Fatal work injuries totaled 39 in 2013 for Nebraska, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that while the 2013 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in Nebraska declined by nine over the year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 83 in 2002 and 1994 to a low of 36 in 2005. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a preliminary total of 4,405 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2013, down from a revised count of 4,628 fatalities in 2012, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Final 2013 CFOI data will be released in the late spring of 2015.

 

Of the 39 fatal work injuries reported in Nebraska in 2013, 21 resulted from transportation incidents and 9 from contact with objects and equipment. Together these two major categories accounted for more than three-quarters of all fatal work injuries in the state. (See table 1.) Other major event categories each reported four or fewer deaths. Within transportation incidents, roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles was the most frequent type of workplace fatality with 12 deaths. This category accounted for nearly one-third of all on-the-job fatalities in the state. In the contact with objects and equipment category, seven of the nine deaths occurred as a result of being struck by an object or equipment. (Note that transportation counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2013 data are released in the late spring of 2015 because key source documentation detailing specific transportation-related incidents has not yet been received.)

In the United States, transportation incidents were also the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2013, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. Nebraska’s 54-percent share of fatalities due to this event was larger than the nationwide share. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second most frequent type of event nationally, with 17 percent of work-related fatalities; the share in Nebraska was 10 percent. Contact with objects and equipment and falls, slips, or trips each accounted for 16 percent of the nation’s workplace fatalities, while in the state, these events were responsible for 23 and 10 percent of workplace fatalities, respectively.

Additional key characteristics:

• The agriculture, forestry, hunting, and fishing industry had the largest number of fatalities in the state with 15, compared to 13 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents accounted for nine worker deaths within this sector.
• The construction industry had the second highest fatality count with seven. Transportation incidents were also the leading cause, accounting for four worker deaths.
• Management occupations had the highest number work related fatalities with 11. (See table 3.) Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for eight of these deaths. Workers in transportation and material moving occupations had the next highest fatality count at six.
• Men accounted for 36, or 92 percent, of the work-related fatalities in the state. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 50 percent of these fatalities.
• In Nebraska, 85 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were white non-Hispanics. Nationwide, this group accounted for 68 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 18, or 46 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2013. Nationally, workers in this group accounted for 60 percent of on-the-job fatalities.
• Of the 39 fatal work injuries in Nebraska, 69 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder was self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers and the self-employed was transportation incidents.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS occupational safety and health statistics program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the United States during the calendar year. The program uses diverse state, federal, and independent data sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries. This assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible.

For technical information about the CFOI program, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS web site at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/home.htm.

Federal/State agency coverage. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries includes data for all fatal work injuries, whether the decedent was working in a job covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or other federal or state agencies or was outside the scope of regulatory coverage. Thus, any comparison between the BLS fatality census counts and those released by other agencies should take into account the different coverage requirements and definitions being used by each agency.

Acknowledgments. The Bureau of Labor Statistics appreciates the efforts of all federal, state, local, and private sector entities that submitted source documents used to identify fatal work injuries, in particular the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court.

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

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Nebraska, 2012-2013

Event or exposure(1)	2012(2)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	48	39	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	--	4	10
Intentional injury by person	--	3	8
Intentional injury by other person	1	3	8
Shooting by other person--intentional	1	3	8
Transportation incidents	25	21	54
Aircraft incidents	1	4	10
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing	--	4	10
Pedestrian vehicular incident	3	2	5
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	--	1	3
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in roadway	--	1	3
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	--	1	3
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	17	12	31
Roadway collision with other vehicle	12	7	18
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	--	2	5
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	4	3	8
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	--	2	5
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	--	2	5
Roadway noncollision incident	3	3	8
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	3	3	8
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	4	3	8
Nonroadway noncollision incident	3	3	8
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	3	3	8
Falls, slips, trips	6	4	10
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	5	1	3
Exposure to other harmful substances	--	1	3
Inhalation of harmful substance	--	1	3
Inhalation of harmful substance--single episode	--	1	3
Contact with objects and equipment	10	9	23
Struck by object or equipment	6	7	18
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	3	5	13
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	--	3	8
Excavation or trenching cave-in	--	1	3
Engulfment in other collapsing material	1	1	3
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward. Total may include other events not shown. (2) Data fro 2012 are revised and final (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released in the late spring 2015.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Nebraska, 2012-2013

