Fatal work injuries totaled 154 in 2019 for Pennsylvania, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Frank Waligorski noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Pennsylvania was down from the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 354 in 1994 to a low of 154 in 2019. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 5,333 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2019, a 2-percent increase from the 5,250 in 2018, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. The 5,333 fatal occupational injuries in 2019 represents the largest annual number since 2007.   

Fatal event or exposure

In Pennsylvania, transportation incidents resulted in 62 fatal work injuries and contact with objects and equipment accounted for 32 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 61 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 53 over the year and worker fatalities due to contact with objects and equipment were down from 41.

Exposure to harmful substances or environments was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 22 fatalities, down from 28 in the prior year. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals resulted in 21 work-related deaths, the same as in 2018.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2019, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, and 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 and private transportation and warehousing industry had the highest number of fatalities in Pennsylvania with 26 each. (See table 2.) Exposure to harmful substances or environments accounted for 7 of the 26 fatalities in the construction industry while transportation incidents resulted in 18 of the 26 fatalities in the transportation and warehousing industry.

The private administrative and support and waste management and remediation services industry had 20 workplace fatalities, 10 of them due to transportation incidents.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 53. (See table 3.) Motor vehicle operators accounted for 35 of the 53 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second highest number of workplace fatalities with 32. Construction trades workers suffered 21 of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction group. Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations had 11 workplace fatalities. Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers accounted for 8 of the 11 fatalities among installation, maintenance, and repair workers.

Additional highlights:

• Men accounted for 91 percent of the work-related fatalities in Pennsylvania, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 41 percent of the fatalities for men in Pennsylvania.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 79 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 62 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 55 years old and over accounted for 42 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2019, compared to 38 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
• Of the 154 fatal work injuries in Pennsylvania, 83 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both groups of workers was transportation incidents.

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 2019 national data, over 25,100 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 and the CFOI definitions at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.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 Pennsylvania Department of Health 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.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Pennsylvania, 2018–19

Event or exposure (1)	2018	2019
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	177	154	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	21	21	14
Intentional injury by person	18	19	12
Intentional injury by other person	10	7	5
Shooting by other person--intentional	6	6	4
Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing	1	1	1
Self-inflicted injury--intentional	8	12	8
Shooting--intentional self-harm	3	4	3
Hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation--intentional self-harm	3	6	4
Injury by person--unintentional or intent unknown	1	1	1
Injury by other person--unintentional or intent unknown	1	1	1
Shooting by other person--unintentional	1	1	1
Animal and insect related incidents	--	1	1
Struck by animal	--	1	1
Trampled by or stepped on by animal	--	1	1
Transportation incidents	53	62	40
Aircraft incidents	3	1	1
Other in-flight crash	--	1	1
Other in-flight crash into structure, object, or ground	--	1	1
Rail vehicle incidents	--	1	1
Pedestrian struck by rail vehicle--transportation incident	--	1	1
Animal and other non-motorized vehicle transportation incidents	4	1	1
Animal transportation incident	3	1	1
Pedestrian vehicular incident	14	15	10
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in work zone	--	2	1
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in work zone	--	2	1
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	2	4	3
Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road	3	1	1
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle on side of road	3	1	1
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	6	7	5
Pedestrian struck by vehicle propelled by another vehicle in nonroadway area	--	1	1
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area	--	3	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	28	34	22
Roadway collision with other vehicle	13	13	8
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	--	4	3
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	8	5	3
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	14	13	8
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	13	13	8
Roadway noncollision incident	1	8	5
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	--	7	5
Fall or jump from vehicle in normal operation, roadway	--	1	1
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	4	9	6
Nonroadway noncollision incident	3	6	4
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	--	4	3
Falls, slips, trips	24	16	10
Falls to lower level	21	13	8
Fall through surface or existing opening	1	5	3
Fall through surface or existing opening more than 30 feet	--	1	1
Other fall to lower level	18	8	5
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	28	22	14
Exposure to electricity	7	3	2
Direct exposure to electricity	3	1	1
Direct exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts	--	1	1
Exposure to other harmful substances	17	14	9
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose	16	12	8
Exposure to oxygen deficiency, n.e.c.	--	4	3
Contact with objects and equipment	41	32	21
Struck by object or equipment	30	22	14
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	11	6	4
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	2	3	2
Struck by other falling powered vehicle	4	1	1
Struck by rolling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	--	1	1
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	15	11	7
Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery--other than vehicle part	5	1	1
Struck by discharged or flying object	2	1	1
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	6	7	5
Caught in running equipment or machinery	4	5	3
Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation	--	3	2
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	5	3	2
Mine collapse or cave-in	--	1	1
Struck, caught, or crushed in other collapsing structure or equipment	4	2	1
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. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Pennsylvania, 2019

