Fatal work injuries totaled 332 in 2018 for Florida, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Florida was up from 299 in the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 422 in 2004 to a low of 218 in 2012. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 5,250 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2018, up from the 5,147 fatal injuries in 2017, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

Type of incident

In Florida, transportation incidents resulted in 117 fatal work injuries and falls, slips, and trips accounted for 82 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 60 percent of all workplace fatalities in Florida. (See table 1.) Worker fatalities from transportation incidents were up from 107 over the year and worker deaths from falls, slips, and trips were up from 62.

Exposure to harmful substances or environments was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 56 fatalities, up from 48 in the prior year. Contact with objects and equipment had 37 worker-related deaths compared to 31 in 2017.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2018, 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 (16 percent), followed by falls, slips, and trips (15 percent) and contact with objects and equipment (15 percent).

Industry

The private construction sector had the largest number of fatalities in Florida with 101, up from 75 from the previous year. (See table 2.) The specialty trade contractors industry subsector accounted for 70, or 69 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

The private administrative and waste services sector had 49 workplace fatalities compared to 52 in the previous year. Thirty-seven, or 76 percent, of those fatally injured in this sector worked in the services to buildings and dwellings industry group.

Occupation

Construction and extraction occupations and transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 84 and 76, respectively. (See table 3.) Construction laborers accounted for 22 of the 84 workplace fatalities within the construction and extraction group. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 48 of the 76 fatalities in the transportation and material moving group.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 95 percent of the work-related fatalities in Florida, compared to the 92-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 36 percent of the fatalities for men in Florida.

• White non-Hispanics accounted for 54 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 65 percent of work-related deaths.

• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 63 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2018, compared to 58 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

• Of the 332 fatally-injured workers in Florida, 89 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents; transportation incidents and falls, slips, and trips were the most frequent fatal events for self-employed workers.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, is a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI uses a variety of 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 2018 national data, over 24,800 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for the CFOI, see the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm.

Federal/State agency coverage. The CFOI includes data for all fatal work injuries, some of which may be outside the scope of other agencies or regulatory coverage. Comparisons between CFOI counts and those released by other agencies should account for the different coverage requirements and definitions used by each agency. For more information on the scope of CFOI, see www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm.

Acknowledgments. BLS 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, Florida, 2017–18

Event or exposure (1)	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	299	332	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	43	33	10
Intentional injury by person	42	32	10
Intentional injury by other person	34	22	7
Shooting by other person--intentional	25	19	6
Self-inflicted injury--intentional	8	10	3
Shooting--intentional self-harm	4	4	1
Hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation--intentional self-harm	3	4	1
Transportation incidents	107	117	35
Aircraft incidents	4	8	2
Pedestrian vehicular incident	19	24	7
Water vehicle incidents	4	6	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	65	70	21
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	10	8	2
Fires and explosions	7	7	2
Explosions	7	7	2
Falls, slips, trips	62	82	25
Falls on same level	7	11	3
Falls to lower level	53	69	21
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	48	56	17
Exposure to electricity	19	23	7
Exposure to temperature extremes	3	4	1
Exposure to other harmful substances	21	22	7
Exposure to oxygen deficiency, n.e.c.	5	7	2
Contact with objects and equipment	31	37	11
Struck by object or equipment	24	26	8
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	5	6	2
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	1	4	1
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, Florida, 2017–18

Industry (1)	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	299	332	100
Private industry	282	308	93
Goods producing	105	139	42
Natural resources and mining	13	18	5
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	13	17	5
Mining (2)	--	1	0
Construction	75	101	30
Construction	75	101	30
Construction of buildings	7	7	2
Heavy and civil engineering construction	19	22	7
Specialty trade contractors	49	70	21
Manufacturing	17	20	6
Service providing	177	169	51
Trade, transportation, and utilities	67	67	20
Wholesale trade	3	13	4
Retail trade	16	17	5
Transportation and warehousing	46	35	11
Truck transportation	32	26	8
General freight trucking	14	19	6
Specialized freight trucking	18	7	2
Information	--	--	--
Financial activities	6	11	3
Professional and business services	58	53	16
Professional and technical services	6	4	1
Administrative and waste services	52	49	15
Administrative and support services	46	43	13
Employment services	1	3	1
Services to buildings and dwellings	38	37	11
Landscaping services	29	35	11
Educational and health services	7	12	4
Educational services	3	4	1
Health care and social assistance	4	8	2
Leisure and hospitality	27	15	5
Other services, except public administration	10	9	3
Government (3)	17	24	7
Federal government	--	6	2
State government	3	4	1
Local government	14	14	4
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, Florida, 2017–18

Occupation (1)	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	299	332	100
Management occupations	13	6	2
Business and financial operations occupations	4	2	1
Architecture and engineering occupations	3	--	--
Education, training, and library occupations	--	1	0
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	3	3	1
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	3	1
Healthcare support occupations	--	4	1
Protective service occupations	20	17	5
Law enforcement workers	5	9	3
Police officers	5	7	2
Food preparation and serving related occupations	8	4	1
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	39	40	12
Grounds maintenance workers	25	32	10
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	15	20	6
Tree trimmers and pruners	9	12	4
Personal care and service occupations	4	4	1
Sales and related occupations	8	14	4
Office and administrative support occupations	4	4	1
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	7	12	4
Agricultural workers	6	9	3
Construction and extraction occupations	63	84	25
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	4	15	5
Construction trades workers	56	62	19
Construction laborers	22	22	7
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	34	38	11
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	7	14	4
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	20	22	7
Production occupations	7	10	3
Transportation and material moving occupations	76	76	23
Air transportation workers	3	5	2
Motor vehicle operators	54	58	17
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	49	56	17
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	38	48	14
Light truck or delivery services drivers	9	8	2
Material moving workers	13	11	3
Military specific occupations (2)	--	5	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, Florida, 2017–18

Worker characteristics	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	299	332	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	255	294	89
Self-employed (2)	44	38	11
Gender
Men	283	316	95
Women	16	16	5
Age (3)
18 to 19 years	--	3	1
20 to 24 years	14	12	4
25 to 34 years	53	56	17
35 to 44 years	61	75	23
45 to 54 years	74	79	24
55 to 64 years	61	68	20
65 years and over	35	39	12
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	168	178	54
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	44	43	13
Hispanic or Latino	81	104	31
Asian, non-Hispanic	4	4	1
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 data for Hispanics and Latinos.
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.