Fatal work injuries totaled 28 in 2014 for South Dakota, 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 South Dakota increased by eight over the year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 46 in 1999 to a low of 20 in 2013. (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 28 fatal work injuries reported in South Dakota in 2014, 12 resulted from transportation incidents; 8 from falls, slips, or trips; and 5 from contact with objects and equipment. (See table 1.) Within transportation incidents, roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles was the most frequent type of workplace fatality with seven deaths. This category accounted for one-quarter of all on-the-job fatalities in the state. In the falls, slips, or trips category, seven of eight deaths occurred as a result of falling to a lower level. For the contact with objects and equipment category, four of the five 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 South Dakota, transportation incidents accounted for 43 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 South Dakota was 29 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, contact with objects and equipment was responsible for 18 percent of workplace fatalities.

Additional highlights:

• The agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry had the largest number of fatalities in the state with nine, compared to five the previous year. Falls, slips, or trips accounted for four fatal work injuries in this industry. (See table 2.)
• Construction had the second highest fatality count with six. Falls, slips, or trips accounted for half of the deaths in this industry.
• Management occupations and construction and extraction occupations each had the highest number of fatal work injuries. Within management occupations, all six fatalities were among farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers. Construction trades workers suffered five of the six fatalities within the construction and extraction occupations. (See table 3.)
• Men accounted for 25, or 89 percent, of the work-related fatalities in the state. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 40 percent of these fatalities.
• In South Dakota, all workers who died from a workplace injury were white non-Hispanics. Nationwide, this group accounted for 68 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 15, or 54 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 28 fatal work injuries in South Dakota, 54 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder was self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both groups 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, South Dakota, 2013–14

Event or exposure (1)	2013 (2)	2014 (p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	20	28	100
Transportation incidents	12	12	43
Aircraft incidents	1	4	14
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing	--	4	14
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing--into structure, object, or ground	--	4	14
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	7	7	25
Roadway noncollision incident	--	3	11
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	--	3	11
Falls, slips, trips	2	8	29
Falls to lower level	2	7	25
Other fall to lower level	1	7	25
Contact with objects and equipment	1	5	18
Struck by object or equipment	1	4	14
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, South Dakota, 2013–14

Industry (1)	2013 (2)	2014 (p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	20	28	100
Private industry	17	27	96
Natural resources and mining	5	9	32
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	5	9	32
Crop production	3	3	11
Animal production and aquaculture	1	6	21
Cattle ranching and farming	1	5	18
Construction	5	6	21
Construction	5	6	21
Construction of buildings	--	1	4
Residential building construction	--	1	4
Residential building construction	--	1	4
Residential remodelers	--	1	4
Specialty trade contractors	2	3	11
Manufacturing	--	3	11
Manufacturing	--	3	11
Trade, transportation, and utilities	5	6	21
Wholesale trade	1	4	14
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	1	4	14
Farm product raw material merchant wholesalers	1	3	11
Livestock merchant wholesalers	--	1	4
Air transportation	--	1	4
Nonscheduled air transportation	--	1	4
Nonscheduled air transportation	--	1	4
Nonscheduled chartered passenger air transportation	--	1	4
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	--	1	4
Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions	--	1	4
Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions	--	1	4
Government (3)	3	1	4
Federal government	2	1	4
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, South Dakota, 2013–14

Occupation (1)	2013 (2)	2014 (p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	20	28	100
Management occupations	4	6	21
Other management occupations	3	6	21
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	2	6	21
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	2	6	21
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	2	3	11
Agricultural workers	2	3	11
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	2	3	11
Construction and extraction occupations	4	6	21
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	--	1	4
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	1	4
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	1	4
Construction trades workers	4	5	18
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	--	3	11
Transportation and material moving occupations	4	4	14
Motor vehicle operators	3	3	11
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	3	3	11
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	--	3	11
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, South Dakota, 2013–14

Worker characteristics	2013 (1)	2014 (p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	20	28	100
Employee status
Wage and salary (2)	16	15	54
Self-employed (3)	4	13	46
Gender
Men	19	25	89
Women	1	3	11
Age (4)
25 to 34 years	2	5	18
35 to 44 years	4	4	14
45 to 54 years	4	6	21
55 to 64 years	5	6	21
65 years and over	3	6	21
Race or ethnic origin (5)
White, non-Hispanic	17	28	100
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.