Fatal work injuries totaled 37 in 2019 for North Dakota, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in North Dakota rose from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 65 in 2012 to a low of 20 in 1992.

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 North Dakota, transportation incidents resulted in 12 fatal work injuries, while violence and other injuries by persons or animals and contact with objects and equipment accounted for 9 fatalities each. These three major categories accounted for 81 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were down from 24 over the year. Worker fatalities due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals were up from three, and contact with objects and equipment were up from six worker fatalities over the 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 North Dakota fatalities with seven. (See table 2.) Contact with objects and equipment resulted in 4 of the 7 fatalities in the industry. The cattle ranching and farming sector accounted for 4 of the 7 workplace fatalities in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry.

The private transportation and warehousing industry had five workplace fatalities. The truck transportation sector accounted for all five of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

The construction and extraction occupational group had the highest number of workplace fatalities with nine. (See table 3.) Construction trades workers accounted for 4 of the 9 fatalities among construction and extraction workers. The transportation and material moving occupational group had the second-highest number of workplace fatalities with seven, followed by management occupations with five. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers suffered four of the work-related deaths within the transportation and material moving group. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for 4 of the 5 management occupational fatalities.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 95 percent of the work-related fatalities in North Dakota, compared to the national share of 92 percent. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 34 percent of the fatalities for men in North Dakota.

• White non-Hispanics accounted for 86 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 62 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2019, compared to 55 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

• Of the 37 fatal work injuries in North Dakota, 76 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents; contact with objects and equipment was the most frequent fatal event for self-employed workers.

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 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, North Dakota, 2018–19

Event or exposure (1)	2018	2019
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	35	37	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	3	9	24
Intentional injury by person	--	7	19
Intentional injury by other person	--	5	14
Shooting by other person--intentional	--	1	3
Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing	--	1	3
Multiple violent acts by other person	--	3	8
Transportation incidents	24	12	32
Rail vehicle incidents	--	1	3
Collision between rail vehicle and another vehicle	--	1	3
Pedestrian vehicular incident	3	1	3
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in work zone	--	1	3
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in work zone	--	1	3
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	13	9	24
Roadway collision with other vehicle	9	5	14
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	1	2	5
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	--	1	3
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	--	1	3
Roadway noncollision incident	4	3	8
Fall or jump from and struck by same vehicle in normal operation, roadway	--	1	3
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	4	1	3
Nonroadway noncollision incident	--	1	3
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	--	1	3
Fires and explosions	--	--	--
Falls, slips, trips	--	--	--
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	--	5	14
Exposure to other harmful substances	--	3	8
Contact with objects and equipment	6	9	24
Struck by object or equipment	4	5	14
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	2	3	8
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	--	--	--
Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery--other than vehicle part	--	1	3
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	--	2	5
Engulfment in other collapsing material	--	2	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. 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, North Dakota, 2019

Industry (1)	Number	Percent
Total	37	100
Private industry (2)	35	95
Goods producing	--	--
Natural resources and mining	10	27
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	7	19
Animal production and aquaculture	4	11
Cattle ranching and farming	4	11
Beef cattle ranching and farming, including feedlots	1	3
Beef cattle ranching and farming	1	3
Support activities for agriculture and forestry	1	3
Support activities for animal production	1	3
Support activities for animal production	1	3
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (3)	3	8
Support activities for mining	3	8
Support activities for mining	3	8
Support activities for mining	3	8
Support activities for oil and gas operations	3	8
Construction	6	16
Construction	6	16
Service providing (4)	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	6	16
Wholesale trade	1	3
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	1	3
Farm product raw material merchant wholesalers	1	3
Grain and field bean merchant wholesalers	1	3
Transportation and warehousing	5	14
Truck transportation	5	14
Financial activities	4	11
Real estate and rental and leasing	4	11
Real estate	4	11
Activities related to real estate	4	11
Real estate property managers	4	11
Residential property managers	4	11
Professional and business services	3	8
Professional, scientific, and technical services	1	3
Professional, scientific, and technical services	1	3
Architectural, engineering, and related services	1	3
Testing laboratories	1	3
Educational and health services	--	--
Leisure and hospitality	--	--
Other services, except public administration	4	11
Other services, except public administration	4	11
Repair and maintenance	4	11
Government (5)	2	5
Federal government	1	3
State government	--	--
Local government	1	3
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) Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, including establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in oil and gas extraction. (4) Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts. (5) 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, North Dakota, 2019

Occupation (1)	Number	Percent
Total	37	100
Management occupations	5	14
Other management occupations	5	14
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	4	11
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	4	11
Property, real estate, and community association managers	1	3
Property, real estate, and community association managers	1	3
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	--	--
Food preparation and serving related occupations	1	3
Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	1	3
Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	1	3
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	1	3
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	3	8
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	2	5
First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	2	5
First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers	1	3
First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers	1	3
Grounds maintenance workers	1	3
Grounds maintenance workers	1	3
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	1	3
Personal care and service occupations	--	--
Sales and related occupations	--	--
Office and administrative support occupations	1	3
Financial clerks	1	3
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks	1	3
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks	1	3
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	4	11
Supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	1	3
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	1	3
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	1	3
Agricultural workers	3	8
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	3	8
Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals	1	3
Construction and extraction occupations	9	24
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	2	5
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	2	5
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	2	5
Construction trades workers	4	11
Other construction and related workers	1	3
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers	1	3
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers	1	3
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	4	11
Supervisors of installation, maintenance, and repair workers	3	8
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers	3	8
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers	3	8
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	1	3
Miscellaneous installation, maintenance, and repair workers	1	3
Production occupations	--	--
Transportation and material moving occupations	7	19
Motor vehicle operators	5	14
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	5	14
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	4	11
Light truck drivers	1	3
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, North Dakota, 2018–19

Worker characteristics	2018	2019
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	35	37	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	20	28	76
Self-employed (2)	15	9	24
Gender
Men	33	35	95
Women	2	2	5
Age (3)
16 to 17 years	--	1	3
25 to 34 years	--	8	22
35 to 44 years	2	6	16
45 to 54 years	3	9	24
55 to 64 years	11	9	24
65 years and over	13	4	11
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	33	32	86
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	--	--	--
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.