News Release Information
24-633-PHI
Friday, March 29, 2024
Fatal Work Injuries in New Jersey — 2022
Fatal work injuries totaled 116 in 2022 for New Jersey, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the number of work-related fatalities in New Jersey was up from 110 the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 145 in 1993 to a low of 69 in 2017. Nationwide, a total of 5,486 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2022, a 5.7-percent increase from 5,190 in 2021, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).
Chart 1. Number of fatal occupational injuries by employee status, New Jersey, 2013–22| Year | Total | Wage and salary | Self-employed |
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2013 | 102 | 76 | 26 |
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2014 | 87 | 70 | 17 |
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2015 | 97 | 83 | 14 |
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2016 | 101 | 85 | 16 |
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2017 | 69 | 50 | 19 |
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2018 | 83 | 68 | 15 |
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2019 | 74 | 56 | 18 |
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2020 | 82 | 66 | 16 |
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2021 | 110 | 90 | 20 |
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2022 | 116 | 95 | 21 |
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In New Jersey, transportation incidents resulted in 46 fatal work injuries and accounted for 40 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 29 over the year.
The second-most common fatal event was exposure to harmful substances or environments, accounting for 21 fatalities. Worker fatalities due to exposure to harmful substances or environments remained unchanged from last year. Falls, slips, or trips was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 19 fatalities, down from 28 in the prior year. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals resulted in 18 work-related deaths.
Nationally, transportation incidents was the most frequent fatal event in 2022, accounting for 38 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (16 percent), followed by violence and other injuries by persons or animals along with exposure to harmful substances or environments (15 percent each).
Chart 2. Percent distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and New Jersey, 2022| Event | United States | New Jersey |
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Transportation incidents | 38 | 40 |
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Exposure to harmful substances or environments | 15 | 18 |
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Falls, slips, trips | 16 | 16 |
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Violence and other injuries by persons or animals | 16 | 16 |
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All other | 16 | 10 |
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The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in New Jersey with 28, up from 24 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 18 of the 28 fatalities in the industry. The general freight trucking industry group accounted for 8 of the 28 fatal workplace injuries in the transportation and warehousing industry.
The private construction industry sector had 21 fatal work injuries, down from 25 in the previous year. The specialty trade contractors subsector accounted for 16, or 76 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.
The administrative and support and waste management and remediation services industry sector had 19 fatal workplace injuries, up from 12 last year. The services to buildings and dwellings industry group accounted for eight, or 42 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry
OccupationThe transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 35. (See table 3.) Driver/sales workers and truck drivers accounted for 19 of the 35 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 23. Construction trades workers suffered 16 of the 23 work-related deaths within the construction and extraction occupations group.
Additional highlights- Men accounted for 93 percent of the work-related fatalities in New Jersey, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 39 percent of the fatalities for men in New Jersey.
- White non-Hispanics accounted for 48 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 58 percent of work-related deaths.
- Workers 45-54 years old accounted for 28 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2022, compared to 20 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
- Of the 116 fatal work injuries in New Jersey, 82 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed.
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 fatalities resulting from workplace 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 2022 national data, over 27,200 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 and the CFOI definitions.
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 Scope of the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries: Concepts.
Latency Cases. Latent fatal occupational injury cases occur when the date of injury differs from the date of death. In some cases, the death occurs in a different year than the occupational injury and are known as cross-year latent cases. In 2022, there were 186 cases nationally where this occurred, and 157 of these latent cases occurred more than 30 days prior to the start of 2022. For more information on latent cases, see Understanding latency in fatal occupational injuries.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. CFOI reports fatal workplace injuries only. These may include fatal workplace injuries complicated by an illness such as COVID-19. Fatal workplace illnesses not precipitated by an injury are not in scope for CFOI. CFOI does not report any illness related information, including COVID-19. Additional information is available on the Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, Compensation, Occupational Requirements, and Work Stoppages Statistics.
Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the New Jersey 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.
Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, New Jersey, 2021–22| Event or exposure | 2021 | 2022 |
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| Number | Number | Percent |
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Total | 110 | 116 | 100 |
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Violence and other injuries by persons or animals | -- | 18 | 16 |
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Intentional injury by person | -- | 18 | 16 |
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Homicides--Intentional injury by other person | -- | 5 | 4 |
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Shooting by other person--intentional | -- | 5 | 4 |
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Suicides--Self-inflicted injury--intentional | -- | 13 | 11 |
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Hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation--intentional self-harm | -- | 7 | 6 |
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Transportation incidents | 29 | 46 | 40 |
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Pedestrian vehicular incident | -- | 10 | 9 |
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Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway | -- | 6 | 5 |
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Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle | 18 | 29 | 25 |
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Roadway collision with other vehicle | 7 | 11 | 9 |
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Roadway collision--moving in same direction | -- | 3 | 3 |
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Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming | -- | 4 | 3 |
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Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly | -- | 3 | 3 |
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Roadway collision with object other than vehicle | 8 | 13 | 11 |
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Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway | -- | 12 | 10 |
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Roadway noncollision incident | 3 | 5 | 4 |
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Fall or jump from and struck by same vehicle in normal operation, roadway | -- | 3 | 3 |
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Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles | 5 | 4 | 3 |
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Fires and explosions | -- | -- | -- |
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Falls, slips, trips | 28 | 19 | 16 |
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Exposure to harmful substances or environments | 21 | 21 | 18 |
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Exposure to other harmful substances | 16 | 19 | 16 |
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Contact with objects and equipment | 16 | -- | -- |
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Overexertion and bodily reaction | -- | -- | -- |
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NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, New Jersey, 2021–22| Industry | 2021 | 2022 |
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| Number | Number | Percent |
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Total | 110 | 116 | 100 |
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Private Industry | 102 | 107 | 92 |
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Goods producing | -- | -- | -- |
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Natural resources and mining | 3 | 3 | 3 |
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Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 3 | 3 | 3 |
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Construction | 25 | 21 | 18 |
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Construction | 25 | 21 | 18 |
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Specialty trade contractors | -- | 16 | 14 |
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Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors | -- | 4 | 3 |
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Building equipment contractors | -- | 4 | 3 |
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Building finishing contractors | -- | 3 | 3 |
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Finish carpentry contractors | -- | 3 | 3 |
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Other specialty trade contractors | -- | 5 | 4 |
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Manufacturing | 6 | 6 | 5 |
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Manufacturing | 6 | 6 | 5 |
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Service providing | -- | -- | -- |
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Trade, transportation, and utilities | 35 | -- | -- |
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Retail trade | 5 | 7 | 6 |
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Food and beverage stores | -- | 4 | 3 |
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Transportation and warehousing | 24 | 28 | 24 |
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Truck transportation | 15 | 11 | 9 |
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General freight trucking | 12 | 8 | 7 |
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Specialized freight trucking | 3 | 3 | 3 |
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Transit and ground passenger transportation | -- | 5 | 4 |
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Support activities for transportation | 3 | 5 | 4 |
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Warehousing and storage | -- | 4 | 3 |
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Warehousing and storage | -- | 4 | 3 |
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Information | -- | -- | -- |
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Financial activities | 4 | -- | -- |
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Real estate and rental and leasing | 4 | 5 | 4 |
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Professional and business services | 15 | 22 | 19 |
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Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 12 | 19 | 16 |
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Administrative and support services | 9 | 14 | 12 |
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Services to buildings and dwellings | -- | 8 | 7 |
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Landscaping services | -- | 8 | 7 |
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Waste management and remediation services | 3 | 5 | 4 |
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Waste collection | -- | 5 | 4 |
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Waste collection | -- | 5 | 4 |
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Solid waste collection | -- | 3 | 3 |
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Educational and health services | -- | -- | -- |
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Health care and social assistance | 3 | 3 | 3 |
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Leisure and hospitality | 4 | 3 | 3 |
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Accommodation and food services | 3 | 3 | 3 |
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Food services and drinking places | -- | 3 | 3 |
