Fatal work injuries totaled 77 in 2015 for Mississippi, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Mississippi was little changed from the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 128 in 1995 and 1999 to a low of 63 in 2011 and 2012. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 4,836 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2015, a slight increase from the 4,821 fatal injuries in 2014, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

Type of incident

In Mississippi, transportation incidents resulted in 37 fatal work injuries, accounting for 48 percent of all workplace fatalities in Mississippi. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents increased from 34 in 2014. Contact with objects and equipment accounted for 13 worker fatalities in 2015, an increase from 9 in the previous year.

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 11 fatalities, up from 8 in 2014. Falls, slips, or trips resulted in 10 work-related deaths, little changed from the prior year.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2015, accounting for approximately 42 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, or trips was the second-most frequent type of event (17 percent), followed by contact with objects and equipment (15 percent).

Industry

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in Mississippi with 19, up from 13 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents was the most frequent fatal event in the transportation and warehousing industry sector with 16 worker deaths. Over half of those fatally injured in this sector worked in specialized freight trucking.

The private construction sector had 13 workplace fatalities, similar to the count in the previous year. Specialty trade contractors accounted for 7, or 54 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations and construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 29 and 11, respectively. (See table 3.) The majority of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (20). Construction trades workers accounted for 8 of the 11 fatalities among construction and extraction workers.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 92 percent of the work-related fatalities in Mississippi, similar to the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 48 percent of the fatalities for men in Mississippi.
• White non-hispanics accounted for 60 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 67 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 57 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2015, matching the national share.
• Of the 77 fatal work injuries in Mississippi, 87 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both groups of workers was transportation incidents.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the BLS Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI 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 the 2015 data, over 21,400 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. 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. BLS thanks the Mississippi State Department of Health 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 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, Mississippi, 2014–15

Event or exposure (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	75	77	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	8	11	14
Intentional injury by person	8	9	12
Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)	5	8	10
Shooting by other person--intentional	4	8	10
Transportation incidents	34	37	48
Pedestrian vehicular incident	7	5	6
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	--	4	5
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	23	27	35
Roadway collision with other vehicle	13	13	17
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	3	3	4
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	3	3	4
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	5	4	5
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	7	10	13
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	7	9	12
Roadway noncollision incident	3	4	5
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	--	4	5
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	--	3	4
Nonroadway noncollision incident	--	3	4
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	--	3	4
Fires and explosions	4	--	--
Falls, slips, trips	11	10	13
Falls to lower level	9	6	8
Other fall to lower level	6	4	5
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	9	6	8
Exposure to electricity	5	3	4
Contact with objects and equipment	9	13	17
Struck by object or equipment	5	9	12
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	--	6	8
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	--	4	5
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	4	3	4
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	--	3	4
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. 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 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Mississippi, 2014–15

Industry (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	75	77	100
Private industry	65	62	81
Natural resources and mining	5	9	12
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	5	8	10
Crop production	--	4	5
Support activities for agriculture and forestry	--	1	1
Support activities for forestry	--	1	1
Construction	12	13	17
Construction of buildings	3	6	8
Residential building construction	3	4	5
Specialty trade contractors	6	7	9
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	--	3	4
Manufacturing	6	5	6
Trade, transportation, and utilities	23	23	30
Retail trade	3	4	5
Transportation and warehousing	13	19	25
Truck transportation	10	18	23
General freight trucking	4	8	10
General freight trucking, long-distance	--	7	9
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	--	4	5
Specialized freight trucking	6	10	13
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	3	6	8
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance	1	4	5
Information	--	--	--
Financial activities	--	--	--
Professional and business services	8	8	10
Administrative and waste services	6	7	9
Administrative and support services	4	7	9
Services to buildings and dwellings	1	6	8
Landscaping services	1	3	4
Educational and health services	4	--	--
Leisure and hospitality	3	--	--
Other services, except public administration	--	--	--
Government (2)	10	15	19
Federal government	--	3	4
State government	6	4	5
Local government	3	8	10
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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, Mississippi, 2014–15

Occupation (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	75	77	100
Management occupations	4	5	6
Other management occupations	4	3	4
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	--	3	4
Business and financial operations occupations	--	--	--
Computer and mathematical occupations	--	--	--
Architecture and engineering occupations	--	--	--
Life, physical, and social science occupations	--	--	--
Community and social services occupations	--	--	--
Legal occupations	--	--	--
Education, training, and library occupations	--	--	--
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	--	--	--
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	--	--
Healthcare support occupations	--	--	--
Protective service occupations	4	7	9
Law enforcement workers	--	4	5
Other protective service workers	--	3	4
Food preparation and serving related occupations	--	--	--
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	3	6	8
Building cleaning and pest control workers	--	3	4
Personal care and service occupations	--	--	--
Sales and related occupations	3	--	--
Office and administrative support occupations	4	--	--
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	--	3	4
Construction and extraction occupations	15	11	14
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	--	3	4
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	3	4
Construction trades workers	6	8	10
Construction laborers	--	5	6
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	6	5	6
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	4	4	5
Production occupations	3	--	--
Transportation and material moving occupations	24	29	38
Motor vehicle operators	17	20	26
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	16	20	26
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	12	20	26
Material moving workers	6	6	8
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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, Mississippi, 2014–15

Worker characteristics	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	75	77	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	59	67	87
Self-employed (2)	16	10	13
Gender
Men	69	71	92
Women	6	6	8
Age (3)
18 to 19 years	--	3	4
20 to 24 years	7	--	--
25 to 34 years	13	10	13
35 to 44 years	11	13	17
45 to 54 years	23	21	27
55 to 64 years	14	21	27
65 years and over	6	7	9
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	54	46	60
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	19	22	29
Hispanic or Latino	--	7	9
Footnotes: (1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. (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 Hispanic and Latino workers.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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.