Fatal work injuries totaled 45 in 2017 for the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 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 Baltimore area decreased by five from the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the area have ranged from a high of 59 in 2006 to a low of 28 in 2011. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 5,147 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2017, down slightly from the 5,190 fatal injuries reported in 2016, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

Type of incident

In the Baltimore area, transportation incidents resulted in 12 fatal work injuries and violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 10 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 49 percent of all workplace fatalities in the Baltimore area. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents decreased by two from the previous year and worker fatalities due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals increased by one.

Fatalities due to falls, slips, or trips and exposure to harmful substances or environments were tied for the third-most frequent fatal work events with nine fatalities each. The number of worker deaths due to falls, slips, or trips decreased by three over the year and those from exposure to harmful substances or environments were unchanged. Seven of the nine fatalities in 2017 due to exposure to harmful substances or environments were unintentional overdoses from the non-medical use of drugs or alcohol. Contact with objects and equipment resulted in five work-related deaths, compared to six fatalities in 2016.

Nationally, transportation incidents remained the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2017, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, or trips was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent), followed by violence and other injuries by persons or animals (16 percent).

Industry

The private construction industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in the Baltimore area with 15, up from 9 in the previous year. (See table 2.) The two most frequent fatal events in the private construction sector were falls, slips, or trips with seven fatalities and transportation incidents with four fatalities. Ten of the 15 fatally injured in this sector worked in specialty trade contracting.

The transportation and warehousing sector within private industry had six workplace fatalities.

Occupation

Construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 13, followed by transportation and material moving occupations with 8 fatalities. (See table 3.) First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers accounted for four fatalities and construction laborers accounted for three fatalities among construction and extraction workers. The majority of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (five).

Contracted Workers

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 2017, the Baltimore area had 12 fatal injuries to workers identified as fitting the contractor criteria; of those, 5 were the result of falls, slips, or trips.  

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 93 percent of the work-related fatalities in the Baltimore area, the same as the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 29 percent of the fatalities for men in the Baltimore area.

• White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 49 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Hispanic or Latino workers made up 24 percent of Baltimore’s fatal injuries at work, while Black, non-Hispanic workers comprised 22 percent of the fatalities. Nationwide, white, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 67 percent of work-related deaths, while Hispanic or Latino and non-Hispanic black workers represented 18 and 10 percent of the national share, respectively.

• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 76 percent of the area’s work-related fatalities in 2017, compared to 55 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

• Of the 45 fatally-injured workers in the Baltimore area, 78 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wages and salaries workers was transpotation incidents with 12 worker deaths; for self-employed workers, falls, slips, or trips was the most frequent fatal event with 4 fatalities.    

• The most frequent days of occurrence for workplace fatalities in the Baltimore area were Tuesday and Wednesday, accounting for 49 percent combined. These two days accounted for 33 percent of workplace fatalities nationally.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (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 the 2017 national data, over 23,400 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 and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm.

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. 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 https://www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne’s Counties and Baltimore City in Maryland.

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 or exposure, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, 2016-2017

Event of Exposure(1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	50	45	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	9	10	22
Intentional injury by person	9	9	20
Homicides	7	9	20
Shooting by other person—intentional	7	8	18
Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing	-	1	2
Transportation incidents	14	12	27
Pedestrian vehicular incident	3	4	9
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in work zone	-	2	4
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in work zone	-	2	4
Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road	-	1	2
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle on side of road	-	1	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	3	1	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area	2	1	2
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	10	7	16
Roadway collision with other vehicle	6	2	4
Roadway collision moving and standing vehicle on side of roadway	-	2	4
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	3	4	9
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	3	4	9
Roadway noncollision incident	1	1	2
Fall or jump from and struck by same vehicle in normal operation, roadway	-	1	2
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	1	1	2
Nonroadway noncollision incident	-	1	2
Fall or jump from and struck by same vehicle in normal operation, nonroadway	-	1	2
Fall, slip, trip	12	9	20
Fall to lower level	6	9	20
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment	-	1	2
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment more than 30 feet	-	1	2
Other fall to lower level	6	8	18
Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet	2	3	7
Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet	-	1	2
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	9	9	20
Exposure to electricity	1	2	4
Direct exposure to electricity	-	1	2
Direct exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts	-	1	2
Indirect exposure to electricity	1	1	2
Indirect exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts	1	1	2
Exposure to other harmful substances	8	7	16
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol unintentional overdose	7	7	16
Contact with objects and equipment	6	5	11
Struck by object or equipment	4	3	7
Struck by falling object or equipment	3	2	4
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 implementated 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 fata 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, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, 2016-2017