Industry(1)	2012(2)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	48	39	100
Private industry	42	34	87
Natural resources and mining	14	15	38
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	13	15	38
Crop production	5	10	26
Animal production	8	4	10
Support activities for agriculture and forestry	--	1	3
Support activities for animal production	--	1	3
Construction	9	7	18
Construction	9	7	18
Construction of buildings	--	2	5
Nonresidential building construction	--	2	5
Heavy and civil engineering construction	1	1	3
Highway, street, and bridge construction	1	1	3
Specialty trade contractors	8	4	10
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	--	3	8
Building equipment contractors	1	1	3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	12	8	21
Utilities	1	1	3
Utilities	1	1	3
Water, sewage and other systems	--	1	3
Wholesale trade	4	3	8
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	1	1	3
Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers	--	1	3
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	3	2	5
Farm product raw material merchant wholesalers	1	1	3
Petroleum and petroleum products merchant wholesalers	--	1	3
Transportation and warehousing	7	5	13
Rail transportation	1	1	3
Rail transportation	1	1	3
Truck transportation	5	4	10
General freight trucking	3	4	10
Professional and business services	1	1	3
Professional and technical services	--	1	3
Professional, scientific, and technical services	--	1	3
Legal services	--	1	3
Administrative and waste services	--	1	3
Administrative and support services	1	1	3
Investigation and security services	--	1	3
Educational and health services	3	2	5
Educational services	3	1	3
Educational services	3	1	3
Elementary and secondary schools	3	1	3
Colleges, universities, and professional schools	--	1	3
Health care and social assistance	--	1	3
Ambulatory health care services	--	1	3
Other ambulatory health care services	--	1	3
Social assistance	--	1	3
Community food and housing, and emergency and other relief services	--	1	3
Other services, except public administration	--	1	3
Other services, except public administration	--	1	3
Personal and laundry services	--	1	3
Personal care services	--	1	3
Government(3)	6	5	13
Local government	4	3	8
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2007. Total may include other industries not shown. (2) Data for 2012 are revised and final (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released in the late spring 2015. (3) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Nebraska, 2012-2013

Occupation(1)	2012(2)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	48	39	100
Management occupations	10	11	28
Top executives	--	3	8
Chief executives	--	2	5
Chief executives	--	2	5
General and operations managers	--	1	3
General and operations managers	--	1	3
Other management occupations	9	8	21
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	9	8	21
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	9	8	21
Legal occupations	--	1	3
Lawyers, judges, and related workers	--	1	3
Lawyers and judicial law clerks	--	1	3
Lawyers	--	1	3
Education, training, and library occupations	2	2	5
Postsecondary teachers	--	2	5
Healthcare support occupations	--	1	3
Other healthcare support occupations	--	1	3
Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations	--	1	3
Protective service occupations	--	1	3
Other protective service workers	--	1	3
Security guards and gaming surveillance officers	--	1	3
Security guards	--	1	3
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	1	1	3
Building cleaning and pest control workers	--	1	3
Building cleaning workers	--	1	3
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners	--	1	3
Sales and related occupations	--	2	5
Supervisors of sales workers	--	2	5
First-line supervisors of sales workers	--	2	5
First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers	--	2	5
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	4	5	13
Supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	1	3
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	1	3
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	1	3
Agricultural workers	4	4	10
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	4	4	10
Construction and extraction occupations	10	5	13
Construction trades workers	7	3	8
Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters	--	1	3
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters	--	1	3
Roofers	--	1	3
Roofers	--	1	3
Other construction and related workers	--	2	5
Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators	--	1	3
Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators	--	1	3
Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners	--	1	3
Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners	--	1	3
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3	3	8
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	1	3	8
Transportation and material moving occupations	14	6	15
Motor vehicle operators	8	5	13
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	7	4	10
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	7	3	8
Material moving workers	5	1	3
Conveyor operators and tenders	--	1	3
Conveyor operators and tenders	--	1	3
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. Total may include occupations not shown. (2) Data for 2012 are revised and final (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released in the late spring 2015.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics, Nebraska, 2012-2013

Worker characteristics	2012(1)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	48	39	100
Employee status
Wage and salary(2)	36	27	69
Self-employed(3)	12	12	31
Gender
Men	44	36	92
Women	4	3	8
Age(4)
20 to 24 years	5	1	3
25 to 34 years	8	4	10
35 to 44 years	5	4	10
45 to 54 years	14	10	26
55 to 64 years	10	6	15
65 years and over	6	14	36
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White, non-Hispanic	42	33	85
Hispanic or Latino	5	3	8
Footnotes: (1) Data for 2012 are revised and final (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released in the late spring 2015. (2) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. (3) 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. (4) Information may not be available for all age groups. (5) Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude Hispanic and Latino workers.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.