CF NR 8/12/98 National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1997 Technical information: (202) 606-6175 USDL 98 - 336 Media information: (202) 606-5902 FOR RELEASE: 10 a.m. EDT Wednesday, August 12, 1998 Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/oshhome.htm NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES, 1997 The number of fatal work injuries that occurred during 1997 was 6,218, about the same as the previous year's total, according to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Decreases in deaths from job-related homicides and aircraft crashes in 1997 were offset by increases in work-related deaths from highway crashes, falls, and being caught in running equipment. (See table 1.) The construction industry reported the largest number of fatal work injuries and accounted for half of worker fatalities from falls. Taxicab drivers and police and detectives were among the occupations with the largest increases in fatalities over the previous year. Profiles of 1997 fatal work injuries In 1997, job-related highway fatalities reached their highest level since the BLS fatality census began in 1992. Increases in the number of workers killed in crashes with objects on the side of the road, jack-knifing tractor-trailer rigs, and overturning vehicles were largely responsible for the rise in highway fatalities over the 1996 total. The following table shows the major types of highway incidents in which workers were killed in 1997. Type of highway incident Number Percent Collision between vehicles 639 46 Moving in opposite directions 229 17 Moving in intersection 142 10 Moving in same direction 103 7 Moving and standing vehicle 45 3 Vehicle struck object on side of road 258 19 Vehicle struck object in roadway 22 2 Noncollision incident 384 28 Jack-knifed or overturned 295 21 Ran off highway 48 3 Other type of incident 84 6 Highway crashes were the leading cause of on-the-job fatalities and accounted for 22 percent of the 1997 fatal work injury total. (See table 1) Ninety percent of workers killed in highway crashes were driving the vehicle at the time of the incident. Almost half of the highway fatality victims were employed as truckdrivers or in other jobs operating motor vehicles as a profession. The number of highway - 2 - fatalities among these occupations increased by about one-fifth over the 1996 total. Other victims worked in various fields in which highway travel is incidental to the primary work activities, including sales, farming, nursing and social work, police and firefighting, construction, and management. Twenty percent of the worker fatalities resulted from other types of transportation-related incidents, such as tractors and forklifts overturning in fields or in warehouses, workers being struck by vehicles, aircraft and railway crashes, and water vessels capsizing. Worker deaths from railway crashes, while relatively few in number, were at the highest level in the last six years. Most of these fatalities occurred when the vehicle the worker was driving or riding in was struck by a train at a railroad crossing. Because there were no major commercial airline crashes in 1997, worker deaths from aircraft crashes were at their lowest level in the last six years. Workplace homicides fell to their lowest level in the past six years, but continued as the second leading cause of job-related deaths. The 7 percent drop in workplace homicides from 1996 was consistent with a decline in homicides nationally during the period, as reported by the Department of Justice. Four-fifths of the workplace homicides resulted from shootings. Robbery continued to be the primary motive of job-related homicide when a motive could be ascertained from the source documents. Disputes among coworkers and with customers and clients accounted for about one-tenth of the total and declined by over one-third from the previous year. Circumstances or alleged perpetrator Number Percent Robberies and other crimes 731 85 Robberies 338 39 Work associates 81 9 Coworker, former coworker 56 7 Customer, client 25 3 Relatives 24 3 Husband, ex-husband 16 2 Other relative 8 1 Other personal acquaintances 20 2 Boyfriend, ex-boyfriend 11 1 Other acquaintance 9 1 Deaths resulting from on-the-job falls rose slightly over 1996 totals to their highest level in the six years data have been collected and accounted for 11 percent of the fatality total. About one-half of the falls occurred to workers in the construction industry. Falls from roofs, scaffolds, and ladders predominated. Services accounted for about one-tenth of the total. Nine percent of the worker fatalities occurred when workers were struck by objects, such as vehicles falling from jacks during repair, beams or other objects falling from cranes or forklifts, and trees falling while being cut down. Another 7 percent of the fatal work injuries resulted from workers being caught in running equipment, trench cave-ins, or collapsing structures. Workers