Industry(1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	50	45	100
Private industry	45	44	98
Goods producing	13	20	44
Natural resources and mining	-	2	4
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	-	2	4
Animal production and aquaculture	-	2	4
Cattle ranching and farming	-	2	4
Beef cattle ranching and farming, including feedlots	-	1	2
Beef cattle ranching and farming	-	1	2
Dairy cattle and milk production	-	1	2
Construction	9	15	33
Construction of buildings	-	3	7
Heavy and civil engineering construction	-	2	4
Utility system construction	-	1	2
Power and communication line and related structures construction	-	1	2
Highway, street, and bridge construction	-	1	2
Highway, street, and bridge construction	-	1	2
Specialty trade contractors	8	10	22
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	3	5	11
Poured concrete foundation and structure contractors	-	1	2
Residential poured concrete foundation and structure contractors	-	1	2
Roofing contractors	1	4	9
Residential roofing contractors	1	1	2
Nonresidential roofing contractors	-	3	7
Other specialty trade contractors	1	4	9
Site preparation contractors	1	2	4
Nonresidential site preparation contractors	1	1	2
All other specialty trade contractors	-	-	-
All other residential specialty trade contractors	-	1	2
Manufacturing	4	3	7
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	1	3	7
Other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	-	3	7
All other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	-	3	7
Cut stone and stone product manufacturing	-	3	7
Service providing	32	24	53
Trade, transportation, and utilities	15	10	22
Wholesale trade	-	1	2
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	-	1	2
Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers	-	1	2
Industrial machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers	-	1	2
Retail trade	6	3	7
General merchandise stores	-	1	2
Other general merchandise stores	-	1	2
Miscellaneous store retailers	1	1	2
Used merchandise stores	-	1	2
Used merchandise stores	-	1	2
Transportation and warehousing	8	6	13
Truck transportation	1	2	4
General freight trucking	-	1	2
General freight trucking, local	-	1	2
Specialized freight trucking	1	1	2
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance	-	1	2
Support activities for transportation	-	3	7
Financial activities	3	-	-
Real estate and rental and leasing	3	1	2
Real estate	3	1	-
Lessors of real estate	-	1	2
Lessors of residential buildings and dwellings	-	1	2
Professional and business services	5	5	11
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	3	5	11
Administrative and support services	3	5	11
Investigation and security services	-	1	2
Investigation, guard, and armored car services	-	1	2
Security guards and patrol services	-	1	2
Services to buildings and dwellings	3	4	9
Landscaping services	3	4	9
Other services, except public administration	3	5	11
Repair and maintenance	-	2	4
Automotive repair and maintenance	-	2	4
Automotive mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance	-	2	4
General automotive repair	-	2	4
Personal and laundry services	-	-	-
Personal care services	-	1	2
Other personal care services	-	1	2
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations	-	1	2
Religious organizations	-	1	-
Religious organizations	-	1	2
Government(2)	5	1	-
Local government	4	1	2
Service providing	4	1	2
Public administration	-	1	2
Justice, public order, and safety activities	-	1	2
Justice, public order, and safety activities	-	1	2
Police protection	2	1	2
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by government organizations regardless of industry.
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, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, 2016-2017

Occupation(1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	50	45	100
Management, business, science, and arts occupations	5	4	9
Management, business, and financial occupations	3	2	4
Management occupations	2	2	4
Other management occupations	2	2	4
Agricultural managers	-	2	4
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	-	2	4
Professional and related occupations	-	2	4
Education, legal, community service, arts, and media occupations	-	2	4
Community and social services occupations	-	1	2
Religious workers	-	1	2
Clergy	-	1	2
Clergy	-	1	2
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	-	1	2
Art and design workers	-	1	2
Artists and related workers	-	1	2
Service occupations	9	8	18
Protective service occupations	2	3	7
Law enforcement workers	2	1	2
Detectives and criminal investigators	-	1	2
Detectives and criminal investigators	-	1	2
Other protective service workers	-	2	4
Security guards and gaming surveillance officers	-	1	2
Security guards	-	1	2
Miscellaneous protective service workers	-	1	2
Crossing guards	-	1	2
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	6	4	9
Grounds maintenance workers	-	-	-
Grounds maintenance workers	-	-	-
Tree trimmers and pruners	-	1	2
Sales and office occupations	5	4	9
Sales and related occupations	3	1	2
Supervisors, sales workers	3	1	2
First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers	3	1	2
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	3	1	2
Office and administrative support occupations	-	3	7
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	11	17	38
Construction and extraction occupations	7	13	29
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	-	4	9
First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers	-	4	9
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	-	4	9
Construction trades workers	5	9	20
Construction laborers	-	3	7
Construction laborers	-	3	7
Construction equipment operators	-	1	2
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators	-	1	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	4	4	9
Supervisors of installation, maintenance, and repair workers	-	1	2
First-line supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers	-	1	2
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers	-	1	2
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	-	1	2
Automotive technicians and repairers	-	1	2
Automotive body and related repairers	-	1	2
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	-	2	4
Line installers and repairers	-	1	2
Electrical power-line installers and repairers	-	1	2
Maintenance and repair workers, general	-	1	2
Maintenance and repair workers, general	-	1	2
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	20	12	27
Production occupations	4	-	-
Other production occupations	-	3	7
Crushing, grinding, polishing, mixing, and blending workers	-	3	7
Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders	-	3	7
Transportation and material moving occupations	16	8	18
Motor vehicle operators	13	6	13
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	6	6	13
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	4	5	11
Light truck or delivery services drivers	1	1	2
Material moving workers	3	-	-
Industrial truck and tractor operators	-	1	2
Industrial truck and tractor operators	-	1	2
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010.
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 fata 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, Baltimore-Columbia-Townson, MD, 2016-2017

Characteristic	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	50	45	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(1)	39	35	78
Self-employed(2)	11	10	22
Gender
Women	5	3	7
Men	45	42	93
Age(3)
25 to 34 years	10	13	29
35 to 44 years	11	6	13
45 to 54 years	7	15	33
55 to 64 years	14	7	16
65 years and over	5	4	9
Race or ethnic origin(4)
White (non-Hispanic)	26	22	49
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	15	10	22
Hispanic or Latino	8	11	24
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 Hispanic and Latino workers.
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 fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.