Fatal work injuries totaled 22 in 2017 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 down one 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 5,147 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 Virginia Beach area, transportation incidents resulted in six fatal work injuries, followed closely by violence and other injuries by persons or animals and falls, slips, or trips, which each resulted in five fatal work injuries. These three major categories accounted for 73 percent of all workplace fatalities in the Virginia Beach area. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents was up by one since 2016 and violence and other injuries by persons or animals decreased by one; fatalities from falls, slips, or trips increased by two over the year.

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 and government had the largest number of fatalities in the Virginia Beach area, each with six. (See table 2.) Falls to a lower level was the most frequent fatal event in the construction sector with three worker deaths; in government, intentional injury by person accounted for three work-related fatalities.

Occupation

Construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with seven. (See table 3.) Half of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (3). Construction trades workers accounted for 4 of the 7 fatalities in this group.

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, Virginia Beach had five fatally-injured workers identified as fitting the contractor criteria. Three of these workers were first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for all of the work-related fatalities in the Virginia Beach area, higher than the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.)
• White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 59 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 41 percent in the Virginia Beach area compared to 10 percent nationwide.
• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 55 percent of the area’s work-related fatalities in 2017, the same share as those in this age group nationally.
• Of the 22 fatally-injured workers in the Virginia Beach area, 77 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents with five, followed closely by violence and other injuries by persons or animals and fall, slip, trip incidents, each with four.

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 2017 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 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 or exposure, Virginia Beach, 2016–17

Event or exposure (1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	23	22	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	6	5	23
Intentional injury by person	5	5	23
Homicides	4	2	9
Shooting by other person--intentional	3	2	9
Suicides	--	3	14
Shooting--intentional self-harm	--	3	14
Transportation incidents	5	6	27
Water vehicle incident	--	2	9
Capsized or sinking water vehicle	--	2	9
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	4	3	14
Roadway collision with other vehicle	1	1	5
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	1	1	5
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	--	1	5
Nonroadway noncollision incident	--	1	5
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	--	1	5
Falls, slips, trips	3	5	23
Falls to lower level	3	5	23
Other fall to lower level	3	3	14
Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet	--	1	5
Other fall to lower level 26 to 30 feet	--	1	5
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	8	3	14
Exposure to electricity	--	--	--
Indirect exposure to electricity	--	1	5
Indirect exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts	--	1	5
Contact with objects and equipment	--	--	--
Struck by object or equipment	--	--	--
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	--	1	5
Struck by other falling powered vehicle	--	1	5
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 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.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Virginia Beach, 2016–17

Industry (1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	23	22	100
Private industry	21	16	73
Goods producing	6	8	36
Natural resources and mining	--	2	9
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	--	2	9
Fishing, hunting and trapping	--	2	9
Fishing	--	2	9
Fishing	--	2	9
Construction	--	6	27
Specialty trade contractors	--	6	27
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	--	1	5
Roofing contractors	--	1	5
Residential roofing contractors	--	1	5
Building equipment contractors	--	1	5
Plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors	--	1	5
Residential plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors	--	1	5
Building finishing contractors	--	--	--
Painting and wall covering contractors	--	--	--
Residential painting and wall covering contractors	--	1	5
Other specialty trade contractors	--	--	--
Site preparation contractors	--	--	--
Residential site preparation contractors	--	1	5
Service providing	15	8	36
Trade, transportation, and utilities	5	3	14
Wholesale trade	--	--	--
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	--	--	--
Grocery and related product wholesalers	--	1	5
Fish and seafood merchant wholesalers	--	1	5
Retail trade	2	1	5
Gasoline stations	--	1	5
Gasoline stations	--	1	5
Gasoline stations with convenience stores	--	1	5
Professional and business services	6	3	14
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	6	3	14
Administrative and support services	4	3	14
Services to buildings and dwellings	2	3	14
Other services, except public administration	1	2	9
Repair and maintenance	--	2	9
Automotive repair and maintenance	--	2	9
Automotive mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance	--	1	5
General automotive repair	--	1	5
Automotive body, paint, interior, and glass repair	--	1	5
Automotive body, paint, interior, and glass repair	--	1	5
Government (2)	2	6	27
Federal government	2	3	14
Public administration	2	3	14
National security and international affairs	1	3	14
National security and international affairs	1	3	14
National security	1	3	14
Local government	--	3	14
Trade, transportation, and utilities	--	1	5
Utilities	--	1	5
Utilities	--	1	5
Water, sewage and other systems	--	1	5
Water supply and irrigation systems	--	1	5
Professional and business services	--	1	5
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	--	1	5
Waste management and remediation services	--	1	5
Waste treatment and disposal	--	1	5
Waste treatment and disposal	--	1	5
Solid waste landfill	--	1	5
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.
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.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Virginia Beach, 2016–17

Occupation (1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	23	22	100
Service occupations	6	3	14
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	3	3	14
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	1	1	5
First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	1	1	5
First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service and groundskeeping workers	1	1	5
Sales and office occupations	3	1	5
Sales and related occupations	2	1	5
Retail sales workers	1	1	5
Retail salespersons	--	1	5
Retail salespersons	--	1	5
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	5	13	59
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	--	--	--
Fishing and hunting workers	--	2	9
Fishers and related fishing workers	--	2	9
Fishers and related fishing workers	--	2	9
Construction and extraction occupations	5	7	32
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	--	3	14
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	3	14
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	3	14
Construction trades workers	5	4	18
Painters and paperhangers	--	1	5
Painters, construction and maintenance	--	1	5
Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters	--	1	5
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters	--	1	5
Roofers	--	1	5
Roofers	--	1	5
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	--	3	14
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	--	1	5
Automotive technicians and repairers	--	1	5
Automotive body and related repairers	--	1	5
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	--	1	5
Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers	--	1	5
Industrial machinery mechanics	--	1	5
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	7	2	9
Transportation and material moving occupations	6	2	9
Motor vehicle operators	4	1	5
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	4	1	5
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	3	1	5
Material moving workers	--	1	5
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	--	1	5
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	--	1	5
Military occupations (2)	1	3	14
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 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.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Virginia Beach, 2016–17

Worker characteristics	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	23	22	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	19	17	77
Self-employed (2)	4	5	23
Gender
Men	21	22	100
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	2	1	5
25 to 34 years	3	2	9
35 to 44 years	6	3	14
45 to 54 years	5	7	32
55 to 64 years	6	6	27
65 years and over	1	3	14
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White (non-Hispanic)	14	13	59
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	7	9	41
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.