Fatal work injuries totaled 51 in 2017 for West Virginia, 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 West Virginia increased from 47 in the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 95 in 2010 to a low of 35 in 2015. (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 West Virginia, transportation incidents resulted in 19 fatal work injuries and falls, slips, or trips accounted for 11 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 59 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents rose from 14 in 2016, and worker fatalities due to falls, slips, or trips increased from 8.

Contact with objects and equipment was the third-most frequent fatal work event in the state with nine fatalities, closely followed by exposure to harmful substances or environments with eight. Fatalities due to contact with objects and equipment increased over the year from 7, while fatalities due to exposure to harmful substances or environments decreased from 11.

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 mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry and the private transportation and warehousing industry had the largest numbers of fatalities in West Virginia with 12 each. (See table 2.) Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry fatalities were up from five in the previous year, while those in the transportation and warehousing industry remained unchanged from 2016. Coal mining accounted for 8 of the 12 fatal incidents in the mining sector, while specialized freight trucking accounted for the 7 of the 12 fatalities in the transportation sector.

The most frequent event in both the private mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry and the private transportation and warehousing industry was transportation incidents causing four and nine of the fatalities in these industries, respectively.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations and construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 17 and 14, respectively. (See table 3.) The majority of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (12). In the construction and extraction group, construction trades workers accounted for six of the fatal injuries, followed by supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers with five fatalities.

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, West Virginia had eight fatally-injured workers identified as fitting the contractor criteria; of those, half were the result of a fall, slip, or trip.

Additional highlights:

• Men accounted for 96 percent of the work-related fatalities in West Virginia, comparable to the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) The most frequent fatal event for men was transportation incidents (18), followed by falls, slips or trips (11).
• White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 90 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 67 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 71 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2017, higher than the 55 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
• Of the 51 fatally-injured workers in West Virginia, 84 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. Transportation incidents accounted for 40 percent of the fatalities to wage and salary workers.

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 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.

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, West Virginia, 2016–17

Event or exposure (1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	47	51	100
Transportation incidents	14	19	37
Aircraft incidents	1	2	4
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing	1	2	4
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing--into structure, object, or ground	1	2	4
Rail vehicle incidents	1	1	2
Pedestrian vehicular incident	1	3	6
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	--	2	4
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area	--	1	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	9	12	24
Roadway collision with other vehicle	3	5	10
Roadway collision moving in opposite directions, oncoming	1	1	2
Roadway collision moving perpendicularly	--	1	2
Roadway collision moving and standing vehicle in roadway	--	3	6
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	4	7	14
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	3	6	12
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	--	1	2
Nonroadway noncollision incident	--	1	2
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	--	1	2
Fire or explosion	3	4	8
Fire	--	1	2
Other structural fire without collapse	--	1	2
Explosion	1	3	6
Explosion of nonpressurized vapors, gases, or liquids	--	2	4
Explosion of pressure vessel, piping, or tire	1	1	2
Fall, slip, trip	8	11	22
Fall on same level	--	4	8
Fall onto or against object on same level, n.e.c.	--	1	2
Fall to lower level	8	6	12
Fall through surface or existing opening	--	1	2
Fall through surface or existing opening 16 to 20 feet	--	1	2
Other fall to lower level	5	4	8
Jump to lower level	--	1	2
Other jump to lower level	--	1	2
Other jump to lower level 11 to 15 feet	--	1	2
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	11	8	16
Exposure to other harmful substances	10	8	16
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol unintentional overdose	9	5	10
Inhalation of harmful substance	--	3	6
Inhalation of harmful substance single episode	--	3	6
Contact with objects and equipment	7	9	18
Struck by object or equipment	5	8	16
Struck by powered vehicle nontransport	--	1	2
Caught between rolling powered vehicle and other object	--	1	2
Struck by falling object or equipment	3	6	12
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, West Virginia, 2016–17

