Fatal work injuries totaled 171 in 2016 for Georgia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Georgia was down from 180 in the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 249 in 1994 to a low of 101 in 2012. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 5,190 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2016, a 7-percent increase from the 4,836 fatal injuries in 2015, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. This was the third consecutive increase in annual workplace fatalities and the first time more than 5,000 fatalities have been recorded since 2008.

Type of incident

In Georgia, transportation incidents resulted in 76 fatal work injuries and violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 37 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 66 percent of all workplace fatalities in Georgia. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents increased from 68 over the year and worker fatalities due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals were up from 24. Falls, slips, or trips was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 29 fatalities, down from 37 in 2015.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2016, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent), followed by falls, slips, or trips (16 percent).

Industry

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in Georgia with 37, up from 31 in the previous year. (See table 2.) General freight trucking accounted for 11, or about 30 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

The private construction sector had 35 workplace fatalities, down from 38 in the previous year. Twenty-six, or 74 percent, of those fatally injured in this sector worked in specialty trade contracting.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations and construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 55 and 32, respectively. (See table 3.) The majority of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were driver/sales workers and truck drivers (36). Construction laborers accounted for 12 of the 32 fatalities among construction and extraction workers.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 94 percent of the work-related fatalities in Georgia, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 43 percent of the fatalities for men in Georgia.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 56 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 64 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2016, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
• Of the 171 fatally-injured workers in Georgia, 78 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 national 2016 data, over 23,300 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For the Georgia 2016 data, 719 unique source documents were reviewed. For technical information and definitions for CFOI, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS web site at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/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. BLS thanks the Georgia 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, Georgia, 2015–16

Event or exposure (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	180	171	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	24	37	22
Intentional injury by person	22	37	22
Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)	14	31	18
Suicides (Self-inflicted injury--intentional)	8	5	3
Transportation incidents	68	76	44
Aircraft incidents	--	5	3
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing	--	1	1
Other in-flight crash	--	3	2
Parachuting incident	--	1	1
Rail vehicle incidents	3	3	2
Collision between rail vehicle and another vehicle	2	3	2
Pedestrian vehicular incident	11	9	5
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	4	2	1
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	--	3	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	43	55	32
Roadway collision with other vehicle	17	26	15
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	23	19	11
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	23	19	11
Roadway noncollision incident	3	10	6
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	--	8	5
Ran off roadway	1	1	1
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	8	3	2
Nonroadway noncollision incident	5	3	2
Fires and explosions	6	2	1
Explosions	4	2	1
Explosion of pressure vessel, piping, or tire	--	1	1
Falls, slips, trips	37	29	17
Falls on same level	--	3	2
Falls to lower level	33	26	15
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment	3	3	2
Fall through surface or existing opening	6	5	3
Other fall to lower level	23	18	11
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	20	14	8
Exposure to electricity	7	6	4
Direct exposure to electricity	4	3	2
Indirect exposure to electricity	--	3	2
Exposure to other harmful substances	12	4	2
Contact with objects and equipment	25	13	8
Struck by object or equipment	22	8	5
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	5	4	2
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	15	--	--
Injured by handheld object or equipment	--	1	1
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	3	1	1
Caught in running equipment or machinery	3	1	1
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	--	4	2
Engulfment in other collapsing material	--	1	1
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, Georgia, 2015–16

Industry (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	180	171	100
Private industry	165	151	88
Natural resources and mining	10	8	5
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	10	7	4
Crop production	--	3	2
Support activities for agriculture and forestry	--	2	1
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (2)	--	1	1
Mining (except oil and gas)	--	1	1
Construction	38	35	20
Construction of buildings	8	4	2
Residential building construction	3	4	2
Heavy and civil engineering construction	1	5	3
Utility system construction	--	1	1
Highway, street, and bridge construction	1	3	2
Other heavy and civil engineering construction	--	1	1
Specialty trade contractors	29	26	15
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	14	12	7
Building equipment contractors	6	4	2
Building finishing contractors	--	6	4
Other specialty trade contractors	7	4	2
Manufacturing	27	12	7
Food manufacturing	2	1	1
Beverage and tobacco product manufacturing	--	1	1
Textile mills	--	1	1
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing	--	2	1
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	4	1	1
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	3	1	1
Miscellaneous manufacturing	1	1	1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	49	55	32
Utilities	1	2	1
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution	1	1	1
Water, sewage and other systems	--	1	1
Wholesale trade	6	5	3
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	4	3	2
Retail trade	11	11	6
Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers	--	1	1
Food and beverage stores	2	5	3
Gasoline stations	1	3	2
Clothing and clothing accessories stores	--	1	1
General merchandise stores	1	1	1
Transportation and warehousing	31	37	22
Air transportation	--	2	1
Water transportation	--	1	1
Truck transportation	25	21	12
General freight trucking	11	11	6
Specialized freight trucking	14	10	6
Transit and ground passenger transportation	2	6	4
Support activities for transportation	2	4	2
Postal service	--	4	2
Warehousing and storage	--	1	1
Information	2	1	1
Publishing industries (except internet)	1	1	1
Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers	1	1	1
Financial activities	--	--	--
Professional and business services	16	16	9
Professional and technical services	5	--	--
Professional, scientific, and technical services	5	--	--
Administrative and waste services	11	14	8
Administrative and support services	10	12	7
Educational and health services	1	3	2
Educational services	1	3	2
Elementary and secondary schools	--	2	1
Colleges, universities, and professional schools	1	1	1
Technical and trade schools	1	1	1
Leisure and hospitality	10	11	6
Accommodation and food services	4	11	6
Accommodation	--	3	2
Food services and drinking places	3	8	5
Other services, except public administration	10	8	5
Repair and maintenance	5	5	3
Automotive repair and maintenance	5	5	3
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations	1	3	2
Religious organizations	1	2	1
Government (3)	15	20	12
Federal government	--	6	4
State government	4	2	1
Local government	9	12	7
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, 2012, including establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in Oil and Gas Extraction. (3) 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, Georgia, 2015–16

