News Release Information
24-414-PHI
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Fatal Work Injuries in West Virginia — 2022
Fatal work injuries totaled 48 in 2022 for West Virginia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the number of work-related fatalities in West Virginia was up from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 95 in 2010 to a low of 35 in 2015. 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, West Virginia, 2013–22
| Year |
Total |
Wage and salary |
Self-employed |
|
2013
|
61 |
48 |
13 |
|
2014
|
38 |
35 |
3 |
|
2015
|
35 |
31 |
4 |
|
2016
|
47 |
41 |
6 |
|
2017
|
51 |
43 |
8 |
|
2018
|
57 |
52 |
5 |
|
2019
|
46 |
42 |
4 |
|
2020
|
47 |
40 |
7 |
|
2021
|
36 |
31 |
5 |
|
2022
|
48 |
43 |
5 |
Fatal event or exposure
In West Virginia, transportation incidents and exposure to harmful substances or environments both resulted in 15 fatal work injuries, respectively. These two major categories accounted for 63 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were unchanged over the year.
Contact with objects and equipment was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 7 fatalities, down from 12 in the prior year. Falls, slips, and trips resulted in four 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 West Virginia, 2022
| Event |
United States |
West Virginia |
|
Transportation incidents
|
38 |
31 |
|
Exposure to harmful substances or environments
|
15 |
31 |
|
Contact with objects and equipment
|
14 |
15 |
|
Falls, slips, trips
|
16 |
8 |
|
All other
|
18 |
15 |
Industry
The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in West Virginia with 10, up from 9 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 7 of the 10 fatalities in the industry.
The other services, except public administration, industry sector had six fatal workplace injuries. The mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry sector accounted for five work-related fatalities, down from six last year. The mining (except oil and gas) industry subsector had 4 of the 5 fatalities in the industry.
Occupation
The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 13. (See table 3.) Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 10 of the 13 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries with nine. Extraction workers accounted for 4 of the 9 fatalities within construction and extraction workers.
Additional highlights:
-
Men accounted for 90 percent of the work-related fatalities in West Virginia, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Incidents involving exposure to harmful substances or environments made up 28 percent of the fatalities for men in West Virginia.
-
White non-Hispanics accounted for 85 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 58 percent of work-related deaths.
-
Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 73 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2022, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
-
Of the 48 fatal work injuries in West Virginia, 90 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 WorkForce West Virginia 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, West Virginia, 2021–22
| Event or exposure |
2021 |
2022 |
| Number |
Number |
Percent |
|
Total
|
36 |
48 |
100 |
|
Transportation incidents
|
15 |
15 |
31 |
|
Pedestrian vehicular incident
|
-- |
3 |
6 |
|
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle
|
10 |
10 |
21 |
|
Roadway collision with other vehicle
|
-- |
3 |
6 |
|
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle
|
5 |
4 |
8 |
|
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway
|
-- |
3 |
6 |
|
Roadway noncollision incident
|
-- |
3 |
6 |
|
Falls, slips, trips
|
-- |
4 |
8 |
|
Falls to lower level
|
-- |
4 |
8 |
|
Other fall to lower level
|
-- |
4 |
8 |
|
Exposure to harmful substances or environments
|
-- |
15 |
31 |
|
Exposure to electricity
|
-- |
1 |
2 |
|
Indirect exposure to electricity
|
-- |
1 |
2 |
|
Indirect exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts
|
-- |
1 |
2 |
|
Exposure to other harmful substances
|
-- |
13 |
27 |
|
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose
|
-- |
13 |
27 |
|
Contact with objects and equipment
|
12 |
7 |
15 |
|
Struck by object or equipment
|
9 |
4 |
8 |
|
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects
|
-- |
3 |
6 |
|
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, West Virginia, 2021–22
| Industry |
2021 |
2022 |
| Number |
Number |
Percent |
|
Total
|
36 |
48 |
100 |
|
Private Industry
|
36 |
45 |
94 |
|
Goods producing
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Natural resources and mining
|
11 |
9 |
19 |
|
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
|
5 |
4 |
8 |
|
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
|
6 |
5 |
10 |
|
Mining--except oil and gas
|
5 |
4 |
8 |
|
Support activities for mining
|
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Support activities for mining
|
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Support activities for mining
|
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Support activities for coal mining
|
-- |
1 |
2 |
|
Construction
|
4 |
4 |
8 |
|
Construction
|
4 |
4 |
8 |
|
Manufacturing
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Service providing
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Trade, transportation, and utilities
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Transportation and warehousing
|
9 |
10 |
21 |
|
Information
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Financial activities
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Professional and business services
|
-- |
4 |
8 |
|
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services
|
-- |
4 |
8 |
|
Administrative and support services
|
-- |
4 |
8 |
|
Educational and health services
|
1 |
3 |
6 |
|
Health care and social assistance
|
1 |
3 |
6 |
|
Leisure and hospitality
|
-- |
4 |
8 |
|
Accommodation and food services
|
-- |
4 |
8 |
|
Food services and drinking places
|
-- |
4 |
8 |
|
Other services, except public administration
|
-- |
6 |
12 |
|
Other services, except public administration
|
-- |
6 |
12 |
|
Public administration
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Federal government
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
State government
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Local government
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
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, West Virginia, 2021–22
| Occupation |
2021 |
2022 |
| Number |
Number |
Percent |
|
Total
|
36 |
48 |
100 |
|
Business and financial operations occupations
|
-- |
1 |
2 |
|
Business operations specialists
|
-- |
1 |
2 |
|
Logisticians and project management specialists
|
-- |
1 |
2 |
|
Food preparation and serving related occupations
|
-- |
4 |
8 |
|
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
|
3 |
3 |
6 |
|
Forest, conservation, and logging workers
|
3 |
3 |
6 |
|
Logging workers
|
3 |
3 |
6 |
|
Construction and extraction occupations
|
10 |
9 |
19 |
|
Construction trades workers
|
-- |
3 |
6 |
|
Extraction workers
|
3 |
4 |
8 |
|
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
|
4 |
5 |
10 |
|
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers
|
-- |
3 |
6 |
|
Transportation and material moving occupations
|
13 |
13 |
27 |
|
Motor vehicle operators
|
11 |
11 |
23 |
|
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
|
11 |
11 |
23 |
|
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
|
7 |
10 |
21 |
|
Light truck drivers
|
-- |
1 |
2 |
|
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, West Virginia, 2021–22
| Worker characteristics |
2021 |
2022 |
| Number |
Number |
Percent |
|
Total
|
36 |
48 |
100 |
|
Employee status
|
|
|
Wage and salary workers
|
31 |
43 |
90 |
|
Self-employed
|
5 |
5 |
10 |
|
Gender
|
|
|
Men
|
36 |
43 |
90 |
|
Women
|
-- |
5 |
10 |
|
Age
|
|
|
25 to 34 years
|
-- |
8 |
17 |
|
35 to 44 years
|
7 |
12 |
25 |
|
45 to 54 years
|
6 |
15 |
31 |
|
55 to 64 years
|
9 |
8 |
17 |
|
65 years and over
|
8 |
4 |
8 |
|
Race or ethnic origin
|
|
|
White, non-Hispanic
|
33 |
41 |
85 |
|
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic
|
3 |
-- |
-- |
|
Hispanic or Latino
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Asian, non-Hispanic
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic
|
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
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
