Fatal work injuries totaled 50 in 2015 for Nebraska, 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 Nebraska decreased from 55 the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 83 in 1994 and 2002 to a low of 36 in 2005. (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 Nebraska, transportation incidents and contact with objects or equipment resulted in 23 and 11 fatal work injuries, respectively. These two major categories accounted for 68 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents decreased by three over the year. Fatalities from contact with objects or equipment were little changed from the previous year.

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 Nebraska with 17, little changed from the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents was the most frequent fatal event in the agriculture sector with eight worker deaths, followed by contact with objects and equipment with seven fatalities. Fifty-nine percent of those fatally injured in this sector worked in cattle ranching and farming.

The private transportation and warehousing sector had eight workplace fatalities, up by four from the previous year. Truck transportation accounted for five of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations and management occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 15 and 13, respectively. (See table 3.) Six of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for 10 of the 13 fatalities among management workers.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 90 percent of the work-related fatalities in Nebraska, below the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 49 percent of the fatalities for men in Nebraska.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 88 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 40 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2015, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
• Of the 50 fatal work injuries in Nebraska, 60 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both groups 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 Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court 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, Nebraska, 2014–15

Event or exposure (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	55	50	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	7	6	12
Intentional injury by person	5	3	6
Transportation incidents	26	23	46
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	17	19	38
Roadway collision with other vehicle	10	12	24
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	3	4	8
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	4	5	10
Roadway noncollision incident	6	6	12
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	5	4	8
Ran off roadway	--	2	4
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	4	4	8
Nonroadway noncollision incident	1	4	8
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	--	3	6
Fires and explosions	2	4	8
Explosions	1	2	4
Explosion of nonpressurized vapors, gases, or liquids	--	2	4
Falls, slips, trips	9	4	8
Falls to lower level	8	4	8
Contact with objects and equipment	10	11	22
Struck by object or equipment	4	7	14
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	--	4	8
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	--	4	8
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	--	3	6
Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery--other than vehicle part	--	3	6
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	4	3	6
Engulfment in other collapsing material	2	3	6
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, Nebraska, 2014–15

Industry (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	55	50	100
Private industry	51	48	96
Natural resources and mining	17	18	36
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	16	17	34
Crop production	11	7	14
Oilseed and grain farming	2	5	10
Corn farming	1	3	6
Animal production and aquaculture	5	10	20
Cattle ranching and farming	4	10	20
Beef cattle ranching and farming, including feedlots	--	8	16
Beef cattle ranching and farming	--	7	14
Construction	9	5	10
Construction	9	5	10
Construction of buildings	2	3	6
Nonresidential building construction	1	3	6
Commercial and institutional building construction	--	2	4
Specialty trade contractors	--	2	4
Manufacturing	7	3	6
Manufacturing	7	3	6
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	1	2	4
Trade, transportation, and utilities	14	11	22
Wholesale trade	7	2	4
Transportation and warehousing	4	8	16
Truck transportation	4	5	10
General freight trucking	1	3	6
General freight trucking, long-distance	1	2	4
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	1	2	4
Support activities for transportation	--	2	4
Support activities for rail transportation	--	2	4
Support activities for rail transportation	--	2	4
Information	2	1	2
Financial activities	1	1	2
Professional and business services	1	4	8
Administrative and waste services	1	4	8
Administrative and support services	1	4	8
Services to buildings and dwellings	--	4	8
Educational and health services	1	1	2
Leisure and hospitality	--	3	6
Accommodation and food services	--	2	4
Other services, except public administration	--	1	2
Government (2)	4	2	4
Local government	4	2	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, Nebraska, 2014–15

Occupation (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	55	50	100
Management occupations	11	13	26
Top executives	--	1	2
Chief executives	--	1	2
Chief executives	--	1	2
Other management occupations	11	12	24
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	11	10	20
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	11	10	20
Funeral service managers	--	1	2
Funeral service managers	--	1	2
Lodging managers	--	1	2
Lodging managers	--	1	2
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	1	2
Health diagnosing and treating practitioners	--	1	2
Dentists	--	1	2
Dentists, general	--	1	2
Protective service occupations	3	1	2
Law enforcement workers	1	1	2
Detectives and criminal investigators	--	1	2
Detectives and criminal investigators	--	1	2
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	--	4	8
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	--	--	--
First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	--	--	--
First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers	--	1	2
Personal care and service occupations	--	1	2
Entertainment attendants and related workers	--	1	2
Miscellaneous entertainment attendants and related workers	--	1	2
Amusement and recreation attendants	--	1	2
Sales and related occupations	3	1	2
Supervisors of sales workers	3	1	2
First-line supervisors of sales workers	3	1	2
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	1	1	2
Office and administrative support occupations	--	1	2
Secretaries and administrative assistants	--	1	2
Secretaries and administrative assistants	--	1	2
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive	--	1	2
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	5	7	14
Agricultural workers	5	7	14
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	5	7	14
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse	2	3	6
Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals	3	4	8
Construction and extraction occupations	11	4	8
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	4	1	2
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	4	1	2
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	4	1	2
Construction trades workers	6	3	6
Construction laborers	5	3	6
Construction laborers	5	3	6
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3	2	4
Electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	1	1	2
Radio and telecommunications equipment installers and repairers	--	1	2
Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers	--	1	2
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	--	1	2
Maintenance and repair workers, general	1	1	2
Maintenance and repair workers, general	1	1	2
Transportation and material moving occupations	15	15	30
Motor vehicle operators	9	8	16
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	9	8	16
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	6	6	12
Material moving workers	5	7	14
Crane and tower operators	--	1	2
Crane and tower operators	--	1	2
Industrial truck and tractor operators	2	2	4
Industrial truck and tractor operators	2	2	4
Laborers and material movers, hand	--	--	--
Cleaners of vehicles and equipment	--	2	4
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	--	1	2
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	--	1	2
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, Nebraska, 2014–15

Worker characteristics	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	55	50	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	37	30	60
Self-employed (2)	18	20	40
Gender
Men	51	45	90
Women	4	5	10
Age (3)
25 to 34 years	6	7	14
35 to 44 years	6	8	16
45 to 54 years	10	5	10
55 to 64 years	11	14	28
65 years and over	17	16	32
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	42	44	88
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	4	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	9	4	8
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.