Fatal Work Injuries in Pennsylvania — 2024

Fatal work injuries totaled 185 in 2024 for Pennsylvania, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Pennsylvania was up 9.5 percent from 169 in 2023. (See chart 1.) The fatal work injury rate was 3.1 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers in 2024, an increase from a rate of 2.9 in 2023. Nationwide, a total of 5,070 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2024, a 4.0-percent decrease from 5,283 in 2023. These data are from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

Stacked column chart of fatal occupational injuries by employee status in Pennsylvania, 2015–24. Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Number of fatal occupational injuries by employee status, Pennsylvania, 2015–24
Year	Total	Wage and salary	Self-employed
2015	173	146	27
2016	163	130	33
2017	172	133	39
2018	177	138	39
2019	154	128	26
2020	148	107	41
2021	162	138	24
2022	183	147	36
2023	169	143	26
2024	185	147	38
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Fatal event or exposure

Transportation incidents (59) were the most frequent type of fatal event in Pennsylvania, accounting for 32 percent of all fatal work injuries in the state. Nationally the share was 38 percent. Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 50 over the year. (See chart 2 and table 1.)

Fatal falls, slips, and trips (48) accounted for 26 percent of Pennsylvania worker fatalities; nationally the share was 17 percent.

Clustered column chart of percent distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and Pennsylvania, 2024. Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Percent distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and Pennsylvania, 2024
Event	United States	Pennsylvania
Transportation incidents	38	32
Falls, slips, trips	17	26
Violent acts	14	16
Contact incidents	15	14
All other	16	12
Note: Percents may not add to total due to rounding. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Private industry

The construction sector had the highest number of fatalities with 48, up from 30 the previous year. (See table 2.)
Fatal falls, slips, and trips were the most frequent type of fatal event in the construction sector, resulting in 24 of the 48 fatalities.
The specialty trade contractors subsector accounted for 21 of the sector’s fatal workplace injuries.

Occupation

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations workers experienced the largest increase (13) in fatal work injuries over the year among the major occupational groups. (See table 3.)
The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 45. Transportation incidents resulted in 29 fatalities among these workers. Motor vehicle operators accounted for 34 of the major group’s 45 fatal workplace injuries.

Worker characteristics

Wage and salary workers accounted for 79 percent of fatal workplace injuries in Pennsylvania; the self-employed comprised the remaining 21 percent. (See chart 1 and table 4.) Nationally, wage and salary workers comprised 82 percent of fatalities.
Males accounted for 95 percent of the work-related fatalities in Pennsylvania and 92 percent nationally.
Fatal workplace injuries among female workers decreased from 17 to 10, with transportation incidents accounting for 40 percent of fatal events in 2024.
White non-Hispanics accounted for 78 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 56 percent of work-related deaths.

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 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 nationally. See the national CFOI release Technical Notes for details on cooperating entities.

