Fatal work injuries totaled 74 in 2015 for Minnesota, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Minnesota increased from 62 in the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 113 in 1993 to a low of 60 in 2011. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 4,836 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2015, a slight increase from the 4,821 fatal injuries in 2014, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

Type of incident

In Minnesota, transportation incidents resulted in 31 fatal work injuries. Contact with objects or equipment and falls, slips, or trips accounted for 17 and 13 fatal work injuries, respectively. These three major categories accounted for 82 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents increased from 25 in the previous year. Fatalities from contact with objects or equipment increased by three from the previous year, and fatalities from falls, slips, or trips were up by four.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2015, accounting for approximately 42 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, or trips was the second-most frequent type of event (17 percent), followed by contact with objects and equipment (15 percent) and violence and other injuries by persons or animals (15 percent).

Industry

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in Minnesota with 23, little changed from the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents was the most frequent fatal event with 12 worker deaths, followed by contact with objects or equipment with 6 fatalities. Sixty-one percent of those fatally injured in this sector worked in crop production.

The private construction sector had nine workplace fatalities, also little changed from the previous year. Specialty trade contractors accounted for five, or 56 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

Management occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 15. (See table 3.) Almost all of the fatalities within this group were farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers. Construction and extraction occupations had nine work-related fatalities. Construction trades workers accounted for five of the nine fatalities.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 81 percent of the work-related fatalities in Minnesota, lower than the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 38 percent of the fatalities for men in Minnesota.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 95 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 67 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 39 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2015, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally. Workers aged 55 years and over accounted for 49 percent of fatalities. Nationally, workers aged 55 years and over accounted for 35 percent of fatalities.
• Of the 74 fatal work injuries in Minnesota, 54 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both groups of workers was transportation incidents.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the BLS Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI program uses diverse 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 2015 data, over 21,400 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for CFOI, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS web site at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch9.pdf.

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. BLS thanks the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry 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 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, Minnesota, 2014–15

Event or exposure (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	62	74	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	8	7	9
Intentional injury by person	6	7	9
Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)	--	4	5
Shooting by other person--intentional	--	3	4
Suicides (Self-inflicted injury--intentional)	4	3	4
Transportation incidents	25	31	42
Pedestrian vehicular incident	--	4	5
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	--	3	4
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	16	19	26
Roadway collision with other vehicle	10	11	15
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	--	2	3
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	7	6	8
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	--	3	4
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	--	3	4
Roadway noncollision incident	4	5	7
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	4	4	5
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	5	5	7
Nonroadway noncollision incident	3	4	5
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	3	3	4
Falls, slips, trips	9	13	18
Falls on same level	--	3	4
Fall on same level due to slipping	--	3	4
Falls to lower level	7	10	14
Other fall to lower level	4	6	8
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	5	3	4
Exposure to other harmful substances	--	3	4
Contact with objects and equipment	14	17	23
Struck by object or equipment	10	11	15
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	6	5	7
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	4	5	7
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	--	5	7
Caught in running equipment or machinery	--	4	5
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Minnesota, 2014–15

Industry (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	62	74	100
Private industry	60	71	96
Natural resources and mining	21	24	32
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	21	23	31
Crop production	9	14	19
Oilseed and grain farming	--	4	5
Corn farming	--	4	5
Animal production and aquaculture	10	7	9
Cattle ranching and farming	9	6	8
Construction	7	9	12
Construction	7	9	12
Construction of buildings	--	3	4
Specialty trade contractors	4	5	7
Manufacturing	3	7	9
Manufacturing	3	7	9
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	--	3	4
Trade, transportation, and utilities	18	13	18
Retail trade	--	5	7
Motor vehicle and parts dealers	--	4	5
Transportation and warehousing	9	6	8
Truck transportation	6	3	4
General freight trucking	4	3	4
Financial activities	--	1	1
Professional and business services	--	8	11
Administrative and waste services	--	7	9
Administrative and support services	--	7	9
Services to buildings and dwellings	--	5	7
Landscaping services	--	4	5
Educational and health services	3	3	4
Health care and social assistance	3	3	4
Leisure and hospitality	3	4	5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	--	3	4
Government (2)	--	3	4
Local government	--	3	4
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Minnesota, 2014–15

Occupation (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	62	74	100
Management occupations	15	15	20
Other management occupations	14	14	19
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	14	14	19
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	14	14	19
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	--	5	7
Building cleaning and pest control workers	--	1	1
Building cleaning workers	--	1	1
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners	--	1	1
Grounds maintenance workers	--	3	4
Grounds maintenance workers	--	3	4
Sales and related occupations	--	5	7
Office and administrative support occupations	--	3	4
Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers	--	--	--
Postal service workers	--	1	1
Postal service mail carriers	--	1	1
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	6	8	11
Agricultural workers	4	7	9
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	4	7	9
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse	--	3	4
Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals	3	3	4
Construction and extraction occupations	4	9	12
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	--	4	5
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	4	5
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	4	5
Construction trades workers	3	5	7
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	6	3	4
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	--	3	4
Production occupations	--	7	9
Metal workers and plastic workers	--	3	4
Transportation and material moving occupations	17	8	11
Motor vehicle operators	14	6	8
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	14	6	8
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	10	6	8
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics, Minnesota, 2014–15

Worker characteristics	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	62	74	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	35	40	54
Self-employed (2)	27	34	46
Gender
Men	60	60	81
Women	--	14	19
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	3	7	9
25 to 34 years	7	9	12
35 to 44 years	9	7	9
45 to 54 years	14	13	18
55 to 64 years	11	19	26
65 years and over	17	17	23
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	52	70	95
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	5	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	4	--	--
Footnotes: (1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. (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 Hispanic and Latino workers.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.