	5	5	22
Retail trade	1	2	9
Food and beverage stores	-	2	9
Grocery stores	-	2	9
Convenience stores	-	2	9
Transportation and warehousing	4	3	13
Truck transportation	4	-	-
General freight trucking	3	-	-
General freight trucking, long-distance	-	1	4
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	-	1	4
Transit and ground passenger transportation	-	1	4
Taxi and limousine service	-	1	4
Taxi service	-	1	4
Professional and business services	-	6	26
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	1	6	26
Administrative and support services	1	4	17
Employment services	-	1	4
Temporary help services	-	1	4
Investigation and security services	1	1	4
Investigation, guard, and armored car services	1	1	4
Security guards and patrol services	1	1	4
Services to buildings and dwellings	-	2	9
Landscaping services	-	1	4
Waste management and remediation services	-	2	9
Waste treatment and disposal	-	2	9
Waste treatment and disposal	-	2	9
Solid waste landfill	-	2	9
Leisure and hospitality	3	3	13
Accommodation and food services	-	3	13
Food services and drinking places	1	3	13
Restaurants and other eating places	1	3	13
Restaurants and other eating places	1	3	13
Full-service restaurants	-	2	9
Other services, except public administration	2	1	4
Personal and laundry services	1	1	4
Personal care services	1	1	4
Hair, nail, and skin care services	1	1	4
Barber shops	1	1	4
Government (2)	2	2	9
Federal government	2	2	9
Service providing	2	2	9
Public administration	2	2	9
Administration of economic programs	-	1	4
Administration of economic programs	-	1	4
Regulation and administration of transportation programs	-	1	4
National security and international affairs	2	1	4
National security and international affairs	2	1	4
National security	2	1	4
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012.  (2) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. Includes all fatal occupational injuries meeting this ownership criterion across all specified years, regardless of industry classification system.
Note: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Virginia Beach, VA, 2015-16

Occupation(1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	22	23	100
Management, business, science, and arts occupations	-	1	4
Management, business, and financial occupations	1	1	4
Management occupations	1	1	4
Other management occupations	1	1	4
Food service managers	-	1	4
Food service managers	-	1	4
Service occupations	4	6	26
Protective service occupations	-	1	4
Other protective service workers	-	1	4
Security guards and gaming surveillance officers	-	1	4
Security guards	-	1	4
Food preparation and serving related occupations	-	1	4
Food and beverage serving workers	-	1	4
Waiters and waitresses	-	1	4
Waiters and waitresses	-	1	4
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	-	3	13
Supervisors, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	-	1	4
First-line supervisors/managers, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	-	1	4
First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers	-	1	4
Building cleaning and pest control workers	-	1	4
Building cleaning workers	-	1	4
Grounds maintenance workers	-	1	4
Grounds maintenance workers	-	1	4
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	-	1	4
Personal care and service occupations	2	1	4
Personal appearance workers	1	1	4
Barbers and cosmetologists	1	1	4
Barbers	1	1	4
Sales and office occupations	-	3	13
Sales and related occupations	-	2	9
Supervisors, sales workers	-	1	4
First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers	-	1	4
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	-	1	4
Retail sales workers	-	1	4
Cashiers	-	1	4
Cashiers	-	1	4
Office and administrative support occupations	-	1	4
Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers	-	1	4
Dispatchers	-	1	4
Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance	-	1	4
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	10	5	22
Construction and extraction occupations	6	5	22
Construction trades workers	6	5	22
Construction laborers	-	3	13
Construction laborers	-	3	13
Construction equipment operators	-	1	4
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators	-	1	4
Insulation workers	-	1	4
Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall	-	1	4
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	4	7	30
Production occupations	-	1	4
Other production occupations	-	1	4
Miscellaneous production workers	-	1	4
Transportation and material moving occupations	4	6	26
Motor vehicle operators	3	4	17
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	3	4	17
Driver/sales workers	-	1	4
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	3	3	13
Water transportation workers	-	1	4
Sailors and marine oilers	-	1	4
Sailors and marine oilers	-	1	4
Military occupations (2)	2	1	4
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. (2) Includes fatal injuries to persons identified as resident armed forces regardless of individual occupation listed.
Note: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics, Virginia Beach, VA, 2015-16

Worker characteristic	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	22	23	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	19	19	83
Self-employed (2)	3	4	17
Gender
Women	-	2	9
Men	22	21	91
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	-	2	9
25 to 34 years	4	3	13
35 to 44 years	7	6	26
45 to 54 years	3	5	22
55 to 64 years	5	6	26
65 years and over	1	1	4
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White (non-Hispanic)	14	14	61
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	7	7	30
Footnotes: (1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. (2) 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. (3) Information may not be available for all age groups. (4) Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude data for Hispanics and Latinos.
Note: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.