Fatal work injuries totaled 58 in 2018 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 increased by 13 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 5,250 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2018, up from the 5,147 fatal injuries in 2017, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

Type of incident

In the Baltimore area, violence and other injuries by persons or animals resulted in 18 fatal work injuries and exposure to harmful substances or environments accounted for 15 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 57 percent of all workplace fatalities in the Baltimore area. (See table 1.) The number of worker fatalities from violence and other injuries by persons or animals increased by eight from the previous year and worker deaths due to exposure to harmful substances or environments increased by six. In 2018, 10 of the 15 fatalities due to exposure to harmful substances or environments were unintentional overdoses from the nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol while at work. 

Contact with objects and equipment was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 10 fatalities. The number of worker deaths due to contact with objects and equipment increased by five over the year.   

Nationally, transportation incidents was the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2018, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most common fatal event (16 percent), followed by falls, slips, and trips (15 percent) and contact with objects and equipment (15 percent).

Industry

The private construction industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in the Baltimore area with 15, same as in the previous year. (See table 2.) The two most frequent fatal events in the private construction sector were exposure to harmful substances or environments with five and contact with objects and equipment with four. 

The administrative and support and waste management and remediation services sector within private industry had eight workplace fatalities in 2018, an increase of three over the year.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 14, followed by construction and extraction occupations with 11. (See table 3.) The majority of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (6). First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers accounted for three fatalities, as did roofers.

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 2018, the Baltimore area had 13 fatal injuries to workers identified as fitting the contractor criteria; of those, 5 were the result of contact with objects and equipment.  

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 84 percent of the work-related fatalities in the Baltimore area, lower the national share of 92 percent. (See table 4.) Exposure to harmful substances or environments made up 29 percent of the fatalities for men in the Baltimore area. 

• White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 53 percent of those who died from a workplace injury while Black or African American, non-Hispanic workers made up 28 percent of Baltimore’s fatal injuries at work. Nationwide, White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 65 percent of work-related deaths, while Black or African American, non-Hispanic workers represented 12 percent of the national share. 

• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 55 percent of the area’s work-related fatalities in 2018, compared to 58 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally. Over the year, fatalities of workers 55 years of age and older doubled, accounting for 38 percent of all work related fatalities. Nationally, workers 55 years of age and older accounted for 35 percent of all on the job fatalities. 

• Of the 58 fatally-injured workers in the Baltimore area, 83 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was violence and other injuries by persons or animals with 16 worker deaths; for self-employed workers, exposure to harmful substances or environments was the most frequent fatal event with 4 fatalities.    

• Fifty percent of workplace fatalities in the Baltimore area occurred on a Wednesday or Thursday. These two days accounted for 35 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, is a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI uses a variety of 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 2018 national data, over 24,800 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for the CFOI, see 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, some of which may be outside the scope of other agencies or regulatory coverage. Comparisons between CFOI counts and those released by other agencies should account for the different coverage requirements and definitions used by each agency. For more information on the scope of CFOI, see www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm. 

Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the Maryland 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 https://www.bls.gov/bls/omb-bulletin-13-01-revised-delineations-of-metropolitan-statistical-areas.pdf. 

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, 2017-2018

Event of Exposure(1)	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	45	58	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	10	18	31
Intentional injury by person	9	18	31
Homicides	9	16	28
Shooting by other person—intentional	8	13	22
Hitting, kicking, beating, shoving	-	2	3
Suicides	-	2	3
Shooting—intentional self-harm	-	2	3
Transportation incidents	12	6	10
Pedestrian vehicular incident	4	3	5
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	1	2	3
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in nonroadway area	-	1	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area	1	1	2
Water vehicle incident	-	1	2
Capsized or sinking water vehicle	-	1	2
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	7	-	-
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	4	1	2
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	4	1	2
Fire or explosion	-	2	3
Fire	-	2	3
Collapsing building, structure, or structural element during fire	-	1	2
Other structural fire without collapse	-	1	2
Fall, slip, trip	9	7	12
Fall to lower level	9	6	10
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment	1	1	2
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment more than 30 feet	1	1	2
Other fall to lower level	8	5	9
Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet	1	1	2
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	9	15	26
Exposure to other harmful substances	7	10	17
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol unintentional overdose	7	10	17
Exposure to oxygen deficiency	-	2	3
Drowning, submersion, n.e.c.	-	2	3
Contact with objects and equipment	5	10	17
Struck by object or equipment	3	6	10
Struck by powered vehicle nontransport	-	3	5
Caught between rolling powered vehicle and other object	-	1	2
Struck by swinging part of powered vehicle	-	1	2
Struck by falling object or equipment	2	3	5
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	-	1	2
Caught in running equipment or machinery	-	1	2
Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation	-	1	2
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	-	3	5
Excavation or trenching cave-in	-	1	2
Struck, caught, or crushed in other collapsing structure or equipment	-	2	3
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 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, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, 2017-2018

