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News Release Information

23-327-ATL
Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

Fatal Occupational Injuries in Florida — 2021

Fatal work injuries totaled 315 in 2021 for Florida, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Florida was up from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 422 in 2004 to a low of 218 in 2012.

Nationwide, a total of 5,190 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2021, a 9-percent increase from 4,764 in 2020, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).


Fatal event or exposure

In Florida, transportation incidents resulted in 111 fatal work injuries and accounted for 35 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 90 over the year.

Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most frequent fatal work event with 69 fatalities, down from 77 in the prior year. Exposure to harmful substances or environments resulted in 59 fatal work injuries, compared to 43 in the prior year. Contact with objects and equipment resulted in 39 work-related deaths, up from 25 in 2020.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2021, accounting for 38 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (16 percent), followed by both exposure to harmful substances or environments and violence and other injuries by persons or animals (15 percent each) and contact with objects and equipment (14 percent).


Industry

The private construction industry sector had the highest number of fatal work injuries in Florida with 76, down from 82 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Falls, slips, and trips resulted in 38 of the 76 fatal work injuries in the industry. The foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors industry group accounted for 30, or 39 percent, of fatal workplace injuries in the construction industry.

The private transportation and warehousing industry had 49 fatal workplace injuries. The specialized freight trucking industry group accounted for 15, or 31 percent, of the fatal injuries in the transportation and warehousing industry.

The administrative and support and waste management and remediation services sector also had 49 fatal workplace injuries, up from 28 in the previous year.  

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 80. (See table 3.) Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 38 of the 80 fatal work injuries among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 69. Construction laborers and roofers each suffered 16 of the 69 work-related deaths within the construction and extraction group.

Additional highlights

Men accounted for 90 percent of the work-related fatal work injuries in Florida, similar to the national share of 91 percent. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 36 percent of the fatal work injuries for men in Florida.

White non-Hispanics accounted for 54 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 60 percent of work-related deaths.

Workers 45-64 years old accounted for 48 percent of the state’s work-related fatal work injuries in 2021, compared to 43 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally

Of the 315 fatal work injuries in Florida, 87 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 resulting from workplace 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 2021 national data, over 23,900 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 at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm and the CFOI definitions at www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/occupational-safety-and-health-definitions.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/overview/cfoi-scope.htm and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm.

Latency Cases. Latent fatal occupational injury cases occur when the date of injury differs from the date of death. In some cases, the death occurs in a different year than the occupational injury and are known as cross-year latent cases. In 2021, there were 197 cases nationally where this occurred, and 174 of these latent cases occurred more than 30 days prior to the start of 2021. For more information on latent cases, see www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-10/latency-in-fatal-occupational-injuries.htm.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. CFOI reports fatal workplace injuries only. These may include fatal workplace injuries complicated by an illness such as COVID-19. Fatal workplace illnesses not precipitated by an injury are not in scope for CFOI. CFOI does not report any illness related information, including COVID-19. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-on-workplace-injuries-and-illnesses-compensation-and-occupational-requirements.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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Florida, 2020–21
Event or exposure (1)20202021
NumberNumberPercent

Total

275315100

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals

363411

Transportation incidents

9011135

Aircraft incidents

3124

Rail vehicle incidents

--31

Pedestrian vehicular incident

21217

Water vehicle incidents

431

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

546119

Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles

8113

Fires and explosions

331

Falls, slips, trips

776922

Falls to lower level

605718

Exposure to harmful substances or environments

435919

Exposure to electricity

11165

Exposure to other harmful substances

233010

Contact with objects and equipment

253912

Struck by object or equipment

15289

Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects

672

Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material

431

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. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.


Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Florida, 2020–21
Industry (1)20202021
NumberNumberPercent

Total

275315100

Private industry (2)

26028490

Goods producing

------

Natural resources and mining

------

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

13248

Construction

827624

Construction

827624

Heavy and civil engineering construction

21113

Specialty trade contractors

505618

Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors

243010

Building equipment contractors

7103

Manufacturing

10124

Service providing (3)

------

Trade, transportation, and utilities

------

Wholesale trade

993

Retail trade

15134

Transportation and warehousing

444916

Truck transportation

283110

Specialized freight trucking

10155

Transit and ground passenger transportation

441

Support activities for transportation

752

Couriers and messengers

--62

Financial activities

--62

Professional and business services

--5317

Professional, scientific, and technical services

--41

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services

284916

Educational and health services

131

Leisure and hospitality

------

Other services, except public administration

--93

Government (4)

------

Federal government

--10

Local government

1141

Footnotes:
(1) CFOI has used several versions of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) since 2003 to define industry. For complete information on the version of NAICS used in this year, see our definitions page at www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm. Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts. Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts.
(2) Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts.
(3) Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts.
(4) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. Cases classified as foreign government and other government are included in all government counts, but not displayed separately.

NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.


Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Florida, 2020–21
Occupation (1)20202021
NumberNumberPercent

Total

275315100

Management occupations

1462

Architecture and engineering occupations

--52

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

--41

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

441

Protective service occupations

6196

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

294414

Grounds maintenance workers

243310

Personal care and service occupations

541

Sales and related occupations

1472

Office and administrative support occupations

752

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

7113

Construction and extraction occupations

676922

Construction trades workers

555718

Carpenters

983

Construction laborers

18165

Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers

121

Electricians

321

Painters and paperhangers

783

Roofers

11165

Helpers, construction trades

331

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

253310

Production occupations

8124

Transportation and material moving occupations

608025

Motor vehicle operators

465818

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

415417

Driver/sales workers

--31

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

373812

Light truck drivers

--134

Footnotes:
(1) CFOI has used several versions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system since 2003 to define occupation. For complete information on the version of SOC used in this year, see our definitions page at www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.

NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.


Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Florida, 2020–21
Worker characteristics20202021
NumberNumberPercent

Total

275315100

Employee status

Wage and salary workers (1)

23427587

Self-employed (2)

414013

Gender

Men

24328390

Women

323210

Age (3)

18 to 19 years

--31

20 to 24 years

16155

25 to 34 years

485517

35 to 44 years

555016

45 to 54 years

657423

55 to 64 years

607624

65 years and over

284213

Race or ethnic origin (4)

White, non-Hispanic

15117054

Black or African-American, non-Hispanic

334314

Hispanic or Latino

829630

Footnotes:
(1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. Cases where employment status is unknown are included in the counts of wage and salary workers.
(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. Cases where ethnicity is unknown are included in counts of non-Hispanic workers.

NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2023