Fatal work injuries totaled 105 in 2021 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 5,190 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2021, a 9-percent increase from 4,764 in 2020, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

Fatal event or exposure

In Wisconsin, transportation incidents resulted in 36 fatal work injuries and accounted for 34 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 29 over the year.

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most frequent fatal work event with 21 fatalities, down from 26 over the year. Contact with objects and equipment resulted in 18 fatalities, down from 27 in the prior year. Falls, slips, or trips resulted in 13 work-related deaths, the same as in 2020.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event in 2021, accounting for 38 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (16 percent), followed by both exposure to harmful substances or environments and violence and other injuries by persons or animals (15 percent each) and contact with objects and equipment (14 percent).

Industry

The private construction industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Wisconsin with 17, up from 13 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Falls, slips, or trips resulted in 6 of the 17 fatalities in the industry. The specialty trade contractors subsector accounted for 12 of the 17 fatal workplace injuries in the construction industry.

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had 15 fatal workplace injuries, up from 9 in the previous year. The truck transportation subsector accounted for 8, or 53 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

The construction and extraction occupational group and the transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 22 each. (See table 3.) Construction trades workers accounted for 14 of the 22 fatalities among construction and extraction workers. Motor vehicle operators suffered 13 of the work-related deaths within the transportation and material moving group.

Additional highlights

Men accounted for 87 percent of the work-related fatalities in Wisconsin, compared to the 91-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 33 percent of the fatalities for men in Wisconsin.

White non-Hispanics accounted for 87 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 60 percent of work-related deaths.

Workers 55 years and older accounted for 41 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2021, compared to 35 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

Of the 105 fatal work injuries in Wisconsin, 80 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers, as well as 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 2021 national data, over 23,900 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/definitions/occupational-safety-and-health-definitions.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/overview/cfoi-scope.htm and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm.

Latency Cases. Latent fatal occupational injury cases occur when the date of injury differs from the date of death. In some cases, the death occurs in a different year than the occupational injury and are known as cross-year latent cases. In 2021, there were 197 cases nationally where this occurred, and 174 of these latent cases occurred more than 30 days prior to the start of 2021. For more information on latent cases, see www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-10/latency-in-fatal-occupational-injuries.htm.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. CFOI reports fatal workplace injuries only. These may include fatal workplace injuries complicated by an illness such as COVID-19. Fatal workplace illnesses not precipitated by an injury are not in scope for CFOI. CFOI does not report any illness related information, including 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.

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 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, Wisconsin, 2020–21

Event or exposure (1)	2020	2021
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	108	105	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	26	21	20
Intentional injury by person	26	19	18
Transportation incidents	29	36	34
Aircraft incidents	--	6	6
Pedestrian vehicular incident	10	7	7
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	8	17	16
Roadway collision with other vehicle	5	14	13
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	--	4	4
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	--	5	5
Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle in roadway	1	1	1
Fires and explosions	--	4	4
Falls, slips, trips	13	13	12
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	--	13	12
Exposure to electricity	--	6	6
Exposure to other harmful substances	--	7	7
Contact with objects and equipment	27	18	17
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	7	10	10
Caught in running equipment or machinery	3	8	8
Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning	--	3	3
Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation	--	4	4
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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.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, 2020–21

Industry (1)	2020	2021
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	108	105	100
Private industry (2)	106	95	90
Goods producing	--	--	--
Natural resources and mining	27	13	12
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	27	13	12
Crop production	13	4	4
Animal production and aquaculture	10	7	7
Cattle ranching and farming	7	5	5
Dairy cattle and milk production	--	2	2
Construction	13	17	16
Construction	13	17	16
Specialty trade contractors	8	12	11
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	6	4	4
Building finishing contractors	--	3	3
Other specialty trade contractors	--	5	5
Manufacturing	21	7	7
Manufacturing	21	7	7
Service providing (3)	--	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	22	--	--
Wholesale trade	3	3	3
Retail trade	10	4	4
Transportation and warehousing	9	15	14
Truck transportation	7	8	8
Warehousing and storage	--	3	3
Warehousing and storage	--	3	3
General warehousing and storage	--	3	3
Financial activities	--	1	1
Finance and insurance	--	1	1
Credit intermediation and related activities	--	1	1
Depository credit intermediation	--	1	1
Commercial banking	--	1	1
Professional and business services	--	13	12
Professional, scientific, and technical services	--	7	7
Professional, scientific, and technical services	--	7	7
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	6	6	6
Administrative and support services	6	1	1
Educational and health services	--	7	7
Educational services	1	4	4
Educational services	1	4	4
Health care and social assistance	3	3	3
Nursing and residential care facilities	--	3	3
Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly	--	3	3
Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly	--	3	3
Assisted living facilities for the elderly	--	3	3
Leisure and hospitality	6	9	9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	3	6	6
Accommodation and food services	3	3	3
Government (4)	--	--	--
State government	--	3	3
Local government	1	6	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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm. Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts. Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts. (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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.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, 2020–21

Occupation (1)	2020	2021
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	108	105	100
Management occupations	18	9	9
Other management occupations	18	9	9
Educational instruction and library occupations	--	1	1
Postsecondary teachers	--	1	1
Engineering and architecture teachers, postsecondary	--	1	1
Engineering teachers, postsecondary	--	1	1
Healthcare support occupations	--	3	3
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides	--	3	3
Home health and personal care aides; and nursing assistants, orderlies, and psychiatric aides	--	3	3
Home health and personal care aides	--	3	3
Personal care aides	--	3	3
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	5	8	8
Office and administrative support occupations	--	3	3
Financial clerks	--	1	1
Tellers	--	1	1
Tellers	--	1	1
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	11	5	5
Agricultural workers	7	4	4
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	--	3	3
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	--	1	1
Logging workers	--	1	1
Fallers	--	1	1
Construction and extraction occupations	16	22	21
Construction trades workers	16	14	13
Construction laborers	--	3	3
Construction laborers	--	3	3
Painters and paperhangers	--	4	4
Painters, construction and maintenance	--	4	4
Roofers	3	3	3
Roofers	3	3	3
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	9	11	10
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	--	3	3
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	4	8	8
Line installers and repairers	--	3	3
Electrical power-line installers and repairers	--	3	3
Production occupations	17	3	3
Transportation and material moving occupations	17	22	21
Air transportation workers	--	5	5
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	--	5	5
Motor vehicle operators	12	13	12
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	--	10	10
Material moving workers	--	4	4
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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.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, 2020–21

Worker characteristics	2020	2021
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	108	105	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	64	84	80
Self-employed (2)	44	21	20
Gender
Men	97	91	87
Women	11	14	13
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	--	6	6
25 to 34 years	13	15	14
35 to 44 years	15	17	16
45 to 54 years	20	24	23
55 to 64 years	23	21	20
65 years and over	31	22	21
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	85	91	87
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	6	7	7
Hispanic or Latino	12	4	4
Asian, non-Hispanic	--	3	3
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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.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.