News Release Information
24-387-SAN
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Fatal Work Injuries in Hawaii – 2022
Fatal work injuries totaled 25 in 2022 for Hawaii, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Hawaii was up from 15 the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 41 in 2001 to a low of 11 in 2013. 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, Hawaii, 2013–22| Year | Total | Wage and salary | Self-employed |
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2013 | 11 | 11 | |
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2014 | 31 | 25 | 6 |
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2015 | 18 | 18 | |
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2016 | 29 | 28 | |
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2017 | 20 | 18 | |
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2018 | 22 | 20 | 2 |
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2019 | 26 | | |
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2020 | 16 | 16 | |
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2021 | 15 | 12 | 3 |
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2022 | 25 | | |
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In Hawaii, transportation incidents resulted in 14 fatal work injuries. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals and contact with objects and equipment accounted for four fatalities each. These three major categories accounted for 88 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker fatalities due to transportation incidents were up from three in 2021.
Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event in 2022, accounting for 38 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips were 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 Hawaii, 2022| Event | United States | Hawaii |
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Transportation incidents | 38 | 56 |
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Violence and other injuries by persons or animals | 16 | 16 |
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Contact with objects and equipment | 14 | 16 |
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All other | 33 | 12 |
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The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had 10 fatalities in Hawaii. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 8 of the 10 fatalities in the industry. The support activities for air transportation industry group accounted for 4 of the 10 fatal workplace injuries in the transportation and warehousing industry.
The private construction and educational and health services industry sectors each had four fatal workplace injuries.
OccupationThe transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 12. (See table 3.) Air transportation workers accounted for 6 of the 12 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had four workplace fatalities. Construction trades workers accounted for all construction and extraction fatalities.
Additional highlights:- Men accounted for 84 percent of the work-related fatalities in Hawaii, lower than the national share of 92 percent. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 48 percent of the fatalities for men in Hawaii.
- White non-Hispanics accounted for 48 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 58 percent of work-related deaths.
- Workers 55-64 years old accounted for 36 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2022, compared to 21 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
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 Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism 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, Hawaii, 2021–22| Event or exposure | 2021 | 2022 |
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| Number | Number | Percent |
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Total | 15 | 25 | 100 |
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Violence and other injuries by persons or animals | -- | 4 | 16 |
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Intentional injury by person | -- | 4 | 16 |
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Transportation incidents | 3 | 14 | 56 |
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Aircraft incidents | -- | 10 | 40 |
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Other in-flight crash | -- | 10 | 40 |
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Other in-flight crash into structure, object, or ground | -- | 10 | 40 |
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Fires and explosions | -- | -- | -- |
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Falls, slips, trips | -- | -- | -- |
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Exposure to harmful substances or environments | 4 | -- | -- |
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Contact with objects and equipment | 3 | 4 | 16 |
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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. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Hawaii, 2021–22| Industry | 2021 | 2022 |
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| Number | Number | Percent |
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Total | 15 | 25 | 100 |
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Private Industry | 13 | 23 | 92 |
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Goods producing | -- | -- | -- |
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Natural resources and mining | -- | -- | -- |
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Construction | -- | 4 | 16 |
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Construction | -- | 4 | 16 |
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Manufacturing | -- | -- | -- |
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Service providing | -- | -- | -- |
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Trade, transportation, and utilities | -- | 10 | 40 |
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Transportation and warehousing | -- | 10 | 40 |
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Scenic and sightseeing transportation | -- | 3 | 12 |
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Scenic and sightseeing transportation, water | -- | 2 | 8 |
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Scenic and sightseeing transportation, water | -- | 2 | 8 |
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Scenic and sightseeing transportation, other | -- | 1 | 4 |
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Support activities for transportation | -- | 4 | 16 |
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Support activities for air transportation | -- | 4 | 16 |
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Information | -- | -- | -- |
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Financial activities | -- | -- | -- |
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Professional and business services | -- | -- | -- |
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Educational and health services | -- | 4 | 16 |
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Health care and social assistance | -- | 4 | 16 |
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Ambulatory health care services | -- | 4 | 16 |
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Offices of other health practitioners | -- | 1 | 4 |
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Offices of all other health practitioners | -- | 1 | 4 |
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Other ambulatory health care services | -- | 3 | 12 |
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Ambulance services | -- | 3 | 12 |
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Leisure and hospitality | -- | -- | -- |
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Other services, except public administration | -- | -- | -- |
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Public administration | -- | -- | -- |
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Government | -- | -- | -- |
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Federal government | -- | -- | -- |
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State government | -- | -- | -- |
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Local government | -- | -- | -- |
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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. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Hawaii, 2021–22| Occupation | 2021 | 2022 |
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| Number | Number | Percent |
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Total | 15 | 25 | 100 |
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Management occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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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 | -- | -- | -- |
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Food preparation and serving related occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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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 | -- | -- | -- |
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Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Construction and extraction occupations | -- | 4 | 16 |
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Construction trades workers | -- | 4 | 16 |
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Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 3 | -- | -- |
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Production occupations | -- | -- | -- |
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Transportation and material moving occupations | -- | 12 | 48 |
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Air transportation workers | -- | 6 | 24 |
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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. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Hawaii, 2021–22| Worker characteristics | 2021 | 2022 |
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| Number | Number | Percent |
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Total | 15 | 25 | 100 |
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Employee status | |
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Wage and salary workers | 12 | -- | -- |
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Self-employed | 3 | -- | -- |
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Gender | |
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Men | -- | 21 | 84 |
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Women | -- | 4 | 16 |
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Age | |
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25 to 34 years | 4 | 4 | 16 |
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45 to 54 years | -- | 5 | 20 |
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55 to 64 years | 4 | 9 | 36 |
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Race or ethnic origin | |
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White, non-Hispanic | 6 | 12 | 48 |
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Black or African-American, non-Hispanic | -- | -- | -- |
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Hispanic or Latino | -- | -- | -- |
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Asian, non-Hispanic | 5 | 8 | 32 |
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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. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
United States Department of Labor
