Fatal work injuries totaled 90 in 2014 for Iowa, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that while the 2014 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in Iowa increased by 18 over the year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 110 in 1992 to a low of 54 in 1995. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a preliminary total of 4,679 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2014, up from a revised count of 4,585 fatalities in 2013, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Final 2014 CFOI data will be released in the late spring of 2016.

Of the 90 fatal work injuries reported in Iowa in 2014, 32 resulted from transportation incidents, 25 from falls, slips, or trips, and 19 from contact with objects and equipment. Together these three major categories accounted for over 80 percent of all fatal work injuries reported in the state. (See table 1.) Other major event categories each reported six or fewer deaths. Within transportation incidents, roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles was the most frequent type of workplace fatality with 16 deaths. In the falls, slips, or trips category, 21 of 25 deaths occurred as a result of falling to a lower level. For the contact with objects and equipment category, 10 of the 19 deaths occurred as a result of being struck by an object or equipment. (Note that roadway incident counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2014 data are released in the late spring of 2016 because key source documentation detailing specific transportation-related incidents has not yet been received.)

In the United States, transportation incidents were also the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2014, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. In Iowa, transportation incidents accounted for 36 percent of the state’s share of fatalities. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, or trips was the second most frequent type of event nationally, with 17 percent of work-related fatalities; the share in Iowa was 28 percent. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals and contact with objects or equipment accounted for 16 percent and 15 percent of the nation’s workplace fatalities, respectively. In the state, violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 7 percent of workplace fatalities while contact with objects and equipment was responsible for 21 percent of workplace fatalities.

 

Additional highlights:

• The agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry had the largest number of fatalities in the state with 28, up from 22 the previous year. Transportation incidents accounted for 12 fatal work injuries and contact with objects and equipment accounted for 11 fatalities in this industry. (See table 2.)
• Construction had the second highest fatality count with 20, up from 12 the previous year. Falls, slips, or trips accounted for 11 deaths in this industry.
• Management occupations had the highest number of fatal work injuries with 25. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers suffered all 25 fatalities. (See table 3.)
• Men accounted for 85, or 94 percent, of the work-related fatalities in the state. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 36 percent of these fatalities.
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 39, or 43 percent, of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2014. Nationally, workers in this group accounted for 58 percent of on-the-job fatalities.
• Of the 90 fatal work injuries in Iowa, 54 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder was self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both wage and salary workers and for the self-employed was transportation incidents.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS occupational safety and health statistics program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the United States during the calendar year. The 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 technical information about the CFOI program, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS web site at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch9.pdf.

Federal/State agency coverage. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries includes data for all fatal work injuries, whether the decedent was working in a job covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or other federal or state agencies or was 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 by each agency.

Acknowledgments. The Bureau of Labor Statistics appreciates the efforts of all federal, state, local, and private sector entities that submitted source documents used to identify fatal work injuries.

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, Iowa, 2013–14

Event or exposure (1)	2013 (2)	2014 (p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	72	90	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	4	6	7
Transportation incidents	29	32	36
Pedestrian vehicular incident	6	4	4
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	12	16	18
Roadway collision with other vehicle	4	7	8
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	--	3	3
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	--	4	4
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	--	3	3
Roadway noncollision incident	6	5	6
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	5	5	6
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	7	10	11
Nonroadway noncollision incident	7	7	8
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	5	4	4
Fires and explosions	1	3	3
Falls, slips, trips	13	25	28
Falls on same level	1	4	4
Falls to lower level	11	21	23
Other fall to lower level	11	19	21
Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet	3	6	7
Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet	--	6	7
Other fall to lower level 16 to 20 feet	--	3	3
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	8	5	6
Exposure to electricity	1	3	3
Contact with objects and equipment	16	19	21
Struck by object or equipment	8	10	11
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	3	6	7
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	--	3	3
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	3	4	4
Caught in running equipment or machinery	--	4	4
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	5	5	6
Struck, caught, or crushed in other collapsing structure or equipment	--	3	3
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward. (2) Totals for 2013 are revised and final. (p) Data for 2014 are preliminary. Revised and final 2014 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2016.
NOTE: 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 guidelines.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Iowa, 2013–14

