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News Release Information

21-211-CHI
Friday, March 19, 2021

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

Fatal Work Injuries in Wisconsin — 2019

Fatal work injuries totaled 113 in 2019 for Wisconsin, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Wisconsin was down from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 138 in 1993 to a low of 77 in 2008.


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 Wisconsin, transportation incidents resulted in 41 fatal work injuries, and falls, slips, and trips accounted for 23 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 57 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were down from 48 over the year, and worker fatalities due to falls, slips, and trips were up from 14.

Contact with objects or equipment was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 17 fatalities, down from 20 in the prior year. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals resulted in 15 work-related deaths, unchanged from 2018.

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 fatalities in Wisconsin with 25. (See table 2.) Contact with objects and equipment resulted in 7 of the 25 fatalities in the industry. The dairy cattle and milk production sector accounted for 14 of the 25 workplace fatalities in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry.

The private transportation and warehousing industry had 12 workplace fatalities. The specialized freight trucking sector accounted for six, or 50 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 25. (See table 3.) Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 14 of the 25 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second highest number of workplace fatalities with 20, followed by management occupations with 17. Construction trades workers suffered 13 of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction group. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for 13 of the 17 management occupational fatalities.

Additional highlights
  • Men accounted for 88 percent of the work-related fatalities in Wisconsin, compared to the national share of 92 percent. (See table 4.) Falls, slips, or trips made up 20 percent of the fatalities for men in Wisconsin.

  • White non-Hispanics accounted for 81 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 54 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2019, similar to the national share.

  • Of the 113 fatal work injuries in Wisconsin, 68 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 thanks the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene 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, Wisconsin, 2018–19
Event or exposure (1)20182019
NumberNumberPercent

Total

114113100

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals

151513

Intentional injury by person

121312

Intentional injury by other person

854

Shooting by other person--intentional

633

Self-inflicted injury--intentional

487

Shooting--intentional self-harm

333

Transportation incidents

484136

Pedestrian vehicular incident

854

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

212724

Roadway collision with other vehicle

131917

Roadway collision--moving in same direction

565

Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming

587

Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly

--33

Roadway collision with object other than vehicle

365

Roadway noncollision incident

522

Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway

411

Fall or jump from and struck by same vehicle in normal operation, roadway

--11

Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles

976

Nonroadway noncollision incident

576

Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway

333

Ran off driving surface, nonroadway

--33

Fires and explosions

3----

Falls, slips, trips

142320

Falls on same level

476

Falls to lower level

81614

Other fall to lower level

71211

Exposure to harmful substances or environments

131412

Exposure to electricity

--33

Direct exposure to electricity

--33

Direct exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts

--33

Exposure to other harmful substances

976

Contact with objects and equipment

201715

Struck by object or equipment

10109

Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport

533

Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle

--11

Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle

454

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, Wisconsin, 2019
Industry (1)NumberPercent

Total

113100

Private industry (2)

10391

Goods producing

----

Natural resources and mining

2522

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

2522

Crop production

98

Oilseed and grain farming

33

Vegetable and melon farming

11

Vegetable and melon farming

11

Potato farming

11

Animal production and aquaculture

1614

Cattle ranching and farming

1412

Dairy cattle and milk production

1412

Construction

----

Service providing (3)

----

Trade, transportation, and utilities

2320

Wholesale trade

54

Merchant wholesalers, durable goods

33

Retail trade

65

Transportation and warehousing

1211

Truck transportation

109

General freight trucking

44

Specialized freight trucking

65

Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local

33

Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance

33

Financial activities

44

Real estate and rental and leasing

44

Real estate

44

Activities related to real estate

44

Real estate property managers

33

Professional and business services

98

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services

98

Educational and health services

----

Leisure and hospitality

----

Accommodation and food services

65

Food services and drinking places

65

Restaurants and other eating places

65

Restaurants and other eating places

65

Limited-service restaurants

44

Other services, except public administration

33

Other services, except public administration

33

Government (4)

109

Federal government

----

State government

----

Local government

87

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, Wisconsin, 2019
Occupation (1)NumberPercent

Total

113100

Management occupations

1715

Top executives

11

Chief executives

11

Chief executives

11

Other management occupations

1614

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

1312

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

1312

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

44

Food preparation and serving related occupations

33

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

44

Personal care and service occupations

----

Sales and related occupations

44

Office and administrative support occupations

----

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

1211

Agricultural workers

1211

Miscellaneous agricultural workers

1211

Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse

54

Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals

44

Construction and extraction occupations

2018

Supervisors of construction and extraction workers

65

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

65

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

65

Construction trades workers

1312

Carpenters

33

Carpenters

33

Construction laborers

44

Construction laborers

44

Other construction and related workers

11

Highway maintenance workers

11

Highway maintenance workers

11

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

1312

Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers

54

Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

87

Maintenance and repair workers, general

65

Maintenance and repair workers, general

65

Production occupations

76

Transportation and material moving occupations

2522

Motor vehicle operators

2119

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

2119

Driver/sales workers

44

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

1412

Light truck drivers

33

Material moving workers

44

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, Wisconsin, 2018–19
Worker characteristics20182019
NumberNumberPercent

Total

114113100

Employee status

Wage and salary workers (1)

787768

Self-employed (2)

363632

Gender

Men

10110088

Women

131312

Age (3)

Under 16 years

544

20 to 24 years

554

25 to 34 years

191312

35 to 44 years

161917

45 to 54 years

162926

55 to 64 years

262320

65 years and over

261816

Race or ethnic origin (4)

White, non-Hispanic

1029281

Black or African-American, non-Hispanic

4----

Hispanic or Latino

71110

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