Industry (1)	Number	Percent
Total	154	100
Private industry (2)	144	94
Goods producing	--	--
Natural resources and mining	19	12
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	13	8
Animal production and aquaculture	7	5
Cattle ranching and farming	6	4
Dairy cattle and milk production	6	4
Sheep and goat farming	1	1
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (3)	6	4
Mining (except oil and gas)	3	2
Coal mining	3	2
Coal mining	3	2
Support activities for mining	3	2
Support activities for mining	3	2
Support activities for mining	3	2
Support activities for oil and gas operations	3	2
Construction	26	17
Construction	26	17
Heavy and civil engineering construction	4	3
Service providing (4)	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	40	26
Wholesale trade	10	6
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	6	4
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	4	3
Retail trade	4	3
Transportation and warehousing	26	17
Truck transportation	17	11
General freight trucking	11	7
General freight trucking, long-distance	11	7
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	7	5
Specialized freight trucking	6	4
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	3	2
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance	3	2
Transit and ground passenger transportation	1	1
Warehousing and storage	2	1
Warehousing and storage	2	1
General warehousing and storage	2	1
Professional and business services	23	15
Professional, scientific, and technical services	3	2
Professional, scientific, and technical services	3	2
Advertising, public relations, and related services	1	1
Outdoor advertising	1	1
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	20	13
Administrative and support services	13	8
Waste management and remediation services	7	5
Educational and health services	5	3
Educational services	1	1
Educational services	1	1
Health care and social assistance	4	3
Leisure and hospitality	9	6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	4	3
Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries	3	2
Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events	1	1
Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events with facilities	1	1
Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries	1	1
Other amusement and recreation industries	1	1
Golf courses and country clubs	1	1
Accommodation and food services	5	3
Other services, except public administration	6	4
Other services, except public administration	6	4
Government (5)	10	6
State government	2	1
Local government	8	5
Footnotes: (1) CFOI has used several versions of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) since 2003 to define industry. For complete information on the version of NAICS used in this year, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. (2) Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts. (3) Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, including establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in oil and gas extraction. (4) Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts. (5) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. Cases classified as foreign government and other government are included in all government counts, but not displayed separately.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Pennsylvania, 2019

Occupation (1)	Number	Percent
Total	154	100
Management occupations	8	5
Other management occupations	6	4
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	6	4
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	6	4
Architecture and engineering occupations	1	1
Engineers	1	1
Civil engineers	1	1
Civil engineers	1	1
Community and social service occupations	1	1
Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists	1	1
Counselors	1	1
Mental health counselors	1	1
Educational instruction and library occupations	1	1
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	4	3
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	1	1
Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners	1	1
Chiropractors	1	1
Chiropractors	1	1
Protective service occupations	4	3
Firefighting and prevention workers	2	1
Law enforcement workers	1	1
Police officers	1	1
Other protective service workers	1	1
Security guards and gambling surveillance officers	1	1
Security guards	1	1
Food preparation and serving related occupations	4	3
Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	1	1
Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	1	1
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	1	1
Other food preparation and serving related workers	1	1
Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers	1	1
Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers	1	1
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	10	6
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	4	3
First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	4	3
First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers	4	3
Grounds maintenance workers	6	4
Grounds maintenance workers	6	4
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	3	2
Tree trimmers and pruners	3	2
Sales and related occupations	3	2
Supervisors of sales workers	3	2
First-line supervisors of sales workers	3	2
Office and administrative support occupations	3	2
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	7	5
Construction and extraction occupations	32	21
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	7	5
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	7	5
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	7	5
Construction trades workers	21	14
Brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons	1	1
Brickmasons and blockmasons	1	1
Construction laborers	11	7
Construction laborers	11	7
Construction equipment operators	4	3
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators	4	3
Electricians	1	1
Electricians	1	1
Other construction and related workers	2	1
Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators	1	1
Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators	1	1
Miscellaneous construction and related workers	1	1
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	11	7
Supervisors of installation, maintenance, and repair workers	1	1
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers	1	1
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers	1	1
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	8	5
Automotive technicians and repairers	5	3
Automotive service technicians and mechanics	5	3
Miscellaneous vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	1	1
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	2	1
Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers	1	1
Industrial machinery mechanics	1	1
Maintenance and repair workers, general	1	1
Maintenance and repair workers, general	1	1
Production occupations	9	6
Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers	1	1
Other production occupations	4	3
Transportation and material moving occupations	53	34
Supervisors of transportation and material moving workers	2	1
First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers	2	1
First-line supervisors of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand	1	1
First-line supervisors of material-moving machine and vehicle operators	1	1
Air transportation workers	1	1
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	1	1
Commercial pilots	1	1
Motor vehicle operators	35	23
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	30	19
Driver/sales workers	4	3
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	23	15
Light truck drivers	3	2
Rail transportation workers	1	1
Miscellaneous rail transportation workers	1	1
Water transportation workers	1	1
Sailors and marine oilers	1	1
Sailors and marine oilers	1	1
Material moving workers	13	8
Industrial truck and tractor operators	1	1
Industrial truck and tractor operators	1	1
Laborers and material movers	9	6
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	8	5
Stockers and order fillers	1	1
Pumping station operators	1	1
Wellhead pumpers	1	1
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	1	1
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	1	1
Miscellaneous material moving workers	1	1
Footnotes: (1) CFOI has used several versions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system since 2003 to define occupation. For complete information on the version of SOC used in this year, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Pennsylvania, 2018–19

Worker characteristics	2018	2019
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	177	154	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	138	128	83
Self-employed (2)	39	26	17
Gender
Men	165	140	91
Women	12	14	9
Age (3)
Under 16 years	--	2	1
20 to 24 years	9	7	5
25 to 34 years	48	25	16
35 to 44 years	32	26	17
45 to 54 years	28	29	19
55 to 64 years	32	37	24
65 years and over	23	27	18
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	141	121	79
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	17	15	10
Hispanic or Latino	10	13	8
Asian, non-Hispanic	5	5	3
Footnotes: (1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. Cases where employment status is unknown are included in the counts of wage and salary workers. (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. Cases where ethnicity is unknown are included in counts of non-Hispanic workers.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.