News Release Information
25-362-PHI
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Fatal Work Injuries in the District of Columbia — 2023
Fatal work injuries totaled 12 in 2023 for the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the number of work-related fatalities in the District of Columbia was down from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 25 in 1993 and 2013 to a low of 5 in 2016. Nationwide, a total of 5,283 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2023, a 3.7-percent decrease from 5,486 in 2022, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).
Chart 1. Number of fatal occupational injuries by employee status, District of Columbia, 2014–23| Year | Total |
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2014 | 11 |
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2015 | 8 |
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2016 | 5 |
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2017 | 13 |
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2018 | 10 |
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2019 | 10 |
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2020 | 13 |
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2021 | 12 |
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2022 | 15 |
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2023 | 12 |
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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
Key Findings
- Violent acts (6) were the most frequent type of fatal event in the District of Columbia, accounting for 50 percent of all fatal work injuries in the state. Nationally the share was 14 percent. (See table 1.)
- The private construction industry sector and the private transportation and warehousing sector each had three fatalities in 2023. (See table 2.)
- The government ownership group also accounted for three fatal work injuries in the District of Columbia.
- The construction and extraction occupational group and the transportation and material moving group each had three fatal workplace injuries. (See table 3.)
- Wage and salary workers accounted for 67 percent of workplace fatalities in the District of Columbia; the self-employed comprised the remaining 33 percent. (See chart 1 and table 4.) Nationally wage and salary workers comprised 83 percent of fatalities.
- Males accounted for 92 percent of the work-related fatalities in the District of Columbia and 91 percent nationally.
- Workers 25-34 years old accounted for 33 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities, compared to 17 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
- Black or African American, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 33 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 12 percent of work-related deaths.
Revision of Classification Systems
The 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the updated Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) were implemented with the release of 2023 data. As a result of these changes, comparisons between 2023 CFOI data and previous years should be made with caution. Refer to the national release technical note for more information.
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. For technical information and definitions for the CFOI, see the national CFOI release Technical notes, the BLS Handbook of Methods, and the CFOI definitions.
Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the District of Columbia 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 nationally. See the national CFOI release Technical Notes for details on cooperating entities.
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, District of Columbia, 2023| Event or Exposure | Number | Percent (%) |
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All events and exposures | 12 | 100 |
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Violent acts | 6 | 50 |
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Homicides (violent acts by other person) | 5 | 42 |
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Shooting by other person | 5 | 42 |
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Transportation incidents | -- | -- |
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Explosions and fires | -- | -- |
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Falls, slips, trips | -- | -- |
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Exposure to harmful substances, environments | -- | -- |
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Contact incidents | -- | -- |
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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. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, District of Columbia, 2023| Industry | Number | Percent (%) |
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Total | 12 | 100 |
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Private industry | 9 | 75 |
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Natural resources and mining | -- | -- |
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Construction | 3 | 25 |
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Construction | 3 | 25 |
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Manufacturing | -- | -- |
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Trade, transportation, and utilities | 3 | 25 |
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Transportation and warehousing | 3 | 25 |
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Information | -- | -- |
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Financial activities | -- | -- |
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Professional and business services | -- | -- |
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Educational and health services | -- | -- |
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Leisure and hospitality | -- | -- |
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Other services (except public administration) | -- | -- |
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Government | 3 | 25 |
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Federal government | -- | -- |
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State government | -- | -- |
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Local government | 1 | 8 |
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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. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, District of Columbia, 2023| Occupation | Number | Percent (%) |
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All occupations | 12 | 100 |
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Management occupations | -- | -- |
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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 | -- | -- |
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Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations | -- | -- |
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Healthcare support occupations | -- | -- |
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Protective service occupations | -- | -- |
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Food preparation and serving related occupations | -- | -- |
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Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations | -- | -- |
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Personal care and service occupations | -- | -- |
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Sales and related occupations | -- | -- |
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Office and administrative support occupations | -- | -- |
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Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | -- | -- |
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Construction and extraction occupations | 3 | 25 |
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Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | -- | -- |
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Production occupations | -- | -- |
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Transportation and material moving occupations | 3 | 25 |
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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. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, District of Columbia, 2023| Demographic | Number | Percent (%) |
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Total | 12 | 100 |
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Employee status | |
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Wage and salary workers | 8 | 67 |
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Self-employed | 4 | 33 |
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Sex | |
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Male | 11 | 92 |
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Female | -- | -- |
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Age | |
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Under 16 years | -- | -- |
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16 to 17 years | -- | -- |
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18 to 19 years | -- | -- |
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20 to 24 years | -- | -- |
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25 to 34 years | 4 | 33 |
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35 to 44 years | -- | -- |
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45 to 54 years | -- | -- |
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55 to 64 years | -- | -- |
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65 years and over | -- | -- |
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Race or ethnic origin | |
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White, non-Hispanic | -- | -- |
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Black or African-American, non-Hispanic | 4 | 33 |
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Hispanic or Latino | 3 | 25 |
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American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic | -- | -- |
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Asian, non-Hispanic | -- | -- |
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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. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Last Modified Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2025
United States Department of Labor
