An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Bureau of Labor Statistics > Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities > Publications > Factsheets

Fatal occupational injuries to contracted workers

Fatal work injuries incurred by contracted workers increased to 829 in 2015 from 802 in 2014. In the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), a contracted worker is employed by one firm but working for another firm that is responsible for the operations at the site where the worker was killed. Please see https://www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm for more details. CFOI first collected data on contracted workers in 2011.

Contracted worker scenario examples

A self-employed plumber is contracted by a department store to fix a water fountain in the store.
A tree trimmer is contracted by a golf course to trim a large tree next to the 6th green.
An electrician is contracted by commercial construction firm to install wiring at a construction site.
A heavy machinery mechanic is contracted by an oil and gas extraction firm to repair machinery at an oil well.
A truck driver is contracted by a farm to pick up vegetables at the farm to transport to market.

Industry

CFOI collects two types of industry data for contracted workers. The contracting industry is the industry of the firm that contracts the worker. The employer industry is the industry of the firm that directly employs the worker. Take this example: a security guard working for a security firm is contracted by a nightclub to work as a bouncer. If the worker is killed at the nightclub, the contracting industry is the nightclub and the employer industry is the security firm.

The largest contracting industries for fatally injured contracted workers were the private construction industry (210 in 2015); government entities (147); the private trade, transportation, and utilities industries (95); and the private financial activities industry (75). Firms in the private construction industry often use subcontractors to complete specialized tasks (like electrical, plumbing, glazing, etc.). Government entities typically employ contracted workers in road construction, educational settings, and for utility work. Real estate and rental and leasing firms use contracted workers for building repairs and maintenance (like elevator repair and window washing).

Fatal occupational injuries to contracted workers, by contracting industry, 2011–15
Contracting Industry	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
All contracted workers	542	715	749	802	829
Private industry	420	564	601	652	682
Construction	115	136	140	164	210
Trade, transportation, and utilities	59	96	116	107	95
Financial activities	59	54	63	81	75
Real estate and rental and leasing	54	48	58	76	70
Manufacturing	43	67	59	70	72
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	31	44	35	40	55
Leisure and hospitality	30	49	40	43	46
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction	27	67	59	74	45
Other services, except public administration	14	16	28	20	30
All other private sector	42	35	61	53	54
Government entities	122	151	148	150	147

For the employer industry (the industry in which the worker is directly employed), 497 of the fatally injured contracted workers were employed by a private construction firm in 2015. Another 125 fatally injured workers were employed in administrative and support and waste management and remediation services. That industry includes temporary help services, landscaping services, and security services.

Occupation

Construction laborers accounted for the largest number of fatal occupational injuries among contracted workers, with 135 fatalities in 2015. Just under 60 percent of all construction laborers who died in 2015 from a work-related injury were contracted workers.

View Data

Contracted workers account for a small part of fatalities in some occupations—for example, 8 percent of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in 2015. Contracted workers constitute a much larger share of fatalities in other occupations—for example, 94 percent of structural iron and steel workers.

Background Information

A complete data table for contracted workers can be found at www.bls.gov/iif/fatal-injuries-tables/archive/fatal-occupational-injuries-contractors-2011-2018.xlsx.. For technical information and definitions, please see the BLS Handbook of Methods at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/home.htm.

You can obtain data from the Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program by using the following tools: Create Customized Tables (Multiple Screens), Create Customized Tables (Single Screen), and the Online Profiles System. Additional tables and charts are on the IIF homepage and the IIF State page.

Last Modified Date: November 28, 2017