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Monday, December 22, 2014
Fatal work injuries totaled 56 in 2013 for New York City, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that while the 2013 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in New York City was the lowest since the series began in 1992. (See chart 1.) The highest number of fatal occupational injuries recorded in the city was 191 in 1993.
Nationwide, a preliminary total of 4,405 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2013, down from a revised count of 4,628 fatal work injuries in 2012, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Final 2013 CFOI data will be released in late spring of 2015.
Of the 56 fatal work injuries reported in New York City in 2013, 15 resulted from violence and other injuries by persons or animals and another 15 from falls, slips, or trips; together these two major categories accounted for over half of the total. (See table 1.) Fatal work injuries from violence and other injuries by persons or animals included eight homicides and six suicides. Homicides declined by more than half from the 2012 count. In the falls, slips, or trips category, 13 deaths were the result of falls to a lower level, a decrease of 6 over the year.
In the United States, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2013, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. New York City’s share of on-the-job fatalities due to this event was lower at 20 percent. (See chart 2. Note that transportation counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2013 data are released in late spring of 2015 because key source documentation detailing specific transportation-related incidents has not yet been received.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second most frequent type of event nationally, with 17 percent of work-related fatalities; New York City’s share was 10 percentage points higher. Contact with objects or equipment and falls, slips, or trips each represented 16 percent of workplace fatalities nationally, while in the city, these events were responsible for 7 and 15 percent of workplace fatalities, respectively.
Additional key characteristics:
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 assures 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/soii/home.htm.
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, in particular the New York City government.
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.
Event or exposure(1) | 2012(2) | 2013(p) | |
---|---|---|---|
Number | Number | Percent | |
Total | 76 | 56 | 100 |
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals | 26 | 15 | 27 |
Intentional injury by person | 25 | 14 | 25 |
Homicides | 17 | 8 | 14 |
Shooting by other person--intentional | 10 | 4 | 7 |
Suicides | 8 | 6 | 11 |
Transportation incidents | 13 | 11 | 20 |
Pedestrian vehicular incident | 6 | 5 | 9 |
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area | -- | 3 | 5 |
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle | 5 | 5 | 9 |
Roadway collision with other vehicle | 4 | 5 | 9 |
Falls, slips, trips | 21 | 15 | 27 |
Falls to lower level | 19 | 13 | 23 |
Other fall to lower level | 11 | 11 | 20 |
Other fall to lower level less than 6 feet | 4 | 4 | 7 |
Exposure to harmful substances or environments | 7 | 6 | 11 |
Exposure to other harmful substances | 3 | 4 | 7 |
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Contact with objects and equipment | 7 | 7 | 13 |
Struck by object or equipment | 4 | 6 | 11 |
Footnotes: | |||
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. |
Industry(1) | 2012(2) | 2013(p) | |
---|---|---|---|
Number | Number | Percent | |
Total | 76 | 56 | 100 |
Private industry | 69 | 51 | 91 |
Construction | 20 | 17 | 30 |
Construction of buildings | 5 | 4 | 7 |
Residential building construction | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Specialty trade contractors | 15 | 9 | 16 |
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors | 6 | 4 | 7 |
Building equipment contractors | 5 | 3 | 5 |
Trade, transportation, and utilities | 26 | 19 | 34 |
Retail trade | 14 | 6 | 11 |
Electronics and appliance stores | -- | 1 | 2 |
Food and beverage stores | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Grocery stores | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Supermarkets and other grocery (except convenience) stores | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Transportation and warehousing | 9 | 12 | 21 |
Transit and ground passenger transportation | 3 | 7 | 13 |
Taxi and limousine service | -- | 7 | 13 |
Taxi service | -- | 7 | 13 |
Financial activities | 3 | -- | -- |
Real estate and rental and leasing | -- | -- | -- |
Real estate | -- | -- | -- |
Activities related to real estate | -- | 1 | 2 |
Real estate property managers | -- | 1 | 2 |
Residential property managers | -- | 1 | 2 |
Leisure and hospitality | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Other services, except public administration | 4 | 8 | 14 |
Repair and maintenance | -- | 6 | 11 |
Automotive repair and maintenance | -- | 5 | 9 |
Automotive mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance | -- | 5 | 9 |
General automotive repair | -- | 4 | 7 |
Government(3) | 7 | 5 | 9 |
State government | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Footnotes: | |||
Note: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Occupation(1) | 2012(2) | 2013(p) | |
---|---|---|---|
Number | Number | Percent | |
Total | 76 | 56 | 100 |
Management occupations | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Architecture and engineering occupations | -- | 3 | 5 |
Protective service occupations | -- | 4 | 7 |
Food preparation and serving related occupations | -- | 3 | 5 |
Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers | -- | 3 | 5 |
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers | -- | 3 | 5 |
Construction and extraction occupations | 25 | 11 | 20 |
Construction trades workers | 19 | 10 | 18 |
Construction laborers | 11 | 7 | 13 |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 4 | 6 | 11 |
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers | -- | 4 | 7 |
Automotive technicians and repairers | -- | 3 | 5 |
Automotive service technicians and mechanics | -- | 3 | 5 |
Transportation and material moving occupations | 16 | 19 | 34 |
Motor vehicle operators | 10 | 12 | 21 |
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers | 8 | 5 | 9 |
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs | -- | 7 | 13 |
Material moving workers | 4 | 6 | 11 |
Laborers and material movers, hand | 4 | 4 | 7 |
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Footnotes: | |||
Note: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Worker characteristics | 2012(1) | 2013(p) | |
---|---|---|---|
Number | Number | Percent | |
Total | 76 | 56 | 100 |
Employee status | |||
Wage and salary(2) | 57 | 43 | 77 |
Self-employed(3) | 19 | 13 | 23 |
Gender | |||
Men | 74 | 52 | 93 |
Women | -- | 4 | 7 |
Age(4) | |||
25 to 34 years | 17 | 5 | 9 |
35 to 44 years | 13 | 12 | 21 |
45 to 54 years | 13 | 15 | 27 |
55 to 64 years | 15 | 15 | 27 |
65 years and over | 13 | 7 | 13 |
Race or ethnic origin(5) | |||
White, non-Hispanic | 28 | 16 | 29 |
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic | 14 | 12 | 21 |
Hispanic or Latino | 23 | 22 | 39 |
Asian, non-Hispanic | 11 | 5 | 9 |
Footnotes: | |||
Note: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Last Modified Date: Monday, December 22, 2014