fatally injured from being caught in running equipment, such as agricultural and manufacturing equipment, were at a six-year high. Electrocutions accounted for 5 percent of the fatal injuries, and fires and explosions accounted for 3 percent. Job-related electrocutions resulting from contact with overhead power lines increased by almost - 3 - one-fifth over the 1996 total, yet were consistent with counts reported for the previous five years. On average, about 17 workers were fatally injured each day during 1997. Eighty-four percent of fatally injured workers died the day they were injured; 97 percent died within 30 days. There were 220 multiple-fatality incidents (incidents that resulted in two or more worker deaths), resulting in 544 job-related deaths. This was an increase of 16 percent more multiple-fatality incidents than in 1996, when 189 events resulted in 546 fatal work injuries. Occupation highlights (table 2): * Occupations with large numbers of fatal injuries included truck drivers, construction trades, farm occupations, and sales occupations. Fatal injuries to truck drivers were at their highest level in the six-year period, while the number of fatalities to workers in sales occupations fell to its lowest level in the six-year period. * Primarily as a result of increases in homicides and highway fatalities, on-the-job fatalities to police and detectives and taxicab drivers rose by about one-third after falling in 1996. * Commercial fishers experienced a 24 percent drop in fatal work injuries in 1997 over the 1996 total, yet this remains one of the most dangerous occupations. (For more information on fatalities to fishers, see "Fishing for a Living is Dangerous Work" in BLS Report 922, Fatal Workplace Injuries in 1996: A Collection of Data and Analysis.) Relative risk (tables 3 and 4): A comparison of percent distributions of fatalities and employment can be used to evaluate the relative risk of a job-related fatality for a given occupation, industry, or worker characteristic. For example, the construction industry accounted for about 18 percent of the fatality total, 3 times its 6-percent share of total employment. While employment can be used to evaluate the relative risk of a fatal work injury, other measures, such as employee exposure hours, also can be used. (The annual average employment data shown in tables 3 and 4 are from the Current Population Survey.) Industry highlights (table 3): * Construction and transportation and public utilities together accounted for about one-third of the fatal work injuries and reported increases over 1996 fatality totals consistent with increases in their employment totals. * Industry divisions with large numbers of fatalities relative to their employment include agriculture, forestry, and fishing; construction; transportation and public utilities; and mining. Demographic highlights (table 4): * Men, the self-employed, and older workers suffer fatal injuries more often than their employment shares would suggest. Differences in the industries and occupations of these worker groups explain in part their high relative risk of fatal injury on the job. (For more information on relative risk among worker groups, see "Denominator Choice in the Calculation of Workplace Fatality Rates" in BLS Report 922.) - 4 - * The majority of fatally injured workers under 16 years of age were killed while doing farm work, often involving a farm vehicle. * Highway-related incidents were the leading events for job-related fatalities among both men and women in 1997. In prior years, homicides had been more frequent than highway deaths for women. State highlights (table 5): * In general, states that have the largest number of persons employed also reported the largest number of work-related fatalities. Twelve of the largest states accounted for almost half of the total fatality count; three of the states--California, Texas, and Florida--accounted for one-fourth of the total. A state's industry mix, however, also must be considered when evaluating its occupational fatality profile, especially when large numbers of workers are employed in relatively dangerous industries, such as agriculture, mining, and construction. (For more information on variations in state fatality counts, see "State and Industry Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992-96" in BLS Report 922.) Background of the program The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS safety and health statistics program, provides the most complete count of fatal work injuries available because it uses diverse state and federal data sources to identify, verify, and profile fatal work injuries. Information about each workplace fatality (occupation and other worker characteristics, equipment being used, and circumstances of the event) is obtained by cross-referencing source documents, such as death certificates, workers' compensation records, and reports to federal and state agencies. This method assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible. This is the sixth year that the fatality census has been conducted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The BLS fatality census is a federal/state cooperative venture in which costs are shared equally. Additional state-specific data are available from the participating state agencies listed in table 6. Another BLS program, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, profiles worker and case characteristics of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses that result in lost worktime and presents frequency counts and incidence rates by industry. Copies of the 1996 news release on nonfatal injuries and illnesses are available from BLS by calling (202) 606-6304. Incidence rates for 1997 by industry will be published in December 1998, and information on 1997 worker and case characteristics will be available in April 1999. For additional occupational safety and health data, access the BLS World Wide Web Internet site: https://www.bls.gov/oshhome.htm. To request a copy of BLS Report 922, e-mail your address to CFOIstaff@bls.gov or write to Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Room 3180, Washington, DC 20212. Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, 1992-97 Fatalities ------------------------------------ Event or exposure(1) 1992-96 average 1996(2) 1997 ------- ------- --------------- Number Number Percent Total.................... 6,331 6,202 6,218 100 Transportation incidents... 2,587 2,601 2,599 42 Highway.................. 1,287 1,346 1,387 22 Collision between vehicles, mobile equipment........... 640 667 639 10 Moving in same direction......... 104 96 103 2 Moving in opposite directions, oncoming.......... 228 220 229 4 Moving in intersection...... 125 153 142 2 Vehicle struck stationary object or equipment........... 231 243 280 5 Noncollision........... 343 352 384 6 Jack-knifed or overturned--no collision......... 250 266 295 5 Nonhighway (farm, industrial premises).. 400 374 377 6 Overturned............. 213 206 216 3 Aircraft................. 334 324 261 4 Worker struck by a vehicle............... 369 353 367 6 Water vehicle............ 106 119 109 2 Railway.................. 78 74 93 1 Assaults and violent acts.. 1,275 1,165 1,103 18 Homicides................ 1,032 927 856 14 Shooting............... 839 761 705 11 Stabbing............... 78 80 73 1 Other, including bombing............. 115 86 78 1 Self-inflicted injury.... 213 204 212 3 Contact with objects and equipment............... 998 1,010 1,034 17 Struck by object......... 568 582 578 9 Struck by falling object.............. 365 403 384 6 Struck by flying object 69 58 53 1 Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects............... 289 285 320 5 Caught in running equipment or machinery........... 147 146 189 3 Caught in or crushed in collapsing materials.. 122 131 118 2 Falls...................... 645 691 715 11 Fall to lower level...... 562 610 652 10 Fall from ladder....... 87 97 116 2 Fall from roof......... 130 149 154 2 Fall from scaffold, staging............. 79 88 87 1 Fall on same level....... 56 52 44 1 Exposure to harmful substances or environments............ 596 533 550 9 Contact with electric current............... 327 281 297 5 Contact with overhead power lines......... 128 116 138 2 Contact with temperature extremes.............. 42 33 40 1 Exposure to caustic, noxious, or allergenic substances............ 121 123 123 2 Inhalation of substance 75 76 59 1 Oxygen deficiency........ 105 95 87 1 Drowning, submersion... 81 70 70 1 Fires and explosions....... 193 185 196 3 Other events or exposures(3)............ 37 17 21 - 1 Based on the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Structures. 3 The BLS news release issued August 7, 1997, reported a total of 6,112 fatal work injuries for calendar year 1996. Since then, an additional 90 job-related fatalities were identified, bringing the total job-related fatality count for 1996 to 6,202. 3 Includes the category "Bodily reaction and exertion." NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992-97. Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and major event or exposure, 1997 Major event or exposure (2) Fatalities (percent) ---------------- -------------------------------------- Struck by Fall to Occupation(1) Total Percent Highway(3) Homicide object lower level Total.......... 6,218 100 22 14 9 10 Managerial and professional specialty..... 667 11 26 23 4 8 Executive, administrat- ive, and managerial. 417 7 23 30 5 11 Professional specialty... 250 4 32 12 2 3 Technical, sales, and administrative support....... 733 12 20 41 2 3 Technicians and related support occupations. 172 3 14 2 - 2 Airplane pilots and navigators 100 2 - - - - Sales occupations. 458 7 19 59 2 3 Supervisors and proprieto- rs, sales occupatio- ns........ 223 4 10 67 2 4 Sales workers, retail and personal services.. 182 3 19 63 2 2 Cashiers... 