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News Release Information

19-33-CHI
Tuesday, April 30, 2019

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

Fatal Work Injuries in South Dakota — 2017

Fatal work injuries totaled 30 in 2017 for South Dakota, 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 South Dakota was little changed from the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 46 in 1999 to a low of 20 in 2013. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 5,147 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2017, down slightly from the 5,190 fatal injuries reported in 2016, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

Type of incident

In South Dakota, transportation incidents resulted in 17 fatal work injuries and accounted for 57 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. Falls, slips, or trips accounted for six workplace fatalities. (See table 1.) Over the year, the number of worker deaths from transportation incidents increased from seven, while worker fatalities due to falls, slips, or trips were little changed.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2017, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, or trips was the second-most frequent type of event (17 percent), followed by violence and other injuries by persons or animals (16 percent) and contact with objects and equipment (14 percent).

Industry

Three private industries had six fatalities each: agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting; construction; and transportation and warehousing. Fatalities in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry were down from 16 in the previous year and worker deaths in the construction industry fell from 11 in 2016. (See table 2.)

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 10. (See table 3.) Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers suffered five of the work-related deaths within the transportation and material moving group. The construction and extraction occupational group and the management occupational group each had five workplace fatalities. Construction trades workers accounted for 3 of the 5 fatalities among construction and extraction workers. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for all five of the fatalities within the management occupational group.

Additional highlights
  • Men accounted for 87 percent of the work-related fatalities in South Dakota, compared to the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 54 percent of the fatalities for men in South Dakota.

  • White non-Hispanics accounted for 93 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 37 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2017, compared to 55 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

  • Of the 30 fatally-injured workers in South Dakota, 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 2017 national data, over 23,400 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 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 and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm.

Acknowledgments. BLS 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, South Dakota, 2016–17
Event or exposure (1)20162017
NumberNumberPercent

Total

3130100

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals

--27

Intentional injury by person

--27

Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)

--27

Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing

--13

Hitting, kicking, beating, shoving

--13

Transportation incidents

71757

Rail vehicle incidents

--27

Pedestrian struck by rail vehicle--transportation incident

--27

Pedestrian vehicular incident

------

Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area

------

Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in nonroadway area

--13

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

--1343

Roadway collision with other vehicle

--413

Roadway collision with object other than vehicle

--27

Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway

--27

Roadway noncollision incident

--620

Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway

--517

Falls, slips, trips

8620

Falls to lower level

7620

Fall through surface or existing opening

--13

Fall through surface or existing opening 16 to 20 feet

--13

Other fall to lower level

5413

Exposure to harmful substances or environments

527

Exposure to other harmful substances

113

Inhalation of harmful substance

113

Inhalation of harmful substance--single episode

113

Exposure to oxygen deficiency, n.e.c.

--13

Drowning, submersion, n.e.c.

--13

Contact with objects and equipment

6310

Struck by object or equipment

--310

Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport

--310

Caught between rolling powered vehicle and other object

--13

Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle

--13

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, South Dakota, 2016–17
Industry (1)20162017
NumberNumberPercent

Total

3130100

Private industry

3030100

Natural resources and mining

16620

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

16620

Crop production

9310

Oilseed and grain farming

427

Corn farming

--13

Other grain farming

--13

Oilseed and grain combination farming

--13

Animal production and aquaculture

727

Cattle ranching and farming

727

Beef cattle ranching and farming, including feedlots

413

Beef cattle ranching and farming

413

Dairy cattle and milk production

213

Forestry and logging

--13

Logging

--13

Construction

11620

Construction

11620

Construction of buildings

313

Residential building construction

113

Residential building construction

113

New single-family housing construction (except for-sale builders)

--13

Specialty trade contractors

5413

Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors

327

Structural steel and precast concrete contractors

--13

Framing contractors

113

Nonresidential framing contractors

--13

Building equipment contractors

--13

Plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors

--13

Manufacturing

127

Manufacturing

127

Food manufacturing

--13

Dairy product manufacturing

--13

Dairy product (except frozen) manufacturing

--13

Fluid milk manufacturing

--13

Machinery manufacturing

--13

Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing

--13

Construction machinery manufacturing

--13

Trade, transportation, and utilities

11137

Wholesale trade

------

Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods

------

Farm product raw material merchant wholesalers

--13

Livestock merchant wholesalers

--13

Retail trade

1310

Motor vehicle and parts dealers

113

Automobile dealers

--13

Gasoline stations

--13

Gasoline stations

--13

Gasoline stations with convenience stores

--13

Transportation and warehousing

--620

Rail transportation

--310

Rail transportation

--310

Rail transportation

--310

Line-haul railroads

--310

Truck transportation

------

Specialized freight trucking

--27

Used household and office goods moving

--27

Information

--13

Information

--13

Publishing industries (except internet)

--13

Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers

--13

Newspaper publishers

--13

Financial activities

--13

Finance and insurance

--13

Credit intermediation and related activities

--13

Depository credit intermediation

--13

Commercial banking

--13

Educational and health services

113

Health care and social assistance

113

Nursing and residential care facilities

--13

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities)

--13

Leisure and hospitality

--27

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

--27

Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries

--27

Other amusement and recreation industries

--27

Footnotes:
(1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012.

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, South Dakota, 2016–17
Occupation (1)20162017
NumberNumberPercent

Total

3130100

Management occupations

12517

Other management occupations

12517

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

12517

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

12517

Business and financial operations occupations

--13

Business operations specialists

--13

Training and development specialists

--13

Training and development specialists

--13

Personal care and service occupations

--13

Other personal care and service workers

--13

Recreation and fitness workers

--13

Recreation workers

--13

Sales and related occupations

--27

Supervisors of sales workers

--13

First-line supervisors of sales workers

--13

First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

--13

Retail sales workers

--13

Cashiers

--13

Cashiers

--13

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

427

Fishing and hunting workers

--13

Fishers and related fishing workers

--13

Fishers and related fishing workers

--13

Forest, conservation, and logging workers

--13

Logging workers

--13

Fallers

--13

Construction and extraction occupations

12517

Construction trades workers

10310

Carpenters

313

Carpenters

313

Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

--13

Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

--13

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

------

Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

--13

Miscellaneous installation, maintenance, and repair workers

--13

Signal and track switch repairers

--13

Transportation and material moving occupations

--1033

Supervisors of transportation and material moving workers

------

First-line supervisors of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand

--13

First-line supervisors of helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand

--13

First-line supervisors of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators

--13

First-line supervisors of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators

--13

Motor vehicle operators

--723

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

--723

Driver/sales workers

--27

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

--517

Material moving workers

--13

Laborers and material movers, hand

--13

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

--13

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 selected demographic characteristics, South Dakota, 2016–17
Worker characteristics20162017
NumberNumberPercent

Total

3130100

Employee status

Wage and salary workers (1)

161963

Self-employed (2)

151137

Gender

Men

302687

Women

--413

Age (3)

25 to 34 years

4413

35 to 44 years

6310

45 to 54 years

5413

55 to 64 years

51033

65 years and over

6827

Race or ethnic origin (4)

White (non-Hispanic)

262893

Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)

------

Hispanic or Latino

3----

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: Tuesday, April 30, 2019