Industry(1)	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	45	58	100
Private industry	44	51	88
Goods producing	20	19	33
Natural resources and mining	2	1	2
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	2	1	2
Forestry and logging	-	1	2
Logging	-	1	2
Logging	-	1	2
Construction	15	15	26
Construction of buildings	3	4	7
Residential building construction	-	4	7
Residential building construction	-	4	7
New housing for-sale builders	-	1	2
Residential remodelers	-	3	5
Heavy and civil engineering construction	2	2	3
Utility system construction	1	1	2
Water and sewer line and related structures construction	-	1	2
Highway, street, and bridge construction	1	1	2
Highway, street, and bridge construction	1	1	2
Specialty trade contractors	10	9	16
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	5	5	9
Roofing contractors	4	3	5
Nonresidential roofing contractors	3	1	2
Building equipment contractors	-	3	5
Other building equipment contractors	-	1	2
Other nonresidential building equipment contractors	-	1	2
Manufacturing	3	3	5
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	3	1	2
Other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	3	1	2
All other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	3	1	2
Cut stone and stone product manufacturing	3	1	2
Miscellaneous manufacturing	-	1	2
Other miscellaneous manufacturing	-	1	2
Sign manufacturing	-	1	2
Service providing	24	32	55
Trade, transportation, and utilities	10	10	17
Retail trade	3	4	7
Motor vehicle and parts dealers	-	1	2
Automotive parts, accessories, and tire stores	-	1	2
Tire dealers	-	1	2
Transportation and warehousing	6	4	7
Truck transportation	2	3	5
General freight trucking	1	3	5
Information	-	5	9
Publishing industries (except internet)	-	5	9
Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers	-	5	9
Newspaper publishers	-	5	9
Financial Activities	-	-	-
Real estate and rental and leasing	1	-	-
Real estate	1	-	-
Lessors of real estate	1	1	2
Lessors of nonresidential buildings (except miniwarehouses)	-	1	2
Professional and business services	5	8	14
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	5	8	14
Administrative and support services	5	7	12
Educational and health services	-	1	2
Health care and social assistance	-	1	2
Nursing and residential care facilities	-	1	2
Residential intellectual and developmental disability, mental health and substance abuse facilities	-	1	2
Residential mental health and substance abuse facilities	-	1	2
Leisure and hospitality	-	4	7
Accommodation and food services	-	4	7
Food services and drinking places	-	4	7
Other services, except public administration	5	-	-
Repair and maintenance	2	-	-
Personal and household goods repair and maintenance	-	1	2
Government(2)	1	7	12
Federal government	-	2	3
Service providing	-	2	3
Public administration	-	2	3
Administration of human resource programs	-	1	2
Administration of human resource programs	-	1	2
Administration of human resource programs (except education, public health, and veterans' affairs programs)	-	1	2
National security and international affairs	-	1	2
National security and international affairs	-	1	2
National security	-	1	2
Local government	1	4	7
Service providing	1	4	7
Public administration	1	4	7
Justice, public order, and safety activities	1	4	7
Justice, public order, and safety activities	1	4	7
Police protection	1	3	5
Fire protection	-	1	2
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 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, 2017-2018

Occupation(1)	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	45	58	100
Management, business, science, and arts occupations	4	5	9
Professional and related occupations	2	5	9
Computer, engineering, and science occupations	-	1	2
Computer and mathematical occupations	-	1	2
Computer occupations	-	1	2
Computer and information analysts	-	1	2
Information security analysts	-	1	2
Education, legal, community service, arts, and media occupations	2	4	7
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	1	4	7
Media and communication workers	-	4	7
News analysts, reporters and correspondents	-	2	3
Reporters and correspondents	-	2	3
Writers and editors	-	2	3
Editors	-	2	3
Service occupations	8	13	22
Healthcare support occupations	-	1	2
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides	-	1	2
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides	-	1	2
Nursing assistants	-	1	2
Protective service occupations	3	7	12
Fire fighting and prevention workers	-	1	2
Firefighters	-	1	2
Firefighters	-	1	2
Law enforcement workers	1	3	5
Police officers	-	3	5
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	-	3	5
Other protective service workers	2	2	3
Security guards and gaming surveillance officers	1	2	3
Security guards	1	2	3
Sales and office occupations	4	9	16
Sales and related occupations	1	6	10
Other sales and related workers	-	2	3
Real estate brokers and sales agents	-	1	2
Real estate sales agents	-	1	2
Miscellaneous sales and related workers	-	1	2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	17	15	26
Construction and extraction occupations	13	11	19
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	4	3	5
First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers	4	3	5
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	4	3	5
Construction trades workers	9	6	10
Roofers	-	3	5
Roofers	-	3	5
Other construction and related workers	-	-	-
Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners	-	1	2
Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners	-	1	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	4	3	5
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	2	3	5
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	12	15	26
Transportation and material moving occupations	8	14	24
Motor vehicle operators	6	8	14
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	6	7	12
Driver/sales workers	-	1	2
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	5	6	10
Miscellaneous motor vehicle operators	-	1	2
Material moving workers	-	6	10
Laborers and material movers, hand	-	4	7
Military occupations(2)	-	1	2
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, Baltimore-Columbia-Townson, MD, 2017-2018

Characteristic	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	45	58	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(1)	35	48	83
Self-employed(2)	10	10	17
Gender
Women	3	9	16
Men	42	49	84
Age(3)
18 to 19 years	-	1	2
20 to 24 years	-	3	5
25 to 34 years	13	12	21
35 to 44 years	6	11	19
45 to 54 years	15	9	16
55 to 64 years	7	14	24
65 years and over	4	8	14
Race or ethnic origin(4)
White (non-Hispanic)	22	31	53
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	10	16	28
Hispanic or Latino	11	10	17
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 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.