Fatal work injuries totaled 92 in 2016 for Kentucky, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Kentucky was down from 99 in the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 158 in 1994 to a low of 69 in 2010. (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 Kentucky, transportation incidents resulted in 47 fatal work injuries and accounted for over half of all workplace fatalities (51 percent). (See table 1.) Contact with objects and equipment accounted for 19 fatalities, down from 25 in the previous year; violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 11 fatalities, down from 15 in 2015.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2016, accounting for approximately 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 Kentucky with 17, up from 11 in the previous year. General freight trucking accounted for 9 of the 17 fatal injuries in this industry. (See table 2.)

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting sector had 16 workplace fatalities, down from 18 in the previous year. Seven of those fatally injured in this sector worked in cattle ranching and farming.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations and management occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 29 and 13, respectively. (See table 3.) The majority of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (18). Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for 9 of the 13 fatalities among management workers.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 92 percent of the work-related fatalities in Kentucky, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 52 percent of the fatalities for men in Kentucky.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 89 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 53 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2016, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
• Of the 92 fatally-injured workers in Kentucky, 75 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 workers, transportation incidents and contact with objects and equipment resulted in the most fatal work injuries.

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 2016 national data, over 23,300 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For the Kentucky 2016 data, 426 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 Kentucky 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, Kentucky, 2015–16

Event or exposure (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	99	92	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	15	11	12
Intentional injury by person	12	8	9
Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)	5	6	7
Injury by person--unintentional or intent unknown	1	1	1
Self-inflicted injury--unintentional or intent unknown	--	1	1
Transportation incidents	37	47	51
Aircraft incidents	--	1	1
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing	--	1	1
Rail vehicle incidents	--	1	1
Collision between rail vehicle and another vehicle	1	1	1
Pedestrian vehicular incident	4	13	14
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	1	4	4
Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road	1	3	3
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	--	5	5
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	25	29	32
Roadway collision with other vehicle	19	11	12
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	4	7	8
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	4	7	8
Roadway noncollision incident	--	10	11
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	--	9	10
Ran off roadway	--	1	1
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	6	3	3
Nonroadway noncollision incident	5	3	3
Fires and explosions	--	--	--
Fires	--	1	1
Forest or brush fire	--	1	1
Falls, slips, trips	9	9	10
Falls to lower level	7	8	9
Fall through surface or existing opening	--	1	1
Other fall to lower level	4	5	5
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	11	4	4
Exposure to electricity	3	2	2
Indirect exposure to electricity	--	2	2
Contact with objects and equipment	25	19	21
Struck by object or equipment	20	16	17
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	7	4	4
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	12	10	11
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	3	1	1
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	--	2	2
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, Kentucky, 2015–16

Industry (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	99	92	100
Private industry	87	83	90
Natural resources and mining	21	18	20
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	18	16	17
Crop production	5	3	3
Animal production and aquaculture	3	7	8
Cattle ranching and farming	--	7	8
Forestry and logging	7	5	5
Logging	7	5	5
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (2)	3	2	2
Mining (except oil and gas)	1	2	2
Coal mining	1	2	2
Construction	12	9	10
Construction of buildings	--	1	1
Residential building construction	--	1	1
Heavy and civil engineering construction	2	2	2
Utility system construction	2	1	1
Highway, street, and bridge construction	1	1	1
Specialty trade contractors	10	6	7
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	4	3	3
Other specialty trade contractors	--	3	3
Manufacturing	10	6	7
Wood product manufacturing	1	1	1
Other wood product manufacturing	1	1	1
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing	--	2	2
Plastics product manufacturing	--	2	2
Primary metal manufacturing	1	1	1
Foundries	--	1	1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	23	26	28
Wholesale trade	5	5	5
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	2	3	3
Retail trade	7	4	4
Food and beverage stores	2	1	1
Nonstore retailers	--	1	1
Transportation and warehousing	11	17	18
Water transportation	--	1	1
Truck transportation	10	11	12
General freight trucking	7	9	10
Support activities for transportation	--	2	2
Support activities for road transportation	--	2	2
Information	--	3	3
Broadcasting (except internet)	--	1	1
Cable and other subscription programming	--	1	1
Telecommunications	--	1	1
Wireless telecommunications carriers (except satellite)	--	1	1
Financial activities	1	1	1
Real estate and rental and leasing	1	1	1
Real estate	--	1	1
Professional and business services	10	7	8
Professional and technical services	3	1	1
Professional, scientific, and technical services	3	1	1
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services	--	1	1
Management of companies and enterprises	--	1	1
Management of companies and enterprises	--	1	1
Administrative and waste services	7	5	5
Administrative and support services	6	4	4
Services to buildings and dwellings	5	4	4
Waste management and remediation services	1	1	1
Waste treatment and disposal	1	1	1
Educational and health services	3	4	4
Educational services	--	1	1
Technical and trade schools	--	1	1
Health care and social assistance	3	3	3
Nursing and residential care facilities	--	1	1
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities)	--	1	1
Leisure and hospitality	3	--	--
Accommodation and food services	3	--	--
Food services and drinking places	3	1	1
Restaurants and other eating places	3	1	1
Other services, except public administration	3	7	8
Repair and maintenance	3	4	4
Automotive repair and maintenance	3	4	4
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations	--	--	--
Business, professional, labor, political, and similar organizations	--	1	1
Government (3)	12	9	10
Federal government	4	3	3
State government	4	3	3
Local government	4	3	3
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, Kentucky, 2015–16

