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Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Fatal work injuries totaled 178 in 2018 for North Carolina, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the number of work-related fatalities in North Carolina was down from 183 in the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 234 in 2000 to a low of 109 in 2013. (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 incidentIn North Carolina, transportation incidents resulted in 84 fatal work injuries, up from 73 over the year. This major category accounted for 47 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.)
Contact with objects and equipment was the second-most frequent fatal work event with 24 fatalities, similar to the previous year. Two other events—violence and other injuries by persons or animals; and falls, slips, and trips—each had 23 fatal work injuries in 2018. Workers deaths from violence and other injuries by persons or animals were down from 27 over the year, while worker fatalities due to falls, slips, and trips were down from 28 in the previous year.
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).
IndustryThe private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in North Carolina with 31, up from 27 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents accounted for about three-fourths of those fatally injured in the industry. The general freight trucking sector accounted for 15 of the 31 workplace fatalities in the transportation and warehousing industry.
The private construction industry had 30 fatalities in North Carolina, down from 36 in the previous year. The specialty trade contractors sector accounted for 20, or two-thirds, of the fatal injuries in the construction industry.
OccupationTransportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 46. (See table 3.) Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 25 of the 46 fatalities in the transportation and material moving occupational group. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second highest number of workplace fatalities with 26. Construction trades workers suffered 21 of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction group.
Additional highlightsMen accounted for 91 percent of the work-related fatalities in North Carolina, similar to the 92-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 47 percent of the fatalities for men in North Carolina.
White non-Hispanics accounted for 63 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 48 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2018, compared to 58 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
Of the 178 fatally-injured workers in North Carolina, 86 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.
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 thanks the North Carolina Department of Labor 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.
Event or exposure (1) | 2017 | 2018 | |
---|---|---|---|
Number | Number | Percent | |
Total | 183 | 178 | 100 |
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals | 27 | 23 | 13 |
Intentional injury by person | 27 | 20 | 11 |
Intentional injury by other person | 21 | 8 | 4 |
Shooting by other person--intentional | 12 | 8 | 4 |
Self-inflicted injury--intentional | 6 | 12 | 7 |
Shooting--intentional self-harm | 5 | 6 | 3 |
Hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation--intentional self-harm | -- | 6 | 3 |
Transportation incidents | 73 | 84 | 47 |
Pedestrian vehicular incident | 7 | 9 | 5 |
Water vehicle incidents | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Capsized or sinking water vehicle | -- | 3 | 2 |
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle | 49 | 64 | 36 |
Roadway collision with other vehicle | 28 | 29 | 16 |
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle | 18 | 27 | 15 |
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway | 18 | 24 | 13 |
Roadway noncollision incident | 3 | 8 | 4 |
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles | 12 | 5 | 3 |
Fires and explosions | 6 | 4 | 2 |
Explosions | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Falls, slips, trips | 28 | 23 | 13 |
Falls on same level | 6 | 4 | 2 |
Falls to lower level | 22 | 19 | 11 |
Exposure to harmful substances or environments | 23 | 19 | 11 |
Exposure to electricity | 6 | 1 | 1 |
Exposure to other harmful substances | 14 | 14 | 8 |
