Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

15-2360-NEW
Tuesday, December 08, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Fatal Work Injuries in New Jersey – 2014

Fatal work injuries totaled 85 in 2014 for New Jersey, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that while the 2014 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in New Jersey declined by 17 over the year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 145 in 1993 to a low of 81 in 2010. (See chart 1.)

A preliminary total of 4,679 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2014, up from the revised count of 4,585 fatal work injuries in 2013, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Final 2014 CFOI data will be released in the late spring of 2016.

Of the 85 fatal work injuries reported in New Jersey in 2014, 35 resulted from transportation incidents and 24 from falls, slips, or trips. Together, these two major categories accounted for over two-thirds of all fatal work injuries reported in the state. (See table 1.) Other major event categories each reported 11 or fewer deaths. Within transportation incidents, roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles was the most frequent type of workplace fatality with 18 deaths, followed by pedestrian vehicular incidents with 13 deaths. In the falls, slips, or trips category, 19 of the 24 deaths occurred as a result of falls to lower levels. (Note that roadway incident counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2014 data are released in the late spring of 2016 because key source documentation detailing specific transportation-related incidents has not yet been received.)

In the United States, transportation incidents were also the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2014, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. In New Jersey, transportation incidents accounted for a similar share of the state’s fatalities, 41 percent. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, or trips was the second most frequent type of event nationally, with 17 percent of work-related fatalities; the share in New Jersey was 28 percent. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 16 percent of the nation’s workplace fatalities, and contact with objects or equipment accounted for 15 percent, while in the state, these events were responsible for 13 and 12 percent of workplace fatalities, respectively.

Additional highlights:
  • The construction industry had the largest number of fatalities in the state with 22, compared to 15 the previous year. Falls, slips, or trips accounted for 12 fatal work injuries in this industry. (See table 2.)
  • Transportation and warehousing had the second highest fatality count with 19, followed by government with 11 worker deaths. Transportation incidents accounted for the largest number deaths in each of these industries.
  • Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of fatal work injuries with 33. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 15 of these fatalities. (See table 3.)
  • Men accounted for 78, or 92 percent, of the work-related fatalities in the state. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 42 percent of these fatalities.
  • In New Jersey, 48 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were white non-Hispanics, and 35 percent were Hispanic or Latino. Nationwide, these groups accounted for 68 and 17 percent of work-related deaths, respectively.
  • Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 46, or 54 percent, of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2014. Nationally, workers in this group accounted for 58 percent of on-the-job fatalities.
  • Of the 85 fatal work injuries in New Jersey, 80 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents. For the self-employed, falls, slips, or trips was the most frequent fatal event.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS occupational safety and health statistics program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the United States during the calendar year. The program uses diverse 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 technical information about the CFOI program, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS web site at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch9.pdf.

Federal/State agency coverage. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries includes data for all fatal work injuries, whether the decedent was working in a job covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or other federal or state agencies or was outside the scope of regulatory coverage. Thus, any comparison between the BLS fatality census counts and those released by other agencies should take into account the different coverage requirements and definitions being used by each agency.

Acknowledgments. The Bureau of Labor Statistics appreciates the efforts of all federal, state, local, and private sector entities that submitted source documents used to identify fatal work injuries.

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, New Jersey, 2013–14
Event or exposure (1)2013 (2)2014 (p)
NumberNumberPercent

Total

10285100

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals

281113

Intentional injury by person

27911

Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)

1656

Shooting by other person--intentional

1556

Suicides (Self-inflicted injury--intentional)

1145

Hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation--intentional self-harm

--45

Transportation incidents

373541

Pedestrian vehicular incident

111315

Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway

656

Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in roadway

556

Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road

--45

Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle on side of road

--45

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

181821

Roadway collision with other vehicle

121214

Roadway collision--moving in same direction

545

Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle in roadway

--56

Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle on side of roadway

311

Roadway collision with object other than vehicle

645

Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway

545

Struck by shifting load during transport, roadway

--11

Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles

434

Fires and explosions

--34

Fires

--34

Other structural fire without collapse

--22

Falls, slips, trips

162428

Falls on same level

456

Falls to lower level

111922

Other fall to lower level

91821

Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet

--34

Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet

--56

Other fall to lower level 16 to 20 feet

134

Other fall to lower level 21 to 25 feet

--34

Exposure to harmful substances or environments

8----

Contact with objects and equipment

111012

Struck by object or equipment

1167

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

334

Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material

--45

Excavation or trenching cave-in

--22

Footnotes:
(1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward.
(2) Totals for 2013 are revised and final.
(p) Data for 2014 are preliminary. Revised and final 2014 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2016.
 

