Fatal work injuries totaled 75 in 2018 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 decreased by 26 from 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 5,250 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2018, up from the 5,147 fatal injuries in 2017, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

Type of incident

In Minnesota, transportation incidents resulted in 26 fatal work injuries and contact with objects or equipment accounted for 13 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 52 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were down from 46 over the year and worker fatalities due to contact with objects or equipment were down from 16.

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals and falls, slips, or trips resulted in 12 fatalities each, both down from 14 in the prior year.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2018, 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 (16 percent), followed by falls, slips, and trips (15 percent) and contact with objects and equipment (15 percent).

Industry

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry had the highest number of fatalities in Minnesota with 22 compared to 23 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 10 of the 22 fatalities in the industry. The animal production and aquaculture sector accounted for 12 of the 22 workplace fatalities in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry.

The private construction industry had 14 workplace fatalities, up from 11 in the previous year. The specialty trade contractors sector accounted for 12, or 86 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

The management and construction and extraction occupational groups each had 15 workplace fatalities. (See table 3.) Farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers and construction trades workers each accounted for 13 of the 15 fatalities in their respective occupational group. The transportation and material moving occupational group had the third highest number of workplace fatalities with 14. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers suffered five of the work-related deaths within the transportation and material moving group.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 89 percent of the work-related fatalities in Minnesota, compared to 92 percent nationally. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 31 percent of the fatalities for men in Minnesota.

• White non-Hispanics accounted for 84 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 65 percent of work-related deaths.

• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 48 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2018, compared to 58 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

• Of the 75 fatal work injuries in Minnesota, 73 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers and self-employed workers was transportation incidents.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, is a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI uses a variety of 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 2018 national data, over 24,800 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for the CFOI, see 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, some of which may be outside the scope of other agencies or regulatory coverage. Comparisons between CFOI counts and those released by other agencies should account for the different coverage requirements and definitions used by each agency. For more information on the scope of CFOI, see www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.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, 2017–18

Event or exposure (1)	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	101	75	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	14	12	16
Intentional injury by person	11	10	13
Intentional injury by other person	5	4	5
Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing	2	1	1
Hitting, kicking, beating, shoving	--	2	3
Self-inflicted injury--intentional	6	6	8
Animal and insect related incidents	--	--	--
Struck by animal	--	--	--
Trampled by or stepped on by animal	--	1	1
Transportation incidents	46	26	35
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	21	14	19
Roadway collision with other vehicle	16	11	15
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	2	3	4
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	5	4	5
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	4	3	4
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	11	7	9
Nonroadway noncollision incident	8	6	8
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	3	4	5
Fires and explosions	5	--	--
Explosions	--	1	1
Falls, slips, trips	14	12	16
Falls on same level	4	5	7
Falls to lower level	10	7	9
Other fall to lower level	9	5	7
Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet	4	1	1
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	5	9	12
Exposure to electricity	3	3	4
Exposure to other harmful substances	--	5	7
Contact with objects and equipment	16	13	17
Struck by object or equipment	8	9	12
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	4	4	5
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	--	1	1
Struck by other falling powered vehicle	--	1	1
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	--	4	5
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	4	4	5
Overexertion and bodily reaction	--	--	--
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, 2017–18