Contact with objects and equipment | 26 | 24 | 13 |
Struck by object or equipment | 18 | 18 | 10 |
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects | 5 | 5 | 3 |
Overexertion and bodily reaction | -- | -- | -- |
Footnotes: | |||
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. |
Industry (1) | 2017 | 2018 | |
---|---|---|---|
Number | Number | Percent | |
Total | 183 | 178 | 100 |
Private industry | 163 | 158 | 89 |
Goods producing | 69 | 58 | 33 |
Natural resources and mining | 22 | 11 | 6 |
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 22 | 11 | 6 |
Construction | 36 | 30 | 17 |
Construction | 36 | 30 | 17 |
Construction of buildings | 4 | 4 | 2 |
Heavy and civil engineering construction | 5 | 6 | 3 |
Specialty trade contractors | 27 | 20 | 11 |
Manufacturing | 11 | 17 | 10 |
Service providing | 94 | 100 | 56 |
Trade, transportation, and utilities | 42 | 44 | 25 |
Wholesale trade | 3 | 5 | 3 |
Retail trade | 12 | 8 | 4 |
Transportation and warehousing | 27 | 31 | 17 |
Truck transportation | 16 | 22 | 12 |
General freight trucking | 9 | 15 | 8 |
Specialized freight trucking | 7 | 7 | 4 |
Information | -- | -- | -- |
Financial activities | 3 | -- | -- |
Professional and business services | 24 | 31 | 17 |
Administrative and waste services | 24 | 29 | 16 |
Administrative and support services | 21 | 27 | 15 |
Services to buildings and dwellings | 17 | 19 | 11 |
Landscaping services | 17 | 16 | 9 |
Educational and health services | 6 | 5 | 3 |
Leisure and hospitality | 12 | 6 | 3 |
Other services, except public administration | 6 | 9 | 5 |
Government (2) | 20 | 20 | 11 |
Federal government | 12 | 5 | 3 |
State government | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Local government | 3 | 12 | 7 |
Footnotes: | |||
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. |
Occupation (1) | 2017 | 2018 | |
---|---|---|---|
Number | Number | Percent | |
Total | 183 | 178 | 100 |
Management occupations | 16 | 7 | 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 | 1 | -- | -- |
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations | 2 | -- | -- |
Healthcare support occupations | -- | -- | -- |
Protective service occupations | 10 | 15 | 8 |
Fire fighting and prevention workers | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Law enforcement workers | 4 | 9 | 5 |
Food preparation and serving related occupations | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations | 17 | 23 | 13 |
Grounds maintenance workers | 13 | 15 | 8 |
Personal care and service occupations | -- | 2 | 1 |
Sales and related occupations | 9 | 7 | 4 |
Retail sales workers | 3 | 5 | 3 |
Office and administrative support occupations | 7 | 6 | 3 |
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | 10 | 4 | 2 |
Construction and extraction occupations | 29 | 26 | 15 |
Construction trades workers | 24 | 21 | 12 |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 12 | 21 | 12 |
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers | 3 | 5 | 3 |
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 5 | 14 | 8 |
Production occupations | 6 | 5 | 3 |
Transportation and material moving occupations | 48 | 46 | 26 |
Motor vehicle operators | 40 | 33 | 19 |
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers | 36 | 29 | 16 |
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | 27 | 25 | 14 |
Light truck or delivery services drivers | 8 | 3 | 2 |
Material moving workers | 5 | 9 | 5 |
Military specific occupations (2) | 9 | 4 | 2 |
Footnotes: | |||
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. |
Worker characteristics | 2017 | 2018 | |
---|---|---|---|
Number | Number | Percent | |
Total | 183 | 178 | 100 |
Employee status | |||
Wage and salary workers (1) | 145 | 153 | 86 |
Self-employed (2) | 38 | 25 | 14 |
Gender | |||
Men | 174 | 162 | 91 |
Women | 9 | 16 | 9 |
Age (3) | |||
20 to 24 years | 18 | 21 | 12 |
25 to 34 years | 27 | 24 | 13 |
35 to 44 years | 45 | 25 | 14 |
45 to 54 years | 33 | 36 | 20 |
55 to 64 years | 29 | 41 | 23 |
65 years and over | 31 | 29 | 16 |
Race or ethnic origin (4) | |||
White, non-Hispanic | 119 | 112 | 63 |
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic | 36 | 42 | 24 |
Hispanic or Latino | 20 | 16 | 9 |
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic | 6 | 4 | 2 |
Asian, non-Hispanic | -- | 3 | 2 |
Footnotes: | |||
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. |
Last Modified Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2020