Fatal Work Injuries in Louisiana — 2023

Fatal work injuries totaled 104 in 2023 for Louisiana, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Louisiana was down from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 187 in 1994 to a low of 95 in 2003 and 2016. Nationwide, a total of 5,283 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2023, a 3.7-percent decrease from 5,486 in 2022, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

Stacked column chart of fatal occupational injuries by employee status in Louisiana, 2014–23. Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Number of fatal occupational injuries by employee status, Louisiana, 2014–23
Year	Total	Wage and salary	Self-employed
2014	120	94	26
2015	112	90	22
2016	95	80	15
2017	117	94	23
2018	98	85	13
2019	119	102	17
2020	103	88	15
2021	141	124	17
2022	120	101	19
2023	104	92	12
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Fatal event or exposure

Transportation incidents (29) were the most frequent type of fatal event in Louisiana, accounting for 28 percent of all fatal work injuries in the state. Nationally the share was 37 percent. (See chart 2 and table 1.)
Exposure to harmful substances or environments (25) accounted for 24 percent of Louisiana workplace fatalities; nationally the share was 16 percent.

Clustered column chart of percent distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and Louisiana, 2023. Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Percent distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and Louisiana, 2023
Event	United States	Louisiana
Transportation incidents	37	28
Exposure to harmful substances, environments	16	24
Contact incidents	15	20
Violent acts	14	15
All other	19	13
Note: Percents may not add to total due to rounding. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Private industry

The construction sector had the highest number of fatalities with 28. (See table 2.)
Exposure to harmful substances or environments resulted in 9 of the 28 construction sector fatalities.
The specialty trade contractors subsector accounted for 12 of the sector’s fatal workplace injuries.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 34. (See table 3.)
Transportation incidents resulted in 14 of the transportation and material moving fatalities.
Motor vehicle operators accounted for 13 of the major group’s fatal workplace injuries.

Worker characteristics

Wage and salary workers accounted for 88 percent of workplace fatalities in Louisiana; the self-employed comprised the remaining 12 percent. (See chart 1 and table 4.) Nationally, wage and salary workers comprised 83 percent of fatalities.
Males accounted for 93 percent of the work-related fatalities in Louisiana, compared to 91 percent nationally.
Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 63 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
White non-Hispanics accounted for 62 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 56 percent of work-related deaths. Blacks or African Americans, non-Hispanic, accounted for 25 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 12 percent of work-related deaths.

Revision of Classification Systems

The 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the updated Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) were implemented with the release of 2023 data. As a result of these changes, comparisons between 2023 CFOI data and previous years should be made with caution. Refer to the national release technical note for more information.

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. For technical information and definitions for the CFOI, see the national CFOI release Technical notes, the BLS Handbook of Methods, and the CFOI definitions.

Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the Louisiana Workforce Commission 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 nationally. See the national CFOI release Technical Notes for details on cooperating entities.

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, Louisiana, 2023
Event or Exposure (1)	Number	Percent (%)
All events and exposures	104	100
Violent acts	16	15
Homicides (violent acts by other person)	10	10
Shooting by other person	10	10
Suicides (intentional self-harm)	6	6
Transportation incidents	29	28
Aircraft incidents	5	5
Water vehicle incidents	3	3
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	16	15
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)	9	9
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-moving in opposite directions, oncoming	3	3
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	4	4
Roadway noncollision incident	3	3
Roadway noncollision- vehicle overturn	3	3
Explosions and fires	4	4
Explosions	4	4
Falls, slips, trips	9	9
Fall to lower level	9	9
Other fall to lower level	8	8
Other fall to lower level- 6 to 30 feet	3	3
Exposure to harmful substances, environments	25	24
Exposure to electricity	8	8
Direct exposure to electricity	6	6
Direct exposure to electricity- greater than 220 volts	4	4
Exposure to temperature extremes	4	4
Exposure to harmful substances	10	10
Drug, alcohol overdose	10	10
Exposure to oxygen deficiency	3	3
Drowning, submersion without other event	3	3
Contact incidents	21	20
Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object	10	10
Struck, caught, or compressed by running powered equipment	6	6
Contact with non-running objects or equipment	3	3
(1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 3.02 implemented for 2023 data forward.
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, Louisiana, 2023
Industry	Number	Percentage (%)
Total	104	100
Private industry (1)	95	91
Natural resources and mining	12	12
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	7	7
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction	5	5
Construction	28	27
Construction	28	27
Construction of buildings	10	10
Residential building construction	5	5
Residential building construction	5	5
Nonresidential building construction	5	5
Industrial building construction	3	3
Heavy and civil engineering construction	5	5
Highway, street, and bridge construction	3	3
Highway, street, and bridge construction	3	3
Specialty trade contractors	12	12
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	4	4
Building equipment contractors	3	3
Other specialty trade contractors	5	5
Manufacturing	8	8
Manufacturing	8	8
Trade, transportation, and utilities	--	--
Retail trade	3	3
Transportation and warehousing	19	18
Water transportation	3	3
Truck transportation	6	6
General freight trucking	6	6
General freight trucking, long-distance	3	3
Transit and ground passenger transportation	4	4
Support activities for transportation	3	3
Support activities for water transportation	3	3
Information	--	--
Financial activities	--	--
Professional and business services	7	7
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	7	7
Educational and health services	4	4
Health care and social assistance	4	4
Leisure and hospitality	--	--
Accommodation and food services	3	3
Food services and drinking places	3	3
Restaurants and other eating places	3	3
Restaurants and other eating places	3	3
Other services (except public administration)	7	7
Other services (except public administration)	7	7
Repair and maintenance	7	7
Automotive repair and maintenance	4	4
Automotive mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance	3	3
General automotive repair	3	3
Government (2)	9	9
Federal government	--	--
State government	--	--
Local government	8	8
(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 concepts page at https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm#industry. (2) 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 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, Louisiana, 2023
Occupation (1)	Number	Percentage (%)
All occupations	104	100
Management occupations	5	5
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	6	6
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	3	3
Fishing and hunting workers	1	1
Fishing and hunting workers	1	1
Fishing and hunting workers	1	1
Construction and extraction occupations	21	20
Construction trades workers	17	16
Construction laborers	12	12
Construction laborers	12	12
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	12	12
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	8	8
Automotive technicians and repairers	4	4
Automotive service technicians and mechanics	4	4
Production occupations	8	8
Transportation and material moving occupations	34	33
Motor vehicle operators	13	13
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	9	9
Water transportation workers	5	5
Sailors and marine oilers	3	3
Sailors and marine oilers	3	3
Material moving workers	10	10
Laborers and material movers	7	7
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	7	7
(1) Occupational data are based on the 2018 Standard Occupation Classification (SOC). Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.
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, Louisiana, 2023
Demographic	Number	Percentage (%)
Total	104	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	92	88
Self-employed (2)	12	12
Sex
Male	97	93
Female	7	7
Age (3)
Under 16 years	--	--
16 to 17 years	--	--
18 to 19 years	--	--
20 to 24 years	8	8
25 to 34 years	15	14
35 to 44 years	28	27
45 to 54 years	22	21
55 to 64 years	23	22
65 years and over	--	--
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	64	62
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	26	25
Hispanic or Latino	12	12
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic	--	--
Asian, non-Hispanic	--	--
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic	--	--
(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 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.

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Southwest Information Office

Fatal Work Injuries in Louisiana — 2023