Industry (1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	47	51	100
Private industry	44	47	92
Goods producing	15	23	45
Natural resources and mining	8	16	31
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	3	4	8
Forestry and logging	--	4	8
Logging	--	3	6
Logging	--	3	6
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (2)	5	12	24
Mining (except oil and gas)	4	8	16
Coal mining	4	8	16
Coal mining	4	8	16
Bituminous coal and lignite surface mining	--	2	4
Bituminous coal underground mining	4	6	12
Support activities for mining	--	4	8
Support activities for mining	--	4	8
Support activities for mining	--	4	8
Support activities for oil and gas operations	--	4	8
Construction	6	6	12
Heavy and civil engineering construction	2	3	6
Utility system construction	2	3	6
Manufacturing	--	1	2
Paper manufacturing	--	1	2
Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills	--	1	2
Paper mills	--	1	2
Paper (except newsprint) mills	--	1	2
Service providing	29	24	47
Trade, transportation, and utilities	17	15	29
Retail trade	3	--	--
Nonstore retailers	--	1	2
Direct selling establishments	--	1	2
Fuel dealers	--	1	2
Transportation and warehousing	12	12	24
Air transportation	--	2	4
Scheduled air transportation	--	2	4
Scheduled air transportation	--	2	4
Scheduled freight air transportation	--	2	4
Truck transportation	8	9	18
Specialized freight trucking	3	7	14
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	2	4	8
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance	--	3	6
Professional and business services	5	3	6
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	3	--	--
Waste management and remediation services	--	1	2
Waste treatment and disposal	--	1	2
Waste treatment and disposal	--	1	2
Hazardous waste treatment and disposal	--	1	2
Government (3)	3	4	8
State government	1	2	4
Goods producing	1	2	4
Construction	1	2	4
Heavy and civil engineering construction	1	2	4
Highway, street, and bridge construction	1	2	4
Highway, street, and bridge construction	1	2	4
Local government	--	--	--
Service providing	--	--	--
Public administration	--	1	2
Justice, public order, and safety activities	--	1	2
Justice, public order, and safety activities	--	1	2
Police protection	--	1	2
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining (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. (3) 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, West Virginia, 2016–17

Occupation (1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	47	51	100
Management, business, science, and arts occupations	--	5	10
Professional and related occupations	--	5	10
Computer, engineering, and science occupations	--	1	2
Architecture and engineering occupations	--	1	2
Engineers	--	1	2
Civil engineers	--	1	2
Civil engineers	--	1	2
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	3	6
Other healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	2	4
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians	--	2	4
Occupational health and safety specialists	--	1	2
Occupational health and safety technicians	--	1	2
Service occupations	8	4	8
Protective service occupations	--	1	2
First-line supervisors/managers, protective service workers	--	1	2
First-line supervisors/managers, law enforcement workers	--	1	2
First-line supervisors/managers of police and detectives	--	1	2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	16	21	41
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	--	3	6
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	--	3	6
Logging workers	--	3	6
Fallers	--	3	6
Construction and extraction occupations	11	14	27
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	4	5	10
First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers	4	5	10
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	4	5	10
Construction trades workers	5	6	12
Construction equipment operators	--	3	6
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators	--	3	6
Extraction workers	1	2	4
Mining machine operators	--	2	4
Continuous mining machine operators	--	1	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3	4	8
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	3	3	6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	18	19	37
Production occupations	--	2	4
Metal workers and plastic workers	--	1	2
Welding, soldering, and brazing workers	--	1	2
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers	--	1	2
Plant and system operators	--	1	2
Miscellaneous plant and system operators	--	1	2
Transportation and material moving occupations	17	17	33
Air transportation workers	1	2	4
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	1	2	4
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers	--	2	4
Motor vehicle operators	11	12	24
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	10	12	24
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	9	12	24
Material moving workers	--	3	6
Industrial truck and tractor operators	--	1	2
Industrial truck and tractor operators	--	1	2
Shuttle car operators	1	1	2
Mine shuttle car operators	1	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 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, West Virginia, 2016–17

Worker characteristics	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	47	51	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	41	43	84
Self-employed (2)	6	8	16
Gender
Men	43	49	96
Age (3)
18 to 19 years	--	2	4
20 to 24 years	--	1	2
25 to 34 years	5	9	18
35 to 44 years	18	12	24
45 to 54 years	14	15	29
55 to 64 years	7	8	16
65 years and over	--	4	8
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White (non-Hispanic)	44	46	90
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	--	3	6
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.