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

15-2433-NEW
Thursday, December 17, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (617) 565-4141

Fatal Work Injuries in New York City - 2014

Fatal work injuries totaled 78 in 2014 for New York City, 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 York City increased by 22 over the year. Fatal occupational injuries in the City have ranged from a high of 191 in 1993 to a low of 56 in 2013. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a preliminary total of 4,679 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2014, up from a 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 78 fatal work injuries reported in New York City in 2014, 25 resulted from violence and other injuries by persons or animals and 20 from falls, slips, and trips. Together, these two major categories accounted for more than half of the City’s workplace fatalities. (See table 1.) Other major event categories each reported 14 or fewer deaths. Fatal work injuries from violence and other injuries by persons or animals included 12 suicides and 11 homicides, with the counts in both categories up over the year. In the falls, slips, or trips category, 19 deaths were the result of falls to a lower level, an increase of 6 over the year. (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 the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2014, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. New York City’s share of on-the-job fatalities due to this event was 18 percent. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips and trips were the second most frequent type of event nationally, with 17 percent of work-related fatalities; the share in New York City was 26 percent. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals (16 percent) and contact with objects and equipment (15 percent) were the third and fourth most frequent events in the nation. In the City, violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 32 percent of work fatalities and contact with objects and equipment accounted for 10 percent.

Additional highlights:

  • The construction industry had the highest fatality count with 22. Falls, slips, and trips accounted for 14 of these deaths.
  • Construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of fatal work injuries with 20, an increase of 9 over the year (See table 3.) The majority of these fatalities occurred to construction trades workers (15). Workers in transportation and material moving occupations had the next highest fatality count at 19, unchanged from the prior year.
  • In New York City, 41 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were of Hispanic or Latino origin. Nationwide, this group accounted for 17 percent of work-related deaths. (See table 4.)
  • Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 42, or 54 percent, of the City’s work-related fatalities in 2014. Nationally, workers in this group accounted for 58 percent of on-the-job fatalities.

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, 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.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, New York City, 2013–14
Event or exposure (1)2013 (2)2014 (p)
NumberNumberPercent

Total

5678100

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals

152532

Intentional injury by person

142329

Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)

81114

Shooting by other person--intentional

479

Suicides (Self-inflicted injury--intentional)

61215

Shooting--intentional self-harm

--34

Hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation--intentional self-harm

379

Transportation incidents

111418

Pedestrian vehicular incident

568

Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area

334

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

568

Roadway collision with other vehicle

545

Fires and explosions

--45

Falls, slips, trips

152026

Falls to lower level

131924

Fall through surface or existing opening

--34

Fall through surface or existing opening more than 30 feet

--34

Other fall to lower level

111621

Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet

--56

Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet

--34

Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet

--45

Exposure to harmful substances or environments

679

Exposure to other harmful substances

479

Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose

368

Contact with objects and equipment

7810

Struck by object or equipment

656

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

334

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 York City, 2013–14
Industry (1)2013 (2)2014 (p)
NumberNumberPercent

Total

5678100

Private industry

516685

Construction

172228

Construction

172228

Construction of buildings

479

Specialty trade contractors

91418

Manufacturing

--34

Manufacturing

--34

Trade, transportation, and utilities

191924

Retail trade

6912

Food and beverage stores

356

Transportation and warehousing

12810

Transit and ground passenger transportation

745

Financial activities

--56

Real estate and rental and leasing

--56

Real estate

--56

Professional and business services

--56

Administrative and waste services

--34

Educational and health services

--34

Health care and social assistance

--34

Hospitals

--11

Leisure and hospitality

356

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

--11

Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries

--11

Accommodation and food services

--45

Food services and drinking places

--34

Other services, except public administration

845

Other services, except public administration

845

Government (3)

51215

State government

334

Local government

--810

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 York City, 2013–14
Occupation (1)2013 (2)2014 (p)
NumberNumberPercent

Total

5678100

Management occupations

379

Other management occupations

--68

Property, real estate, and community association managers

--34

Architecture and engineering occupations

3----

Protective service occupations

456

Law enforcement workers

--45

Police officers

--45

Food preparation and serving related occupations

3----

Sales and related occupations

--68

Supervisors of sales workers

--45

First-line supervisors of sales workers

--45

First-line supervisors of retail sales workers

--34

Office and administrative support occupations

--34

Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers

--34

Stock clerks and order fillers

--34

Construction and extraction occupations

112026

Construction trades workers

101519

Construction laborers

768

Electricians

--45

Other construction and related workers

--34

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

656

Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

--56

Maintenance and repair workers, general

--34

Production occupations

--45

Food processing workers

--11

Transportation and material moving occupations

191924

Motor vehicle operators

12912

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

545

Taxi drivers and chauffeurs

745

Material moving workers

6810

Laborers and material movers, hand

434

Refuse and recyclable material collectors

--34

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 York City, 2013–14
Worker characteristics2013 (1)2014 (p)
NumberNumberPercent

Total

5678100

Employee status

 

Wage and salary (2)

436279

Self-employed (3)

131621

Gender

 

Men

527191

Women

479

Age (4)

 

20 to 24 years

--68

25 to 34 years

51418

35 to 44 years

121823

45 to 54 years

151013

55 to 64 years

152228

65 years and over

7810

Race or ethnic origin (5)

 

White, non-Hispanic

162836

Black or African-American, non-Hispanic

12810

Hispanic or Latino

223241

Asian, non-Hispanic

51013

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: Thursday, December 17, 2015