Industry (1)	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	101	75	100
Private industry	99	69	92
Goods producing	43	41	55
Natural resources and mining	23	22	29
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	23	22	29
Crop production	10	7	9
Oilseed and grain farming	3	4	5
Corn farming	1	3	4
Other crop farming	--	1	1
Hay farming	--	1	1
Animal production and aquaculture	12	12	16
Cattle ranching and farming	9	6	8
Dairy cattle and milk production	4	4	5
Sheep and goat farming	--	1	1
Sheep farming	--	1	1
Other animal production	3	--	--
Horses and other equine production	--	1	1
Construction	11	14	19
Construction	11	14	19
Specialty trade contractors	3	12	16
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	--	6	8
Roofing contractors	--	4	5
Building finishing contractors	--	--	--
Drywall and insulation contractors	--	1	1
Manufacturing	9	5	7
Manufacturing	9	5	7
Primary metal manufacturing	--	1	1
Steel product manufacturing from purchased steel	--	1	1
Iron and steel pipe and tube manufacturing from purchased steel	--	1	1
Service providing	56	28	37
Trade, transportation, and utilities	29	13	17
Utilities	1	1	1
Utilities	1	1	1
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution	1	1	1
Electric power transmission, control, and distribution	1	1	1
Electric power distribution	1	1	1
Wholesale trade	4	5	7
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	3	3	4
Retail trade	14	3	4
Transportation and warehousing	10	4	5
Truck transportation	6	2	3
General freight trucking	4	1	1
General freight trucking, long-distance	4	1	1
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	--	1	1
Specialized freight trucking	--	1	1
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	--	1	1
Information	--	--	--
Financial activities	1	--	--
Professional and business services	7	6	8
Administrative and waste services	6	5	7
Administrative and support services	4	4	5
Educational and health services	10	3	4
Health care and social assistance	6	3	4
Nursing and residential care facilities	--	1	1
Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly	--	1	1
Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly	--	1	1
Continuing care retirement communities	--	1	1
Leisure and hospitality	4	--	--
Other services, except public administration	5	4	5
Other services, except public administration	5	4	5
Government (2)	--	6	8
Federal government	--	1	1
State government	--	2	3
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, 2017–18

Occupation (1)	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	101	75	100
Management occupations	18	15	20
Top executives	1	1	1
General and operations managers	1	1	1
General and operations managers	1	1	1
Other management occupations	17	14	19
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	15	13	17
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	15	13	17
Business and financial operations occupations	1	--	--
Computer and mathematical occupations	--	--	--
Architecture and engineering occupations	--	--	--
Life, physical, and social science occupations	--	--	--
Community and social services occupations	--	--	--
Legal occupations	--	--	--
Education, training, and library occupations	1	--	--
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	2	--	--
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	1	1
Health diagnosing and treating practitioners	--	1	1
Therapists	--	1	1
Occupational therapists	--	1	1
Healthcare support occupations	--	--	--
Protective service occupations	--	4	5
Supervisors of protective service workers	--	--	--
First-line supervisors of fire fighting and prevention workers	--	1	1
First-line supervisors of fire fighting and prevention workers	--	1	1
Law enforcement workers	--	2	3
Bailiffs, correctional officers, and jailers	--	2	3
Correctional officers and jailers	--	2	3
Food preparation and serving related occupations	--	--	--
Cooks and food preparation workers	--	1	1
Cooks	--	1	1
Cooks, institution and cafeteria	--	1	1
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	3	5	7
Personal care and service occupations	--	--	--
Sales and related occupations	8	--	--
Office and administrative support occupations	3	--	--
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	8	7	9
Agricultural workers	8	5	7
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	8	5	7
Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals	3	3	4
Construction and extraction occupations	12	15	20
Construction trades workers	8	13	17
Electricians	--	4	5
Electricians	--	4	5
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	13	3	4
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3	--	--
Line installers and repairers	1	1	1
Electrical power-line installers and repairers	1	1	1
Production occupations	7	4	5
Metal workers and plastic workers	--	--	--
Welding, soldering, and brazing workers	--	1	1
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers	--	1	1
Transportation and material moving occupations	18	14	19
Motor vehicle operators	12	10	13
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	10	9	12
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	9	5	7
Material moving workers	4	4	5
Laborers and material movers, hand	--	4	5
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	--	3	4
Military specific occupations (2)	--	--	--
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. (2) Includes fatal injuries to persons identified as resident armed forces regardless of individual occupation listed.
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, 2017–18

Worker characteristics	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	101	75	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	66	55	73
Self-employed (2)	35	20	27
Gender
Men	89	67	89
Women	12	8	11
Age (3)
18 to 19 years	--	3	4
25 to 34 years	13	15	20
35 to 44 years	9	9	12
45 to 54 years	17	12	16
55 to 64 years	25	11	15
65 years and over	31	22	29
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	90	63	84
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	--	3	4
Hispanic or Latino	5	--	--
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic	--	5	7
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 data for Hispanics and Latinos.
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.