84 1 - 92 - - Administrative support occupations, including clerical.... 103 2 36 27 3 4 Service occupations... 492 8 20 37 3 7 Protective service occupations. 283 5 24 39 2 2 Firefighting and fire prevention occupatio- ns, including superviso- rs........ 49 1 22 - 8 - Police and detective- s, including superviso- rs........ 156 3 32 43 - 4 Guards, including superviso- rs........ 78 1 8 55 - - Farming, forestry, and fishing....... 923 15 9 1 21 6 Farming operators and managers 386 6 10 - 12 5 Farmers, except horticult- ural...... 296 5 10 - 12 6 Managers, farms, except horitcult- ural...... 71 1 11 - 13 - Other agricultural and related occupations. 349 6 13 2 15 10 Farm workers, including superviso- rs........ 213 3 14 2 11 6 Forestry and logging occupations. 128 2 2 - 74 4 Timber cutting and logging occupatio- ns........ 110 2 3 - 75 3 Fishers, hunters, and trappers.... 60 1 - - 5 - Fishers, including vessel captains and officers.. 58 1 - - 5 - Precision production, craft, and repair........ 1,094 18 10 3 12 26 Mechanics and repairers... 325 5 13 6 18 13 Construction trades...... 593 10 8 2 6 39 Carpenters and apprentic- es........ 98 2 13 4 11 43 Electricians and apprentic- es........ 94 2 6 - 4 17 Painters..... 39 1 - - - 64 Roofers...... 55 1 5 - - 75 Structural metal workers... 45 1 - - - 80 Operators, fabricators, and laborers.. 2,161 35 34 7 9 9 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors.. 221 4 6 5 17 10 Transportation and material moving occupations. 1,271 20 52 9 7 3 Motor vehicle operators. 1,026 17 63 11 4 2 Truck drivers. 857 14 68 3 5 3 Driver-sal- es workers. 44 1 66 25 - - Taxicab drivers and chauffe- urs..... 100 2 23 76 - - Material moving equipment operators. 169 3 8 2 20 5 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.... 669 11 9 5 11 20 Construction laborers.. 333 5 9 - 11 30 Laborers, except construct- ion....... 208 3 7 4 13 11 Military(4)...... 94 2 14 1 3 2 1 Based on the 1990 Occupational Classification System developed by the Bureau of the Census. 2 The figure shown is the percent of the total fatalities for that occupational group. 3 "Highway" includes deaths to vehicle occupants resulting from traffic incidents that occur on the public roadway, shoulder, or surrounding area. It excludes incidents occurring entirely off the roadway, such as in parking lots and on farms; incidents involving trains; and deaths to pedestrians or other nonpassengers. 4 Resident armed forces. NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. There were 51 fatalities for which there was insufficient information to determine an occupation classification. Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992-97. Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by industry, 1997 1992-96 1996 Employment(2) Industry(1) average (revised) 1997 (in thousands) ------- --------- ------------------ -------------------- Number Number Number Percent Number Percent ------- --------- -------- ------- ------- -------- Total............. 6,331 6,202 6,218 100 130,810 100 Private industry.... 5,638 5,597 5,594 90 111,417 85 Agriculture, for- estry and fishing 826 806 830 13 3,479 3 Agricultural production - crops.......... 390 337 373 6 985 1 Agricultural production - livestock...... 174 157 182 3 1,205 1 Agricultural services....... 157 172 176 3 1,199 1 Mining.............. 169 153 158 3 632 - Coal mining....... 45 39 32 1 84 - Oil and gas extraction..... 87 83 85 1 369 - Construction........ 996 1,047 1,107 18 7,844 6 General building contractors.... 176 184 194 3 - - Heavy construction, except building 247 248 252 4 - - Special trades contractors.... 568 606 648 10 - - Manufacturing....... 751 725 743 12 20,765 16 Food and kindred products....... 81 73 78 1 1,697 1 Lumber and wood products....... 204 204 199 3 817 1 Transportation and public utilities. 922 970 1,002 16 7,594 6 Local and interurban passenger transportation. 113 79 106 2 551 - Trucking and warehousing.... 484 520 569 9 2,560 2 Transportation by air............ 93 115 83 1 822 1 Electric, gas, and sanitary services....... 85 89 89 1 1,060 1 Wholesale trade..... 260 270 241 4 4,896 4 Retail trade........ 741 681 665 11 21,782 17 Food stores....... 209 180 189 3 3,643 3 Automotive dealers and service stations....... 120 98 115 2 2,217 2 Eating and drinking places 182 166 150 2 6,581 5 Finance, insurance, and real estate.. 119 116 97 2 8,080 6 Services............ 782 776 722 12 36,346 28 Business services. 207 168 181 3 6,024 5 Automotive repair, services, and parking........ 102 104 109 2 1,623 1 Government(3)....... 693 605 624 10 19,393 15 Federal government (including resident armed forces)........ 228 184 162 3 4,461 3 State government.. 127 130 127 2 5,031 4 Local government.. 331 289 331 5 9,901 8 Police protection. 99 76 113 2 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987. 2 The employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces, from the Current Population Survey, 1997. 