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News Release Information

21-210-CHI
Friday, March 19, 2021

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

Fatal Work Injuries in South Dakota — 2019

Fatal work injuries totaled 20 in 2019 for South Dakota, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in South Dakota was down from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 46 in 1999 to a low of 20 in 2013 and 2019.


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 South Dakota, transportation incidents resulted in 11 fatal work injuries, and contact with objects or equipment accounted for 4 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 75 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were down from 15 over the year, and worker fatalities due to contact with objects or equipment were down from 7.

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 South Dakota fatalities with eight. (See table 2.) The crop production sector accounted for 6 of the 8 workplace fatalities in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry. The private construction industry had five workplace fatalities. Transportation incidents made up 80 percent of construction industry fatalities.

Occupation

Three occupational groups had four workplace fatalities each: management occupations; farming, fishing, and forestry occupations; and transportation and material moving occupations. (See table 3.) Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for the four fatalities among management occupations. Agricultural workers suffered the four work-related deaths within the farming, fishing, and forestry group. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for the four transportation and material moving occupational fatalities.

Additional highlights
  • Men accounted for 85 percent of the work-related fatalities in South Dakota, compared to the national share of 92 percent. (See table 4.) Contact with objects and equipment made up 24 percent of the fatalities for men in South Dakota.

  • 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 55 years and older accounted for 30 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2019, compared to 38 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

  • Of the 20 fatal work injuries in South Dakota, 65 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both wage and salary workers and self-employed workers was transportation incidents.

Changes in Industry and Occupation Classification Structure

Information in this release incorporates revisions to both the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the Standard Occupational Classification codes (SOC). Comparison of data for 2019 to prior years should be done with caution due to these changes, and thus analysis in this release is limited to 2019 for industries and occupations. More information on NAICS can be found at www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm. More information on SOC can be found at www.bls.gov/soc/2018/home.htm.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

Data in this news release are for reference year 2019. No changes in collection procedures or outputs were necessary due to COVID-19. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-on-workplace-injuries-and-illnesses-compensation-and-occupational-requirements.htm.  


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, South Dakota, 2018–19
Event or exposure (1)20182019
NumberNumberPercent

Total

3220100

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals

------

Transportation incidents

151155

Aircraft incidents

1210

Other in-flight crash

1210

Other in-flight crash into structure, object, or ground

1210

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

7840

Roadway collision with other vehicle

2420

Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles

615

Nonroadway noncollision incident

615

Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway

615

Fires and explosions

1----

Falls, slips, trips

5----

Exposure to harmful substances or environments

--15

Exposure to oxygen deficiency, n.e.c.

--15

Depletion of oxygen

--15

Contact with objects and equipment

7420

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, South Dakota, 2019
Industry (1)NumberPercent

Total

20100

Private industry (2)

20100

Goods producing

----

Natural resources and mining

840

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

840

Crop production

630

Oilseed and grain farming

525

Corn farming

210

Other grain farming

315

Oilseed and grain combination farming

315

Animal production and aquaculture

15

Cattle ranching and farming

15

Dairy cattle and milk production

15

Support activities for agriculture and forestry

15

Support activities for animal production

15

Support activities for animal production

15

Construction

525

Construction

525

Service providing (3)

----

Trade, transportation, and utilities

----

Wholesale trade

315

Merchant wholesalers, durable goods

210

Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies merchant wholesalers

15

Tire and tube merchant wholesalers

15

Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers

15

Farm and garden machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers

15

Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods

15

Farm product raw material merchant wholesalers

15

Financial activities

----

Professional and business services

----

Educational and health services

----

Leisure and hospitality

----

Other services, except public administration

----

Government (4)

----

Federal government

----

State government

----

Local government

----

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, South Dakota, 2019
Occupation (1)NumberPercent

Total

20100

Management occupations

420

Other management occupations

420

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

420

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

420

Business and financial operations occupations

----

Computer and mathematical occupations

----

Architecture and engineering occupations

----

Life, physical, and social science occupations

15

Life, physical, and social science technicians

15

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

----

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

----

Personal care and service occupations

----

Sales and related occupations

15

Supervisors of sales workers

15

First-line supervisors of sales workers

15

First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

15

Office and administrative support occupations

----

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

420

Agricultural workers

420

Miscellaneous agricultural workers

420

Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse

210

Construction and extraction occupations

----

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

315

Production occupations

----

Transportation and material moving occupations

420

Motor vehicle operators

420

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

420

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

420

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, South Dakota, 2018–19
Worker characteristics20182019
NumberNumberPercent

Total

3220100

Employee status

Wage and salary workers (1)

191365

Self-employed (2)

13735

Gender

Men

301785

Women

--315

Age (3)

20 to 24 years

--420

25 to 34 years

5315

35 to 44 years

3420

55 to 64 years

3315

65 years and over

13315

Race or ethnic origin (4)

White, non-Hispanic

281785

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, March 19, 2021