Note: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication guidelines.
 

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, New Jersey, 2013–14
Industry (1)2013 (2)2014 (p)
NumberNumberPercent

Total

10285100

Private industry

937487

Construction

152226

Construction

152226

Construction of buildings

--34

Heavy and civil engineering construction

422

Specialty trade contractors

111720

Manufacturing

567

Manufacturing

567

Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing

145

Trade, transportation, and utilities

422833

Wholesale trade

534

Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods

111

Retail trade

1467

Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers

111

Gasoline stations

511

General merchandise stores

211

Transportation and warehousing

211922

Truck transportation

91214

Transit and ground passenger transportation

356

Professional and business services

81113

Professional and technical services

134

Professional, scientific, and technical services

134

Administrative and waste services

789

Administrative and support services

767

Other services, except public administration

722

Other services, except public administration

722

Repair and maintenance

311

Personal and laundry services

311

Government (3)

91113

Local government

5911
 

Footnotes:
(1) Industry data for 2013 are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2007. Industry data for 2014 are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012.
(2) Totals for 2013 are revised and final.
(p) Data for 2014 are preliminary. Revised and final 2014 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2016.
(3) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry.
 

Note: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.
 

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, New Jersey, 2013–14
Occupation (1)2013 (2)2014 (p)
NumberNumberPercent

Total

10285100

Management occupations

334

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

111

Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers

111

Athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers

111

Coaches and scouts

--11

Protective service occupations

467

Supervisors of protective service workers

--22

First-line supervisors of fire fighting and prevention workers

--22

Law enforcement workers

234

Police officers

134

Police and sheriff's patrol officers

134

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

778

Grounds maintenance workers

334

Grounds maintenance workers

334

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

--11

Sales and related occupations

7----

Supervisors of sales workers

611

First-line supervisors of sales workers

611

First-line supervisors of retail sales workers

611

Construction and extraction occupations

112125

Supervisors of construction and extraction workers

345

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

345

Construction trades workers

81416

Construction laborers

--45

Construction equipment operators

--11

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

--11

Roofers

334

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

13----

Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers

------

Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

--22

Production occupations

334

Transportation and material moving occupations

413339

Supervisors, transportation and material moving workers

--45

Motor vehicle operators

232226

Bus drivers

--11

Bus drivers, school or special client

--11

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

191720

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

131518

Taxi drivers and chauffeurs

334

Other transportation workers

511

Material moving workers

967

Dredge, excavating, and loading machine operators

--11

Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators

--11

Laborers and material movers, hand

545

Footnotes:
(1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010.
(2) Totals for 2013 are revised and final.
(p) Data for 2014 are preliminary. Revised and final 2014 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2016.
 

Note: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.
 

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics, New Jersey, 2013–14
Worker characteristics2013 (1)2014 (p)
NumberNumberPercent

Total

10285100

Employee status

 

Wage and salary (2)

766880

Self-employed (3)

261720

Gender

 

Men

977892

Women

578

Age (4)

 

20 to 24 years

7911

25 to 34 years

151012

35 to 44 years

221518

45 to 54 years

242125

55 to 64 years

221922

65 years and over

111113

Race or ethnic origin (5)

 

White, non-Hispanic

544148

Black or African-American, non-Hispanic

191012

Hispanic or Latino

203035

Asian, non-Hispanic

934

Footnotes:
(1) Totals for 2013 are revised and final.
(p) Data for 2014 are preliminary. Revised and final 2014 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2016.
(2) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation.
(3) 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.
(4) Information may not be available for all age groups.
(5) Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude Hispanic and Latino workers.
 

Note: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, December 08, 2015