3 Includes fatalities to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. There were 31 fatalities for which there was insufficient information to determine a specific industry classification, though a distinction between private sector and government was made for each. Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1992-97. Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by selected worker characteristics, 1997 Characteristics Fatalities Employment (in thousands)(1) Most frequent events(2) Number Percent Number Percent (percent of total) ------ ------- ------- ------- ----------------------- Total 6,218 100 130,810 100 Highway (22 percent), homicide (14 percent) Employee status Wage and salary workers 4,959 80 120,126 92 Highway (24), homicide (13) Self-employed(3) 1,259 20 10,684 8 Homicide (18), highway (14) Sex and age Men 5,743 92 70,769 54 Highway (21), homicide (12) Women 475 8 60,041 46 Highway (36), homicide (31) Both sexes(4) Under 16 years 21 - - - Nonhighway vehicle-related (38) 16 to 17 years 41 1 2,650 2 Highway (22), homicide (22) 18 to 19 years 113 2 4,102 3 Highway (16), struck by object (16) 20 to 24 years 503 8 12,758 10 " (23) 25 to 34 years 1,319 21 32,288 25 " (21) 35 to 44 years 1,520 24 36,174 28 " (20) 45 to 54 years 1,298 21 26,780 20 " (24) 55 to 64 years 870 14 12,297 9 " (25) 65 years and over 519 8 3,761 3 " (22) Race White 5,098 82 110,819 85 Highway (23) Black 676 11 14,211 11 HIghway (24) Asian or Pacific Islander 189 3 - - Homicide (46) American Indian, Aleut, Eskimo 35 1 - - Fall to lower level (17) Other or not reported 220 4 - - Highway (18) Hispanic origin Hispanic(5) 656 11 12,813 10 Homicide (17) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 The employment is an annual average of employed civilians 16 years of age and older, plus resident armed forces, from the Current Population Survey, 1997. 2 "Highway" includes deaths to vehicle occupants resulting from traffic incidents that occur on the public roadway, shoulder, or surrounding area. It excludes incidents occurring entirely off the roadway, such as in parking lots and on farms. "Nonhighway" includes transport-related deaths of vehicle occupants that occur or originate entirely off the roadway. Incidents involving trains and deaths to pedestrians or other nonpassengers are excluded from both categories. 3 Includes paid and unpaid family workers and may include owners of incorporated businesses or members of partnerships. 4 There were 14 fatalities for which age was not reported. 5 Persons identified as Hispanic may be of any race. Hispanic employment does not include resident armed forces. NOTE: Totals may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with state and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1997. Table 5. Fatal occupational injuries by State and event or exposure, 1997 Event or exposure(2) State of injury (percent of State total for 1997) Trans- Assaults Contact Exposure Total Fatalities(1) portation and with objects to harmful 1996 1997 incidents(3) violent and substances or Fires and (revised) acts(4) equipment Falls environments explosions ------ ------ ------------ ------- ----------- ------- ------------ ---------- Total(5) 6,202 6,218 42 18 17 11 9 3 Alabama 155 139 50 19 17 6 7 - Alaska 63 51 65 12 12 - 8 - Arizona 77 58 36 26 14 12 9 - Arkansas 88 102 47 15 19 5 10 5 California 641 636 36 26 12 13 8 3 Colorado 90 120 48 14 15 15 6 - Connecticut 35 32 47 - 16 22 - - Delaware 18 17 53 - - - - - District of Columbia 19 23 - 52 - 22 - - Florida 333 366 39 22 12 13 10 3 Georgia 213 241 43 16 17 12 10 2 Hawaii 27 19 37 - - - 21 - Idaho 62 56 45 9 34 - - - Illinois 262 240 39 21 14 15 8 2 Indiana 143 190 42 19 17 11 6 4 Iowa 70 80 44 5 22 14 11 - Kansas 85 93 61 5 16 11 - 4 Kentucky 141 143 52 16 15 7 8 - Louisiana 134 137 41 12 16 12 15 4 Maine 23 19 47 - 26 - - - Maryland 82 82 32 29 12 13 12 - Massachusetts 62 69 36 19 13 25 6 - Michigan 155 174 35 18 20 13 7 6 Minnesota 92 72 47 10 21 12 7 - Mississippi 103 104 40 22 12 14 11 - Missouri 140 123 44 16 14 10 15 - Montana 50 56 45 29 14 7 - - Nebraska 56 46 48 - 17 11 13 - Nevada 52 55 38 25 16 13 7 - New Hampshire 11 23 30 30 26 - - - New Jersey 100 101 31 18 13 16 20 - New Mexico 60 50 44 10 8 - 24 8 New York (except N.Y.C.) 169 155 43 10 21 8 7 9 New York City 148 109 13 47 9 25 4 - North Carolina 191 210 43 15 23 10 7 2 North Dakota 23 35 40 - 26 26 - - Ohio 201 201 45 13 23 10 6 2 Oklahoma 87 104 46 14 15 12 5 7 Oregon 85 84 49 12 20 12 - - Pennsylvania 282 259 43 15 17 13 9 4 Rhode Island 6 10 80 - - - - - South Carolina 109 129 36 36 16 5 5 - South Dakota 32 23 52 - 30 - - - Tennessee 152 168 41 18 18 10 7 5 Texas 514 460 46 14 16 9 12 4 Utah 64 66 50 8 27 6 - - Vermont 7 9 78 - - - - - Virginia 153 166 40 16 19 13 8 - Washington 128 112 46 13 18 11 10 - West Virginia 66 53 38 - 34 - 15 - Wisconsin 108 114 40 10 19 13 13 4 Wyoming 28 29 41 - 14 - - - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Includes other events and exposures such as bodily reaction, in addition to those shown separately. 