Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

17-1607-CHI
Friday, February 23, 2018

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Fatal Work Injuries in Minnesota — 2016

Fatal work injuries totaled 92 in 2016 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 74 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 5,190 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2016, a 7-percent increase from the 4,836 fatal injuries in 2015, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. This was the third consecutive increase in annual workplace fatalities and the first time more than 5,000 fatalities have been recorded since 2008.

Type of incident

In Minnesota, transportation incidents resulted in 46 fatal work injuries. Exposure to harmful substances or environments and falls, slips, or trips accounted for 12 and 11 fatal work injuries, respectively. These three major categories accounted for 75 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents increased from 31 in the previous year. Fatalities from exposure to harmful substances or environments increased by nine from the previous year, and fatalities from falls, slips, or trips were down by two.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2016, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent), followed by falls, slips, or trips (16 percent).

Industry

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry sector had the largest number of fatal work injuries in Minnesota with 23, unchanged from the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event with 10 worker deaths. Fifty-two percent of those fatally injured in this sector worked in crop production.

The private construction sector had 15 workplace fatalities, up 6 from the previous year. The specialty trade contractor industry accounted for 9, or 60 percent, of the fatal injuries in this sector.

Occupation

Construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of work-related fatalities with 18. (See table 3.) Construction trades workers accounted for 8 of the 18 fatalities. Management occupations had 17 workplace fatalities. Fourteen of the worker deaths within this group were farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers. Transportation and material moving occupations also had 17 workplace fatalities. Ten of the fatalities within this group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.

Additional highlights
  • Men accounted for 91 percent of the work-related fatalities in Minnesota, compared to the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 51 percent of the fatalities for men in Minnesota.
  • White non-Hispanics accounted for 86 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 41 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2016, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally. Workers aged 55 years and over made up 52 percent of fatalities in Minnesota, higher than the 36-percent national share.
  • Of the 92 fatally-injured workers in Minnesota, 63 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 2016 national data, over 23,300 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 website at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm.

Federal/State agency coverage. The CFOI includes data for all fatal work injuries, even those that may be outside the scope of other agencies or 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. More on the scope of CFOI can be found at www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm.

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, 2015–16
Event or exposure (1)20152016
NumberNumberPercent

Total

7492100

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals

71011

Intentional injury by person

7910

Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)

433

Suicides (Self-inflicted injury--intentional)

367

Transportation incidents

314650

Pedestrian vehicular incident

444

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

192932

Roadway collision with other vehicle

111718

Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming

289

Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly

644

Roadway collision with object other than vehicle

31011

Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway

3910

Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles

578

Nonroadway noncollision incident

444

Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway

333

Falls, slips, trips

131112

Falls on same level

333

Falls to lower level

1089

Other fall to lower level

678

Other fall to lower level less than 6 feet

--33

Exposure to harmful substances or environments

31213

Exposure to electricity

------

Exposure to other harmful substances

367

Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose

--44

Contact with objects and equipment

171011

Struck by object or equipment

1167

Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle

555

Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material

133

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, 2015–16
Industry (1)20152016
NumberNumberPercent

Total

7492100

Private industry

718491

Natural resources and mining

242527

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

232325

Crop production

141213

Oilseed and grain farming

467

Corn farming

444

Animal production and aquaculture

778

Cattle ranching and farming

667

Support activities for agriculture and forestry

--33

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (2)

--22

Mining (except oil and gas)

------

Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying

------

Other nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying

------

All other nonmetallic mineral mining

--22

Support activities for mining

--22

Support activities for mining

--22

Support activities for mining

--22

Drilling oil and gas wells

--22

Construction

91516

Construction

91516

Construction of buildings

333

Heavy and civil engineering construction

--33

Specialty trade contractors

5910

Building equipment contractors

--55

Electrical contractors

--33

Manufacturing

744

Manufacturing

744

Trade, transportation, and utilities

131718

Retail trade

555

Transportation and warehousing

61112

Truck transportation

389

General freight trucking

367

General freight trucking, long-distance

--67

Professional and business services

81011

Professional and technical services

133

Professional, scientific, and technical services

133

Administrative and waste services

778

Administrative and support services

755

Services to buildings and dwellings

533

Educational and health services

333

Health care and social assistance

333

Leisure and hospitality

444

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

322

Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries

--22

Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events

--22

Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events with facilities

--22

Other services, except public administration

--33

Other services, except public administration

--33

Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations

--33

Government (3)

389

State government

--44

Local government

344

Footnotes:
(1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012.
(2) Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, 2012, including establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in Oil and Gas Extraction.
(3) 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, 2015–16
Occupation (1)20152016
NumberNumberPercent

Total

7492100

Management occupations

151718

Other management occupations

141516

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

141415

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

141415

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

544

Personal care and service occupations

--22

Entertainment attendants and related workers

--22

Miscellaneous entertainment attendants and related workers

--22

Amusement and recreation attendants

--22

Sales and related occupations

533

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

8910

Agricultural workers

767

Miscellaneous agricultural workers

767

Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals

333

Construction and extraction occupations

91820

Supervisors of construction and extraction workers

467

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

467

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

467

Construction trades workers

589

Construction laborers

--44

Construction laborers

--44

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

355

Production occupations

755

Transportation and material moving occupations

81718

Motor vehicle operators

61112

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

61011

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

61011

Material moving workers

--33

Refuse and recyclable material collectors

--33

Refuse and recyclable material collectors

--33

Footnotes:
(1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010.
 

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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.
 

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Minnesota, 2015–16
Worker characteristics20152016
NumberNumberPercent

Total

7492100

Employee status

 

Wage and salary workers (1)

405863

Self-employed (2)

343437

Gender

 

Men

608491

Women

1489

Age (3)

 

20 to 24 years

744

25 to 34 years

91213

35 to 44 years

71516

45 to 54 years

131112

55 to 64 years

192729

65 years and over

172123

Race or ethnic origin (4)

 

White, non-Hispanic

707986

Black or African-American, non-Hispanic

--33

Hispanic or Latino

--67

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.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, February 23, 2018