Occupation (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	99	92	100
Management occupations	9	13	14
Operations specialties managers	--	--	--
Financial managers	--	1	1
Other management occupations	9	11	12
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	9	9	10
Medical and health services managers	--	1	1
Property, real estate, and community association managers	--	1	1
Business and financial operations occupations	--	--	--
Computer and mathematical occupations	--	--	--
Architecture and engineering occupations	1	1	1
Engineers	1	1	1
Electrical and electronics engineers	--	1	1
Life, physical, and social science occupations	--	--	--
Community and social service occupations	--	--	--
Legal occupations	--	--	--
Education, training, and library occupations	--	--	--
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	--	--	--
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	--	--
Healthcare support occupations	--	3	3
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides	--	3	3
Nursing assistants	--	1	1
Protective service occupations	7	1	1
Fire fighting and prevention workers	--	1	1
Firefighters	--	1	1
Food preparation and serving related occupations	1	1	1
Cooks and food preparation workers	--	1	1
Cooks	--	1	1
Cooks, fast food	--	1	1
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	5	6	7
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	--	1	1
Grounds maintenance workers	4	3	3
Personal care and service occupations	2	--	--
Sales and related occupations	7	3	3
Supervisors of sales workers	3	--	--
First-line supervisors of sales workers	3	--	--
Retail sales workers	--	1	1
Cashiers	--	1	1
Office and administrative support occupations	2	1	1
Supervisors of office and administrative support workers	1	1	1
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	8	8	9
Agricultural workers	--	3	3
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	--	3	3
Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals	--	3	3
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	7	5	5
Logging workers	7	5	5
Fallers	6	5	5
Construction and extraction occupations	15	11	12
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	1	1	1
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	1	1	1
Construction trades workers	12	7	8
Construction laborers	4	3	3
Reinforcing iron and rebar workers	--	1	1
Roofers	2	1	1
Extraction workers	--	2	2
Mining machine operators	--	2	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	5	10	11
Electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	--	2	2
Radio and telecommunications equipment installers and repairers	--	2	2
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	--	--	--
Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists	--	1	1
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3	4	4
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers	--	1	1
Production occupations	8	3	3
Metal workers and plastic workers	3	2	2
Woodworkers	--	1	1
Transportation and material moving occupations	24	29	32
Air transportation workers	--	1	1
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	--	1	1
Commercial pilots	--	1	1
Motor vehicle operators	21	23	25
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	18	21	23
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	15	18	20
Water transportation workers	--	1	1
Ship engineers	--	1	1
Material moving workers	3	4	4
Laborers and material movers, hand	3	3	3
Military specific occupations (2)	--	--	--
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. (2) Includes fatal injuries to persons identified as resident armed forces regardless of individual occupation listed.
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, Kentucky, 2015–16

Worker characteristics	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	99	92	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	72	69	75
Self-employed (2)	27	23	25
Gender
Men	91	85	92
Women	8	7	8
Age (3)
18 to 19 years	--	1	1
20 to 24 years	10	7	8
25 to 34 years	19	14	15
35 to 44 years	22	17	18
45 to 54 years	15	18	20
55 to 64 years	13	24	26
65 years and over	17	11	12
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	86	82	89
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	6	3	3
Hispanic or Latino	5	7	8
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.