News Release Information
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Friday, February 16, 2024
Fatal Occupational Injuries in Mississippi — 2022
Fatal work injuries totaled 78 in 2022 for Mississippi, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Mississippi was up from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 128 in 1995 and 1999 to a low of 41 in 2021. Nationwide, a total of 5,486 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2022, a 5.7-percent increase from 5,190 in 2021, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).
Chart 1. Number of fatal occupational injuries by employee status, Mississippi, 2013–22| Year | Total | Wage and salary | Self-employed |
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2013 | 68 | 55 | 13 |
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2014 | 75 | 59 | 16 |
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2015 | 77 | 67 | 10 |
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2016 | 71 | 58 | 13 |
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2017 | 90 | 78 | 12 |
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2018 | 78 | 65 | 13 |
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2019 | 59 | 53 | 6 |
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2020 | 44 | 41 | 3 |
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2021 | 41 | 38 | 3 |
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2022 | 78 | 71 | 7 |
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In Mississippi, transportation incidents resulted in 23 fatal work injuries. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 16 fatalities, followed by contact with objects and equipment with 15 fatalities. These three major categories accounted for 69 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 18 over the year, worker fatalities due to violence or other injuries by persons or animals were up from 6, and worker deaths from contact with objects and equipment were up from 3.
Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event in 2022, accounting for 38 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (16 percent), followed by violence and other injuries by persons or animals along with exposure to harmful substances or environments (15 percent each).
Chart 2. Percent distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and Mississippi, 2022| Event | United States | Mississippi |
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Transportation incidents | 38 | 29 |
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Violence and other injuries by persons or animals | 16 | 21 |
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Contact with objects and equipment | 13 | 19 |
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Falls, slips, trips | 16 | 14 |
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All other | 18 | 17 |
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The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Mississippi with 17, up from 8 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 12 of the 17 fatalities in the industry. The truck transportation subsector accounted for 14, or 82 percent, of the fatal workplace injuries in the transportation and warehousing industry.
The private construction industry sector had 12 fatal workplace injuries, up from 6 in the previous year. The construction of buildings subsector accounted for 6 of the 12 fatal injuries in this industry.
OccupationThe transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 20. (See table 3.) Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 17 of the 20 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 13, followed by installation, maintenance, and repair occupations with 12 fatalities.
Additional highlights- Men accounted for 94 percent of the work-related fatalities in Mississippi, compared to the national share of 92 percent. (See table 4.) Falls, slips, and trips made up 15 percent of the fatalities for men in Mississippi.
- White non-Hispanics accounted for 58 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group also accounted for 58 percent of work-related deaths.
- Workers 45-54 years old accounted for 33 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2022, compared to 20 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
- Of the 78 fatal work injuries in Mississippi, 91 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents; violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the most frequent fatal event 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 fatalities 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 2022 national data, over 27,200 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 and the CFOI definitions.
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 Scope of the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries: Concepts.
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 2022, there were 186 cases nationally where this occurred, and 157 of these latent cases occurred more than 30 days prior to the start of 2022. For more information on latent cases, see Understanding latency in fatal occupational injuries.
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 on the Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, Compensation, Occupational Requirements, and Work Stoppages Statistics.
Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the Mississippi Department of Employment Security 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 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, Mississippi, 2021–22| Event or exposure | 2021 | 2022 |
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| Number | Number | Percent |
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Total | 41 | 78 | 100 |
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Violence and other injuries by persons or animals | 6 | 16 | 21 |
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Intentional injury by person | -- | 15 | 19 |
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Injury by person--unintentional or intent unknown | -- | 1 | 1 |
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Transportation incidents | 18 | 23 | 29 |
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Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle | 9 | 18 | 23 |
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Roadway collision with other vehicle | 7 | 9 | 12 |
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Roadway collision with object other than vehicle | -- | 5 | 6 |
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Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway | -- | 5 | 6 |
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Roadway noncollision incident | 1 | 4 | 5 |
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Fires and explosions | -- | -- | -- |
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Falls, slips, trips | 9 | 11 | 14 |
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Exposure to harmful substances or environments | -- | -- | -- |
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Contact with objects and equipment | 3 | 15 | 19 |
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Struck by object or equipment | -- | 8 | 10 |
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Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport | -- | 4 | 5 |
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Overexertion and bodily reaction | -- | -- | -- |
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NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. 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, Mississippi, 2021–22| Industry | 2021 | 2022 |
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| Number | Number | Percent |
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Total | 41 | 78 | 100 |
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Private Industry | 35 | 68 | 87 |
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Goods producing | -- | -- | -- |
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Natural resources and mining | -- | 4 | 5 |
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Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 3 | 4 | 5 |
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Construction | 6 | 12 | 15 |
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Construction | 6 | 12 | 15 |
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Construction of buildings | -- | 6 | 8 |
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Manufacturing | 6 | 5 | 6 |
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Manufacturing | 6 | 5 | 6 |
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Service providing | -- | -- | -- |
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Trade, transportation, and utilities | -- | -- | -- |
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Wholesale trade | 4 | 3 | 4 |
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Retail trade | -- | 5 | 6 |
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Transportation and warehousing | 8 | 17 | 22 |
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Truck transportation | -- | 14 | 18 |
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Information | -- | -- | -- |
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Financial activities | -- | -- | -- |
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Professional and business services | -- | -- | -- |
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Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | -- | 9 | 12 |
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Educational and health services | -- | -- | -- |
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Leisure and hospitality | -- | -- | -- |
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Other services, except public administration | -- | 3 | 4 |
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Other services, except public administration | -- | 3 | 4 |
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Repair and maintenance | -- | 3 | 4 |
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Public administration | -- | -- | -- |
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Government | -- | -- | -- |
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Federal government | -- | -- | -- |
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State government | 2 | 1 | 1 |
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Local government | 2 | 7 | 9 |
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NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. 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, Mississippi, 2021–22| Occupation | 2021 | 2022 |
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| Number | Number | Percent |
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Total | 41 | 78 | 100 |
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Management occupations | -- | 3 | 4 |
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Other management occupations | -- | 3 | 4 |
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Business and financial operations occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Computer and mathematical occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Architecture and engineering occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Life, physical, and social science occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Community and social service occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Legal occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Educational instruction and library occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Healthcare support occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Protective service occupations | 5 | -- | -- |
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Food preparation and serving related occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations | -- | 9 | 12 |
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Personal care and service occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Sales and related occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Office and administrative support occupations | -- | 5 | 6 |
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Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | 3 | 3 | 4 |
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Agricultural workers | -- | 3 | 4 |
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Miscellaneous agricultural workers | -- | 3 | 4 |
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Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse | -- | 3 | 4 |
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Construction and extraction occupations | 6 | 13 | 17 |
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Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | -- | 12 | 15 |
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Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers | -- | 3 | 4 |
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Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | -- | 7 | 9 |
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Production occupations | 4 | 4 | 5 |
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Transportation and material moving occupations | 13 | 20 | 26 |
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Motor vehicle operators | 9 | 18 | 23 |
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Driver/sales workers and truck drivers | 9 | 17 | 22 |
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Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | -- | 17 | 22 |
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NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. 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, Mississippi, 2021–22| Worker characteristics | 2021 | 2022 |
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| Number | Number | Percent |
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Total | 41 | 78 | 100 |
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Employee status | |
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Wage and salary workers | 38 | 71 | 91 |
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Self-employed | 3 | 7 | 9 |
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Gender | |
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Men | -- | 73 | 94 |
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Women | -- | 5 | 6 |
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Age | |
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25 to 34 years | 5 | 15 | 19 |
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35 to 44 years | 7 | 6 | 8 |
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45 to 54 years | 10 | 26 | 33 |
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55 to 64 years | 10 | 18 | 23 |
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65 years and over | 3 | 9 | 12 |
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Race or ethnic origin | |
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White, non-Hispanic | 26 | 45 | 58 |
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Black or African-American, non-Hispanic | 12 | 23 | 29 |
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Hispanic or Latino | 3 | 4 | 5 |
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Asian, non-Hispanic | -- | 3 | 4 |
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Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | -- | -- | -- |
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NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. 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. |
United States Department of Labor