Industry (1)	2013 (2)	2014 (p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	72	90	100
Private industry	70	86	96
Natural resources and mining	22	29	32
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	22	28	31
Crop production	15	14	16
Oilseed and grain farming	--	4	4
Corn farming	--	3	3
Animal production and aquaculture	6	13	14
Cattle ranching and farming	6	5	6
Construction	12	20	22
Construction	12	20	22
Construction of buildings	--	3	3
Residential building construction	--	3	3
Residential building construction	--	3	3
Heavy and civil engineering construction	5	3	3
Specialty trade contractors	5	14	16
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	--	11	12
Poured concrete foundation and structure contractors	--	3	3
Siding contractors	--	3	3
Manufacturing	5	5	6
Manufacturing	5	5	6
Trade, transportation, and utilities	17	16	18
Wholesale trade	4	8	9
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	1	3	3
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	--	5	6
Miscellaneous nondurable goods merchant wholesalers	--	4	4
Farm supplies merchant wholesalers	--	3	3
Transportation and warehousing	9	6	7
Truck transportation	8	4	4
General freight trucking	--	4	4
General freight trucking, long-distance	--	3	3
Financial activities	--	5	6
Real estate and rental and leasing	--	3	3
Professional and business services	4	5	6
Administrative and waste services	4	5	6
Administrative and support services	3	4	4
Services to buildings and dwellings	3	3	3
Leisure and hospitality	3	4	4
Government (3)	2	4	4
Local government	2	3	3
Footnotes: (1) Industry data for 2013 are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2007. Industry data for 2014 are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) Totals for 2013 are revised and final. (p) Data for 2014 are preliminary. Revised and final 2014 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2016. (3) Includes fatal injuries 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. 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, Iowa, 2013–14

Occupation (1)	2013 (2)	2014 (p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	72	90	100
Management occupations	17	25	28
Other management occupations	16	25	28
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	16	25	28
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	16	25	28
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	4	3	3
Sales and related occupations	3	5	6
Supervisors of sales workers	3	3	3
First-line supervisors of sales workers	3	3	3
Office and administrative support occupations	--	3	3
Construction and extraction occupations	10	17	19
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	3	6	7
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	3	6	7
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	3	6	7
Construction trades workers	7	11	12
Construction laborers	4	3	3
Construction laborers	4	3	3
Construction equipment operators	--	3	3
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	10	6	7
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	4	3	3
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	4	3	3
Production occupations	3	3	3
Transportation and material moving occupations	14	21	23
Motor vehicle operators	11	14	16
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	11	14	16
Driver/sales workers	--	3	3
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	10	10	11
Material moving workers	--	6	7
Laborers and material movers, hand	--	4	4
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	--	3	3
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. (2) Totals for 2013 are revised and final. (p) Data for 2014 are preliminary. Revised and final 2014 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2016.
NOTE: 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 worker characteristics, Iowa, 2013–14

Worker characteristics	2013 (1)	2014 (p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	72	90	100
Employee status
Wage and salary (2)	48	49	54
Self-employed (3)	24	41	46
Gender
Men	69	85	94
Women	3	5	6
Age (4)
25 to 34 years	10	10	11
35 to 44 years	11	18	20
45 to 54 years	20	11	12
55 to 64 years	16	21	23
65 years and over	12	26	29
Race or ethnic origin (5)
White, non-Hispanic	71	43	48
Footnotes: (1) Totals for 2013 are revised and final. (p) Data for 2014 are preliminary. Revised and final 2014 data are scheduled to be released in spring 2016. (2) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. (3) 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. (4) Information may not be available for all age groups. (5) Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude Hispanic and Latino workers.
NOTE: 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.