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Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Pennsylvania, 2023–24
Event or Exposure (1)	2023	2024
Event or Exposure (1)	Number	Number	Percent (%)
All events and exposures	169	185	100
Violent acts	24	29	16
Homicides (violent acts by other person)	11	14	8
Shooting by other person	9	12	6
Hitting, kicking, beating by other person	--	2	1
Suicides (intentional self-harm)	13	15	8
Intentional self-harm-- shooting	8	9	5
Intentional self-harm-- hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation	5	4	2
Transportation incidents	50	59	32
Aircraft incidents	1	1	1
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing	--	1	1
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing due to mechanical failure	--	1	1
Pedestrian incidents involving motorized land vehicles	15	15	8
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in road work zone	--	4	2
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in road work zone	--	4	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	--	6	3
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in roadway	--	5	3
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	8	5	3
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in nonroadway area	4	3	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area	--	1	1
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	28	30	16
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)	12	14	8
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-moving in same direction	1	2	1
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-moving and standing vehicle	3	6	3
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	11	16	9
Vehicle struck by falling or flying object(s) in roadway	--	1	1
Collision with object or animal on side of roadway	11	15	8
Nonroadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles	6	13	7
Explosions and fires	--	1	1
Explosions	--	1	1
Intentionally set explosion	--	1	1
Falls, slips, trips	43	48	26
Fall to lower level	28	42	23
Fall to lower level resulting from exposure or contact	--	3	2
Fall to lower level resulting from exposure or contact- 6 to 30 feet	--	3	2
Other fall to lower level	25	35	19
Other fall to lower level- 6 to 30 feet	10	13	7
Other fall to lower level- more than 30 feet	3	5	3
Slip, trip, stumble or fall on same level	12	3	2
Fall on same level	12	3	2
Exposure to harmful substances, environments	14	22	12
Exposure to harmful substances	12	16	9
Drug, alcohol overdose	--	16	9
Contact incidents	29	26	14
Collapse, engulfment	1	2	1
Collapse, engulfment- loose materials or liquids	1	1	1
Collapse, engulfment- building or structure	--	1	1
Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object	16	15	8
Struck by falling object	--	14	8
Struck by object tipping over	--	1	1
Struck by suspended or swinging object	--	1	1
Struck, caught, or compressed by running powered equipment	10	6	3
Compressed between running equipment and other object(s)	--	1	1
Struck by rolling powered vehicle or machinery	3	2	1
Contact with non-running objects or equipment	--	2	1
Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects-non-running	--	2	1
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) version 3 implemented for 2023 data forward.
Note: The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm) for a more detailed description of each data element. 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, Pennsylvania, 2023–24
Industry	2023	2024
Industry	Number	Number	Percent (%)
Total	169	185	100
Private industry (1)	159	177	96
Natural resources and mining	13	19	10
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	10	16	9
Crop production	5	3	2
Other crop farming	--	1	1
All other crop farming	--	1	1
Animal production and aquaculture	3	4	2
Cattle ranching and farming	3	4	2
Forestry and logging	1	7	4
Logging	1	7	4
Logging	1	7	4
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction	3	3	2
Mining (except oil and gas)	2	3	2
Construction	30	48	26
Construction	30	48	26
Construction of buildings	8	19	10
Residential building construction	5	12	6
Residential building construction	5	12	6
New single-family housing construction (except for-sale builders)	--	2	1
Residential remodelers	3	4	2
Nonresidential building construction	3	7	4
Commercial and institutional building construction	1	5	3
Heavy and civil engineering construction	4	8	4
Utility system construction	--	4	2
Highway, street, and bridge construction	--	4	2
Highway, street, and bridge construction	--	4	2
Specialty trade contractors	17	21	11
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	8	8	4
Framing contractors	--	1	1
Masonry contractors	--	3	2
Residential masonry contractors	--	1	1
Roofing contractors	5	4	2
Building equipment contractors	5	5	3
Building finishing contractors	--	4	2
Drywall and insulation contractors	--	1	1
Other specialty trade contractors	--	4	2
Manufacturing	29	21	11
Manufacturing	29	21	11
Food manufacturing	9	3	2
Wood product manufacturing	3	3	2
Paper manufacturing	--	1	1
Converted paper product manufacturing	--	1	1
Other converted paper product manufacturing	--	1	1
Sanitary paper product manufacturing	--	1	1
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing	--	1	1
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing	--	1	1
Asphalt paving, roofing, and saturated materials manufacturing	--	1	1
Chemical manufacturing	--	3	2
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	3	5	3
Forging and stamping	--	1	1
Forging and stamping	--	1	1
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing	--	1	1
Miscellaneous manufacturing	3	1	1
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing	--	1	1
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing	--	1	1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	49	40	22
Wholesale trade	7	4	2
Retail trade	14	8	4
Motor vehicle and parts dealers	3	4	2
Transportation and warehousing	28	28	15
Truck transportation	22	19	10
General freight trucking	18	15	8
General freight trucking, local	4	4	2
General freight trucking, long-distance	14	10	5
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	9	5	3
General freight trucking, long-distance, less than truckload	1	1	1
Specialized freight trucking	4	4	2
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	--	3	2
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance	2	1	1
Support activities for transportation	--	3	2
Support activities for air transportation	--	1	1
Couriers and messengers	--	3	2
Information	--	--	--
Financial activities	--	--	--
Professional and business services	13	23	12
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	13	23	12
Administrative and support services	9	18	10
Waste management and remediation services	4	5	3
Educational and health services	6	9	5
Educational services	2	3	2
