Fatal work injuries totaled 60 in 2017 for Oregon, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Oregon was lower than the 72 fatalities in the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 88 in 1992 to a low of 43 in 2012. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 5,147 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2017, down slightly from the 5,190 fatal injuries in 2016, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

Type of incident

In Oregon, transportation incidents resulted in 29 fatal work injuries, and contact with objects and equipment accounted for 13 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 70 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents was little changed over the year, while work related fatalities from contact with objects and equipment fell by four.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2017, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, or trips was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent), followed by violence and other injuries by persons or animals (16 percent).

Industry

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Oregon with 16, compared to 27 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event in the sector with six worker deaths. Five of those fatally injured in this sector worked in logging.

The private transportation and warehousing sector had 13 workplace fatalities in 2017. General freight trucking accounted for six fatalities in this industry.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 23. (See table 3.) Fifteen of these fatalities were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.

Additional highlights:

• Men accounted for 93 percent of the work-related fatalities in Oregon, the same as the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 46 percent of the fatalities for men in Oregon.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 87 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 67 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 55 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2017, equal to the national rate.
• Of the 72 fatally-injured workers in Oregon, 78 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the BLS Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI program uses diverse 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 2016 national data, over 23,300 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for CFOI, please go to 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, even those that may be outside the scope of other agencies or regulatory coverage. Thus, any comparison between the BLS fatality census counts and those released by other agencies should take into account the different coverage requirements and definitions being used by each agency. More on the scope of CFOI can be found at www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.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, Oregon, 2016–17

Event or exposure (1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	72	60	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	10	6	10
Intentional injury by person	9	4	7
Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)	6	1	2
Shooting by other person--intentional	5	1	2
Suicides (Self-inflicted injury--intentional)	3	3	5
Transportation incidents	30	29	48
Aircraft incidents	1	1	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	19	18	30
Roadway collision with other vehicle	13	10	17
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	--	3	5
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	9	5	8
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	--	4	7
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	--	3	5
Roadway noncollision incident	6	4	7
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	3	5	8
Falls, slips, trips	6	6	10
Falls to lower level	5	3	5
Other fall to lower level	4	3	5
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	3	4	7
Contact with objects and equipment	17	13	22
Struck by object or equipment	13	9	15
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	4	4	7
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, Oregon, 2016–17

Industry (1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	72	60	100
Private industry	66	59	98
Natural resources and mining	27	16	27
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	27	16	27
Construction	9	8	13
Construction	9	8	13
Specialty trade contractors	5	3	5
Manufacturing	--	3	5
Manufacturing	--	3	5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	17	20	33
Retail trade	5	3	5
Nonstore retailers	--	1	2
Direct selling establishments	--	1	2
Transportation and warehousing	12	13	22
Truck transportation	10	8	13
General freight trucking	--	6	10
General freight trucking, long-distance	--	5	8
Professional and business services	4	6	10
Management of companies and enterprises	--	1	2
Management of companies and enterprises	--	1	2
Management of companies and enterprises	--	1	2
Management of companies and enterprises	--	1	2
Administrative and waste services	3	5	8
Administrative and support services	3	4	7
Services to buildings and dwellings	1	1	2
Landscaping services	1	1	2
Leisure and hospitality	--	3	5
Accommodation and food services	--	--	--
Food services and drinking places	--	--	--
Government (2)	6	1	2
Local government	--	1	2
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) 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, Oregon, 2016–17

Occupation (1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	72	60	100
Management occupations	3	5	8
Other management occupations	--	5	8
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	--	4	7
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	--	4	7
Food preparation and serving related occupations	1	--	--
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	1	--	--
Grounds maintenance workers	1	--	--
Grounds maintenance workers	1	--	--
Construction and extraction occupations	9	8	13
Construction trades workers	4	7	12
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	--	5	8
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	--	3	5
Transportation and material moving occupations	17	23	38
Air transportation workers	1	1	2
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	1	1	2
Commercial pilots	1	1	2
Motor vehicle operators	15	19	32
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	13	19	32
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	13	15	25
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010.
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 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Oregon, 2016–17

Worker characteristics	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	72	60	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	58	47	78
Self-employed (2)	14	13	22
Gender
Men	63	56	93
Women	9	4	7
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	--	1	2
25 to 54 years	11	11	18
35 to 44 years	8	12	20
45 to 54 years	20	10	17
55 to 64 years	20	17	28
65 years and over	9	9	15
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White (non-Hispanic)	56	52	87
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	--	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	12	5	8
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 Hispanic and Latino workers.
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.