Fatal work injuries totaled 53 in 2019 for Nebraska, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Nebraska was up from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 83 in 1994 and 2002 to a low of 35 in 2017.

Nationwide, a total of 5,333 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2019, a 2-percent increase from the 5,250 in 2018, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. The 5,333 fatal occupational injuries in 2019 represents the largest annual number since 2007.

Fatal event or exposure

In Nebraska, transportation incidents resulted in 28 fatal work injuries, and contacts with objects and equipment accounted for 14 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 79 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 18 over the year, and worker fatalities due to contacts with objects and equipment were up from 9.

Falls, slips, and trips was the third-most frequent fatal work event with seven fatalities, down from nine in the prior year.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2019, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2 .) Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent), followed by violence and other injuries by persons or animals (16 percent).

Industry

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry had the highest number of Nebraska fatalities with 14. (See table 2.) The crop production sector accounted for 10 of the 14 workplace fatalities in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry.

The private construction industry had 12 workplace fatalities. The heavy and civil engineering construction sector accounted for four, or 33 percent, of this industry's fatal injuries.

Occupation

The construction and extraction occupational group had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 14. (See table 3.) Construction trades workers accounted for 12 of the 14 fatalities among construction and extraction workers. The transportation and material moving occupational group had the second-highest number of workplace fatalities with 12, followed by management occupations with 10. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers suffered five of the work-related deaths within the transportation and material moving group. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for all 10 of the management occupational fatalities.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 94 percent of the work-related fatalities in Nebraska, compared to the national share of 92 percent. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 50 percent of the fatalities for men in Nebraska.

• White non-Hispanics accounted for 85 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 62 percent of work-related deaths.

• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 60 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2019, compared to 55 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

• Of the 53 fatal work injuries in Nebraska, 75 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 2019 national data, over 25,100 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 and the CFOI definitions at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.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 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, 2018–19

Event or exposure (1)	2018	2019
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	44	53	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	--	--	--
Transportation incidents	18	28	53
Pedestrian vehicular incident	3	3	6
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in work zone	--	2	4
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in work zone	--	1	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in work zone	--	1	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	--	1	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	13	20	38
Roadway collision with other vehicle	7	16	30
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	2	6	11
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	--	7	13
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	4	3	6
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	3	2	4
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	3	2	4
Roadway noncollision incident	3	2	4
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	3	1	2
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	--	5	9
Nonroadway noncollision incident	--	5	9
Fires and explosions	1	--	--
Falls, slips, trips	9	7	13
Falls to lower level	6	7	13
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment	1	2	4
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment 11 to 15 feet	--	1	2
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment more than 30 feet	1	1	2
Fall through surface or existing opening	--	1	2
Fall through surface or existing opening 16 to 20 feet	--	1	2
Other fall to lower level	5	4	8
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	6	--	--
Contact with objects and equipment	9	14	26
Struck by object or equipment	5	10	19
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	--	6	11
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	1	4	8
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	1	4	8
Struck, caught, or crushed in other collapsing structure or equipment	--	1	2
Engulfment in other collapsing material	1	3	6
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. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Nebraska, 2019