2 Based on the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Structures. 3 Includes highway, nonhighway, air, water, and rail fatalities and fatalities to workers struck by vehicles. 4 Includes violence by persons, self-inflicted injuries, and assaults by animals. 5 Includes fatalities that occurred outside the territorial boundaries of the 50 States. NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding. Dashes indicate less than 0.5 percent or data that are not available or that do not meet publication criteria. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with State and Federal Agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1996-1997. Table 6. CFOI participating State agencies and telephone numbers State Agency Telephone Alabama Department of Labor (334) 242-3460 Alaska Department of Labor/Research & Analysis (907) 465-4539 Arizona Industrial Commission (602) 542-3739 Arkansas Department of Labor (501) 682-4542 California Department of Industrial Relations (415) 972-8625 Colorado Department of Public Health (303) 692-2163 Connecticut Labor Department (860) 566-4380 Delaware Department of Labor (302) 761-8221 District of Columbia Center for Health Statistics (202) 645-5963 Florida Dept. of Labor and Employment Security (850) 922-8953 Georgia Department of Labor (404) 656-2966 Hawaii Dept. of Labor and Industrial Relations (808) 586-9001 Idaho Industrial Commission (208) 334-6090 Illinois Department of Public Health (217) 785-7130 Indiana Department of Labor (317) 232-2679 Iowa Workforce Development (515) 281-3661 Kansas Department of Health & Environment (785) 296-5641 Kentucky Labor Cabinet (502) 564-6895 Louisiana Department of Labor (504) 342-3126 Maine Department of Labor (207) 624-6454 Maryland Division of Labor and Industry (410) 767-2356 Massachusetts Department of Public Health (617) 624-5628 Michigan Dept. of Consumer and Industry Services (517) 322-1850 Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (612) 297-7429 Mississippi Department of Health (601) 960-7741 Missouri Department of Health (573) 751-6103 Montana Department of Labor and Industry (406) 444-3297 Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court (402) 471-3547 Nevada Division of Industrial Relations (702) 687-3298 New Hampshire Department of Public Health (603) 271-4647 New Jersey Department of Health (609) 984-1863 New Mexico Health and Environment Division (505) 827-4230 New York Department of Health (518) 458-6228 New York City Department of Health (212) 788-4585 North Carolina Department of Labor (919) 733-0337 North Dakota Bureau of Labor Statistics (816) 426-2483 Ohio Department of Health (614) 466-4183 Oklahoma Department of Labor (405) 528-1500 Oregon Dept. of Consumer/Business Services (503) 378-8254 Pennsylvania Department of Health (717) 783-2548 Rhode Island Department of Health (401) 277-2812 South Carolina Department of Labor/Licensing & Regulation (803) 734-4298 South Dakota Bureau of Labor Statistics (816) 426-2483 Tennessee Department of Labor (615) 741-1748 Texas Workers' Compensation Commission (512) 440-3852 Utah Labor Commission (801) 530-6823 Vermont Bureau of Labor Statistics (617) 565-2300 Virginia Department of Labor & Industry (804) 786-8011 Washington Department of Labor & Industries (360) 902-5510 West Virginia Department of Labor (304) 558-7890 Wisconsin DWD, Workers' Compensation Research (608) 266-7850 Wyoming Bureau of Labor Statistics (816) 426-2483 TECHNICAL NOTES Definitions For a fatality to be included in the census, the decedent must have been employed (that is working for pay, compensation, or profit) at the time of the event, engaged in a legal work activity, or present at the site of the incident as a requirement of his or her job. These criteria are generally broader than those used by federal and state agencies administering specific laws and regulations. (Fatalities that occur during a person's commute to or from work are excluded from the census counts.) Data presented in this release include deaths occurring in 1997 that resulted from traumatic occupational injuries. An injury is defined as any intentional or unintentional wound or damage to the body resulting from acute exposure to energy, such as heat, electricity, or kinetic energy from a crash or from the absence of such essentials as heat or oxygen caused by a specific event, incident, or series of events within a single workday or shift. Included are open wounds, intracranial and internal injuries, heatstroke, hypothermia, asphyxiations, acute poisonings resulting from short-term exposures limited to the worker's shift, suicides and homicides, and work injuries listed as underlying or contributory causes of death. Information on work-related fatal illnesses are not reported in the BLS census and are excluded from the attached tables because the latency period