Fatal work injuries totaled 48 in 2020 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 down 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 4,764 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2020, an 11-percent decrease from 5,333 in 2019, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). The 4,764 fatal occupational injuries in 2020 represents the lowest annual number since 2013.

Fatal event or exposure

In Nebraska, transportation incidents resulted in 26 fatal work injuries, and contact with objects and equipment accounted for 10 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 75 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were down from 28 over the year, and worker fatalities due to contact with objects and equipment were down from 14.

Exposure to harmful substances or environments was the third-most frequent fatal work event with five fatalities, up from zero in the prior year, followed by violence or other injuries by persons or animals with four fatalities.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2020, accounting for 37 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent).

Industry

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Nebraska with 20, up from 14 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 11 of the 20 fatalities in the industry. The cattle ranching and farming industry group accounted for 9 of the 20 fatal workplace injuries in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry.

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had 10 fatal workplace injuries, up from 3 in the previous year. The truck transportation subsector accounted for seven, or 70 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

The management occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 17. (See table 3.) Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for all 17 of the fatalities among management workers. The transportation and material moving occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 14. Motor vehicle operators suffered nine of the work-related deaths within the transportation and material moving group.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 96 percent of the work-related fatalities in Nebraska, compared to the 92-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 52 percent of the fatalities for men in Nebraska.

• White non-Hispanics accounted for 88 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 61 percent of work-related deaths.

• Workers 55 years old and older accounted for 60 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2020, compared to 36 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

• Of the 48 fatal work injuries in Nebraska, 58 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 fatalities resulting from workplace 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 2020 national data, over 21,600 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 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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Nebraska, 2019–20

Event or exposure (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	53	48	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	--	4	8
Intentional injury by person	--	4	8
Intentional injury by other person	--	4	8
Shooting by other person--intentional	--	4	8
Transportation incidents	28	26	54
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	20	18	38
Roadway collision with other vehicle	16	12	25
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	6	1	2
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	7	7	15
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	3	4	8
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	2	3	6
Vehicle struck object or animal in roadway	--	1	2
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	2	2	4
Roadway noncollision incident	2	3	6
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	1	3	6
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	5	3	6
Fires and explosions	--	--	--
Falls, slips, trips	7	--	--
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	--	5	10
Contact with objects and equipment	14	10	21
Struck by object or equipment	10	8	17
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	6	6	13
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	4	4	8
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, 2019–20

Industry (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	53	48	100
Private industry (2)	48	44	92
Goods producing	--	--	--
Natural resources and mining	14	20	42
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	14	20	42
Animal production and aquaculture	4	9	19
Cattle ranching and farming	4	9	19
Beef cattle ranching and farming, including feedlots	4	9	19
Beef cattle ranching and farming	4	9	19
Construction	12	4	8
Construction	12	4	8
Specialty trade contractors	--	4	8
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	--	2	4
Poured concrete foundation and structure contractors	--	2	4
Nonresidential poured concrete foundation and structure contractors	--	2	4
Manufacturing	--	1	2
Manufacturing	--	1	2
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	--	1	2
Cement and concrete product manufacturing	--	1	2
Ready-mix concrete manufacturing	--	1	2
Service providing (3)	--	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	11	--	--
Wholesale trade	4	1	2
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	--	1	2
Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers	--	1	2
Farm and garden machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers	--	1	2
Transportation and warehousing	3	10	21
Truck transportation	3	7	15
General freight trucking	3	4	8
General freight trucking, local	--	1	2
General freight trucking, long-distance	--	3	6
Specialized freight trucking	--	3	6
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	--	3	6
Information	--	--	--
Financial activities	--	1	2
Real estate and rental and leasing	--	1	2
Real estate	--	1	2
Lessors of real estate	--	1	2
Lessors of residential buildings and dwellings	--	1	2
Professional and business services	4	--	--
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	4	1	2
Waste management and remediation services	--	1	2
Waste collection	--	1	2
Waste collection	--	1	2
Solid waste collection	--	1	2
Educational and health services	--	--	--
Leisure and hospitality	1	2	4
Accommodation and food services	1	2	4
Food services and drinking places	--	2	4
Restaurants and other eating places	--	2	4
Restaurants and other eating places	--	2	4
Limited-service restaurants	--	2	4
Other services, except public administration	1	2	4
Other services, except public administration	1	2	4
Repair and maintenance	1	1	2
Automotive repair and maintenance	1	1	2
Automotive mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance	--	1	2
General automotive repair	--	1	2
Private households	--	1	2
Private households	--	1	2
Private households	--	1	2
Government (4)	5	4	8
Federal government	--	--	--
State government	2	--	--
Local government	3	4	8
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, 2019–20

Occupation (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	53	48	100
Management occupations	10	17	35
Other management occupations	10	17	35
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	10	17	35
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	10	17	35
Business and financial operations occupations	--	--	--
Computer and mathematical occupations	--	--	--
Architecture and engineering occupations	--	--	--
Life, physical, and social science occupations	--	1	2
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	--	--
Food preparation and serving related occupations	--	2	4
Food and beverage serving workers	--	2	4
Fast food and counter workers	--	2	4
Fast food and counter workers	--	2	4
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	--	--	--
Personal care and service occupations	--	1	2
Other personal care and service workers	--	1	2
Childcare workers	--	1	2
Childcare workers	--	1	2
Sales and related occupations	3	1	2
Other sales and related workers	--	1	2
Real estate brokers and sales agents	--	1	2
Office and administrative support occupations	1	--	--
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	4	2	4
Agricultural workers	4	2	4
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	4	2	4
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse	4	1	2
Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals	--	1	2
Construction and extraction occupations	14	5	10
Construction trades workers	12	4	8
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3	2	4
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	--	2	4
Automotive technicians and repairers	--	1	2
Automotive service technicians and mechanics	--	1	2
Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians and mechanics	--	1	2
Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians	--	1	2
Production occupations	--	--	--
Transportation and material moving occupations	12	14	29
Motor vehicle operators	7	9	19
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.
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, 2019–20

Worker characteristics	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	53	48	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	40	28	58
Self-employed (2)	13	20	42
Gender
Men	50	46	96
Women	3	2	4
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	4	2	4
25 to 34 years	6	8	17
35 to 44 years	5	6	13
45 to 54 years	21	3	6
55 to 64 years	7	12	25
65 years and over	10	17	35
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	45	42	88
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.