Industry (1)	Number	Percent
Total	53	100
Private industry (2)	48	91
Goods producing	--	--
Natural resources and mining	14	26
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	14	26
Crop production	10	19
Oilseed and grain farming	4	8
Soybean farming	2	4
Corn farming	1	2
Other grain farming	1	2
Oilseed and grain combination farming	1	2
Animal production and aquaculture	4	8
Cattle ranching and farming	4	8
Beef cattle ranching and farming, including feedlots	4	8
Beef cattle ranching and farming	4	8
Construction	12	23
Construction	12	23
Heavy and civil engineering construction	4	8
Highway, street, and bridge construction	2	4
Highway, street, and bridge construction	2	4
Service providing (3)	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	11	21
Wholesale trade	4	8
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	4	8
Farm product raw material merchant wholesalers	1	2
Grain and field bean merchant wholesalers	1	2
Miscellaneous nondurable goods merchant wholesalers	1	2
Farm supplies merchant wholesalers	1	2
Retail trade	4	8
Motor vehicle and parts dealers	1	2
Automobile dealers	1	2
Miscellaneous store retailers	3	6
Other miscellaneous store retailers	3	6
All other miscellaneous store retailers	3	6
Tobacco stores	1	2
Transportation and warehousing	3	6
Truck transportation	3	6
General freight trucking	3	6
Financial activities	--	--
Professional and business services	4	8
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	4	8
Administrative and support services	2	4
Educational and health services	--	--
Leisure and hospitality	1	2
Accommodation and food services	1	2
Accommodation	1	2
Traveler accommodation	1	2
Hotels (except casino hotels) and motels	1	2
Other services, except public administration	1	2
Other services, except public administration	1	2
Repair and maintenance	1	2
Automotive repair and maintenance	1	2
Automotive body, paint, interior, and glass repair	1	2
Automotive body, paint, and interior repair and maintenance	1	2
Government (4)	5	9
Federal government	--	--
State government	2	4
Local government	3	6
Footnotes: (1) CFOI has used several versions of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) since 2003 to define industry. For complete information on the version of NAICS used in this year, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. (2) Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts. (3) Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts. (4) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. Cases classified as foreign government and other government are included in all government counts, but not displayed separately.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Nebraska, 2019

Occupation (1)	Number	Percent
Total	53	100
Management occupations	10	19
Other management occupations	10	19
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	10	19
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	10	19
Business and financial operations occupations	--	--
Computer and mathematical occupations	--	--
Architecture and engineering occupations	--	--
Life, physical, and social science occupations	--	--
Community and social service occupations	--	--
Legal occupations	--	--
Educational instruction and library occupations	--	--
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	--	--
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	--
Healthcare support occupations	--	--
Protective service occupations	2	4
Law enforcement workers	1	2
Police officers	1	2
Other protective service workers	1	2
Miscellaneous protective service workers	1	2
Food preparation and serving related occupations	--	--
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	--	--
Personal care and service occupations	--	--
Sales and related occupations	3	6
Supervisors of sales workers	1	2
First-line supervisors of sales workers	1	2
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	1	2
Retail sales workers	1	2
Retail salespersons	1	2
Retail salespersons	1	2
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing	1	2
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing	1	2
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products	1	2
Office and administrative support occupations	1	2
Information and record clerks	1	2
Court, municipal, and license clerks	1	2
Court, municipal, and license clerks	1	2
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	4	8
Agricultural workers	4	8
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	4	8
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse	4	8
Construction and extraction occupations	14	26
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	1	2
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	1	2
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	1	2
Construction trades workers	12	23
Carpenters	1	2
Carpenters	1	2
Construction laborers	4	8
Construction laborers	4	8
Construction equipment operators	1	2
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators	1	2
Painters and paperhangers	1	2
Painters, construction and maintenance	1	2
Roofers	3	6
Roofers	3	6
Other construction and related workers	1	2
Construction and building inspectors	1	2
Construction and building inspectors	1	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3	6
Production occupations	--	--
Transportation and material moving occupations	12	23
Motor vehicle operators	7	13
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	7	13
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	5	9
Military specific occupations (2)	--	--
Footnotes: (1) CFOI has used several versions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system since 2003 to define occupation. For complete information on the version of SOC used in this year, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total. (2) Includes fatal injuries to persons identified as resident armed forces regardless of individual occupation listed.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Nebraska, 2018–19

Worker characteristics	2018	2019
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	44	53	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	35	40	75
Self-employed (2)	9	13	25
Gender
Men	42	50	94
Women	--	3	6
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	1	4	8
25 to 34 years	7	6	11
35 to 44 years	8	5	9
45 to 54 years	8	21	40
55 to 64 years	15	7	13
65 years and over	4	10	19
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	35	45	85
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	7	--	--
Footnotes: (1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. Cases where employment status is unknown are included in the counts of wage and salary workers. (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. Cases where ethnicity is unknown are included in counts of non-Hispanic workers.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.