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Other services, except public administration | 4 | 4 | 3 |
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Other services, except public administration | 4 | 4 | 3 |
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Repair and maintenance | -- | 4 | 3 |
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Public administration | -- | -- | -- |
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Government | -- | -- | -- |
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Federal government | -- | -- | -- |
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State government | -- | 4 | 3 |
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Local government | 6 | 3 | 3 |
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NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, New Jersey, 2021–22| Occupation | 2021 | 2022 |
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| Number | Number | Percent |
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Total | 110 | 116 | 100 |
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Management occupations | 5 | -- | -- |
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Business and financial operations occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Computer and mathematical occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Architecture and engineering occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Life, physical, and social science occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Community and social service occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Legal occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Educational instruction and library occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations | 1 | -- | -- |
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Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Healthcare support occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Protective service occupations | -- | 8 | 7 |
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Other protective service workers | -- | 5 | 4 |
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Food preparation and serving related occupations | -- | 3 | 3 |
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Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations | 11 | 14 | 12 |
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Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers | -- | 4 | 3 |
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First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers | -- | 4 | 3 |
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First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers | -- | 4 | 3 |
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Building cleaning and pest control workers | -- | 5 | 4 |
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Building cleaning workers | -- | 5 | 4 |
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Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners | -- | 5 | 4 |
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Grounds maintenance workers | 6 | 5 | 4 |
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Grounds maintenance workers | 6 | 5 | 4 |
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Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | -- | 5 | 4 |
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Personal care and service occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Sales and related occupations | -- | 3 | 3 |
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Supervisors of sales workers | -- | 3 | 3 |
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First-line supervisors of sales workers | -- | 3 | 3 |
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First-line supervisors of retail sales workers | -- | 3 | 3 |
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Office and administrative support occupations | 3 | -- | -- |
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Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | 3 | -- | -- |
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Construction and extraction occupations | 25 | 23 | 20 |
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Construction trades workers | 22 | 16 | 14 |
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Construction laborers | 11 | 6 | 5 |
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Construction laborers | 11 | 6 | 5 |
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Electricians | -- | 3 | 3 |
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Electricians | -- | 3 | 3 |
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Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 8 | 5 | 4 |
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Production occupations | -- | 12 | 10 |
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Transportation and material moving occupations | 33 | 35 | 30 |
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Motor vehicle operators | 22 | 23 | 20 |
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Driver/sales workers and truck drivers | -- | 19 | 16 |
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Passenger vehicle drivers | -- | 4 | 3 |
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Material moving workers | 9 | 9 | 8 |
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Laborers and material movers | 6 | 5 | 4 |
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Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | -- | 5 | 4 |
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NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, New Jersey, 2021–22| Worker characteristics | 2021 | 2022 |
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| Number | Number | Percent |
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Total | 110 | 116 | 100 |
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Employee status | |
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Wage and salary workers | 90 | 95 | 82 |
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Self-employed | 20 | 21 | 18 |
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Gender | |
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Men | 104 | 108 | 93 |
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Women | 6 | 8 | 7 |
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Age | |
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25 to 34 years | 15 | 15 | 13 |
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35 to 44 years | 23 | 20 | 17 |
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45 to 54 years | 26 | 32 | 28 |
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55 to 64 years | 27 | 27 | 23 |
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65 years and over | 9 | 18 | 16 |
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Race or ethnic origin | |
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White, non-Hispanic | 53 | 56 | 48 |
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Black or African-American, non-Hispanic | 14 | 22 | 19 |
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Hispanic or Latino | 37 | 33 | 28 |
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Asian, non-Hispanic | 6 | -- | -- |
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Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | -- | -- | -- |
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NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
United States Department of Labor