Educational services	2	3	2
Elementary and secondary schools	2	3	2
Elementary and secondary schools	2	3	2
Health care and social assistance	4	6	3
Nursing and residential care facilities	--	1	1
Other residential care facilities	--	1	1
Other residential care facilities	--	1	1
Leisure and hospitality	11	--	--
Accommodation and food services	5	6	3
Accommodation	1	1	1
Traveler accommodation	1	1	1
Hotels (except casino hotels) and motels	--	1	1
Food services and drinking places	4	5	3
Restaurants and other eating places	4	5	3
Restaurants and other eating places	4	5	3
Other services (except public administration)	8	7	4
Other services (except public administration)	8	7	4
Repair and maintenance	4	3	2
Automotive repair and maintenance	--	3	2
Automotive mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance	--	3	2
General automotive repair	--	3	2
Government (2)	10	8	4
Federal government	--	--	--
State government	3	3	2
Local government	7	5	3
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 concepts page at https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm#industry. (2) 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: The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm) for a more detailed description of each data element. 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, Pennsylvania, 2023–24
Occupation (1)	2023	2024
Occupation (1)	Number	Number	Percent (%)
All occupations	169	185	100
Management occupations	11	4	2
Community and social service occupations	--	2	1
Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists	--	2	1
Social workers	--	2	1
Child, family, and school social workers	--	2	1
Protective service occupations	12	12	6
Other protective service workers	5	4	2
Security guards and gambling surveillance officers	--	3	2
Security guards	--	3	2
Miscellaneous protective service workers	--	1	1
Crossing guards and flaggers	--	1	1
Food preparation and serving related occupations	4	6	3
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	7	19	10
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	--	5	3
First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	--	5	3
Building cleaning and pest control workers	--	2	1
Building cleaning workers	--	2	1
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners	--	1	1
Maids and housekeeping cleaners	--	1	1
Grounds maintenance workers	--	12	6
Grounds maintenance workers	--	12	6
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	--	7	4
Tree trimmers and pruners	--	5	3
Office and administrative support occupations	6	1	1
Secretaries and administrative assistants	--	1	1
Secretaries and administrative assistants	--	1	1
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	4	11	6
Supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	4	2
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	4	2
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	4	2
Agricultural workers	--	1	1
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	--	1	1
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse	--	1	1
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	1	6	3
Logging workers	1	6	3
Fallers	1	6	3
Construction and extraction occupations	32	42	23
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	6	8	4
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	6	8	4
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	6	8	4
Construction trades workers	22	31	17
Construction laborers	9	14	8
Construction laborers	9	14	8
Construction equipment operators	--	6	3
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators	--	6	3
Insulation workers	--	1	1
Roofers	4	4	2
Roofers	4	4	2
Extraction workers	2	1	1
Underground mining machine operators	--	1	1
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	12	25	14
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	4	4	2
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	4	18	10
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers	--	3	2
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers	--	3	2
Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers	--	4	2
Industrial machinery mechanics	--	1	1
Maintenance workers, machinery	--	3	2
Maintenance and repair workers, general	2	7	4
Maintenance and repair workers, general	2	7	4
Production occupations	17	12	6
Metal workers and plastic workers	3	3	2
Welding, soldering, and brazing workers	--	1	1
Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers	--	2	1
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers	--	2	1
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers	--	2	1
Transportation and material moving occupations	46	45	24
Supervisors of transportation and material moving workers	--	4	2
First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers	--	4	2
Motor vehicle operators	32	34	18
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	--	33	18
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	--	29	16
Passenger vehicle drivers	--	1	1
Material moving workers	11	7	4
Laborers and material movers	6	4	2
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	5	4	2
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	--	1	1
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	--	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 these years, see the CFOI definitions page (www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm). Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.
Note: The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm) for a more detailed description of each data element. 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, Pennsylvania, 2023–24
Demographic	2023	2024
Demographic	Number	Number	Percent (%)
Total	169	185	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	143	147	79
Self-employed (2)	26	38	21
Sex
Male	150	175	95
Female	17	10	5
Age (3)
Under 16 years	--	--	--
16 to 17 years	--	--	--
18 to 19 years	3	--	--
20 to 24 years	7	6	3
25 to 34 years	26	35	19
35 to 44 years	33	33	18
45 to 54 years	27	30	16
55 to 64 years	42	39	21
65 years and over	29	38	21
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	120	145	78
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	14	14	8
Hispanic or Latino	25	18	10
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Asian, non-Hispanic	5	4	2
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Person of multiple races, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Other or not reported, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
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: The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm) for a more detailed description of each data element. 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: Thursday, March 19, 2026

Mid-Atlantic Information Office

Fatal Work Injuries in Pennsylvania — 2024