of many occupational illnesses and the difficulty of linking illnesses to work make identification of a universe problematic. Partial information on fatal occupational illnesses, compiled separately, is available in BLS Report 922. Measurement techniques and limitations Data for the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries are compiled from various federal, state, and local administrative sources--including death certificates, workers' compensation reports and claims, reports to various regulatory agencies, medical examiner reports, and police reports--as well as news reports. Diverse sources are used because studies have shown that no single source captures all job-related fatalities. Source documents are matched so that each fatality is counted only once. To ensure that a fatality occurred while the decedent was at work, information is verified from two or more independent source documents or from a source document and a follow-up questionnaire. Approximately 30 data elements are collected, coded, and tabulated, including information about the worker, the fatal incident, and the machinery or equipment involved. Identification and verification of work-related fatalities. Because some state laws and regulations prohibit enumerators from contacting the next-of-kin, it was not possible to independently verify work relationship (whether a fatality is job related) for 274 fatal work injuries in 1997; however, the information on the initiating source document for these cases was sufficient to determine that the incident was likely to be job-related. Data for these fatalities, which primarily affected self-employed workers, are included in the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries counts. An additional 21 fatalities submitted by states were not included because the initiating source document had insufficient information to determine work relationship, which could not be verified by either an independent source document or a follow-up questionnaire. States may identify additional fatal work injuries after data collection closeout for a reference year. In addition, other fatalities excluded from the published count because of insufficient information to determine work relationship may subsequently be verified as work related. States have up to one year to update their initial published state counts. This procedure ensures that fatality data are disseminated as quickly as possible and that no legitimate case is excluded from the counts. Thus, each year's report should be considered preliminary until the next year's data are issued. Increases in the published counts based on additional information have averaged less than 100 fatalities per year or less than 1.5 percent of the total. Federal/state agency coverage The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries includes data for all fatal work injuries, whether they are covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or other federal or state agencies or are outside the scope of 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. Several federal and state agencies have jurisdiction over workplace safety and health. OSHA and affiliated agencies in states with approved safety programs cover the largest portion of America's workers. However, injuries and illnesses occurring in several other industries, such as coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and water, rail, and air transportation, are excluded from OSHA coverage because they are covered by other federal agencies, such as the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration. Fatalities occurring in activities regulated by federal agencies other than OSHA accounted for about 15 percent of the fatal work injuries for 1997. Fatalities occurring among several other groups of workers are generally not covered by any federal or state agencies. These groups include self-employed and unpaid family workers, which accounted for about 20 percent of the fatalities; laborers on small farms, accounting for about 3 percent of the fatalities; and state and local government employees in states without OSHA-approved safety programs, which accounted for about 4 percent. (Approximately one-half of the states have approved OSHA safety programs, which cover state and local government employees.) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: BLS thanks the participating states 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 agencies that submitted 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 Employment Standards Administration (Federal Employees' Compensation and Longshore and Harbor Workers' divisions); the Department of Energy; the National Association of Chiefs of Police; United Steelworkers of America; state vital statistics registrars, coroners, and medical examiners; state departments of health, labor, and industries and workers' compensation agencies; state and local police departments; and state farm bureaus.