Occupation (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	180	171	100
Management occupations	3	6	4
Other management occupations	--	6	4
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	--	3	2
Food service managers	1	3	2
Community and social service occupations	--	--	--
Religious workers	1	1	1
Legal occupations	3	1	1
Lawyers, judges, and related workers	3	1	1
Education, training, and library occupations	--	1	1
Preschool, primary, secondary, and special education school teachers	--	1	1
Secondary school teachers	--	1	1
Protective service occupations	11	13	8
Supervisors of protective service workers	1	4	2
First-line supervisors of law enforcement workers	--	4	2
Law enforcement workers	9	6	4
Detectives and criminal investigators	--	1	1
Police officers	7	5	3
Other protective service workers	1	3	2
Security guards and gaming surveillance officers	1	3	2
Food preparation and serving related occupations	3	--	--
Cooks and food preparation workers	--	1	1
Cooks	--	1	1
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	12	15	9
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	4	1	1
First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	4	1	1
Building cleaning and pest control workers	1	4	2
Building cleaning workers	--	3	2
Pest control workers	1	1	1
Grounds maintenance workers	7	10	6
Grounds maintenance workers	7	10	6
Sales and related occupations	11	10	6
Supervisors of sales workers	5	4	2
First-line supervisors of sales workers	5	4	2
Retail sales workers	5	4	2
Cashiers	2	4	2
Other sales and related workers	--	2	1
Office and administrative support occupations	--	8	5
Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers	--	6	4
Couriers and messengers	--	1	1
Postal service workers	--	4	2
Stock clerks and order fillers	1	1	1
Construction and extraction occupations	33	32	19
Construction trades workers	27	30	18
Carpenters	1	5	3
Construction laborers	10	12	7
Construction equipment operators	--	1	1
Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers	1	1	1
Painters and paperhangers	--	3	2
Roofers	6	4	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	21	17	10
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	9	7	4
Automotive technicians and repairers	6	5	3
Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists	--	1	1
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	9	10	6
Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers	1	5	3
Maintenance and repair workers, general	--	3	2
Production occupations	14	5	3
Metal workers and plastic workers	3	1	1
Plant and system operators	1	1	1
Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers	--	1	1
Other production occupations	3	3	2
Crushing, grinding, polishing, mixing, and blending workers	1	1	1
Cutting workers	--	1	1
Transportation and material moving occupations	50	55	32
Air transportation workers	2	4	2
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	2	4	2
Motor vehicle operators	41	43	25
Bus drivers	--	3	2
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	39	36	21
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs	2	4	2
Water transportation workers	--	1	1
Sailors and marine oilers	--	1	1
Other transportation workers	--	1	1
Miscellaneous transportation workers	--	1	1
Material moving workers	7	6	4
Industrial truck and tractor operators	--	2	1
Laborers and material movers, hand	5	3	2
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	--	1	1
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010.
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 selected demographic characteristics, Georgia, 2015–16

Worker characteristics	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	180	171	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	138	134	78
Self-employed (2)	42	37	22
Gender
Men	172	161	94
Women	8	10	6
Age (3)
18 to 19 years	3	2	1
20 to 24 years	15	8	5
25 to 34 years	27	31	18
35 to 44 years	42	27	16
45 to 54 years	40	52	30
55 to 64 years	34	41	24
65 years and over	18	10	6
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	112	95	56
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	36	50	29
Hispanic or Latino	26	16	9
Asian, non-Hispanic	--	10	6
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.