Fatal work injuries totaled 44 in 2018 for Nebraska, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Nebraska was up by nine from the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 83 in 1994 and 2002 to a low of 35 in 2017. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 5,250 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2018, up from the 5,147 fatal injuries in 2017, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

Type of incident

In Nebraska, transportation incidents resulted in 18 fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, or trips and contact with objects or equipment accounted for nine fatalities each. These three major categories accounted for 82 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were down from 20 over the year, while workplace fatalities from falls, slips, or trips were up from 4, and fatalities from contact with objects or equipment were up from 7.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2018, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most common fatal event (16 percent), followed by falls, slips, and trips (15 percent) and contact with objects and equipment (15 percent).

Industry

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry had the highest number of fatalities in Nebraska with 13, up from 12 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 6 of the 13 fatalities in the industry. The crop production sector accounted for 7 of the 13 workplace fatalities in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry.

The private construction industry had nine workplace fatalities. The specialty trade contractors and heavy and civil engineering construction sectors had four workplace fatalities each. These two sectors accounted for 89 percent of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 14. (See table 3.) Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 11 of the 14 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of workplace fatalities with nine, followed by management occupations with seven. Construction trades workers suffered six of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction group. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for six of the seven management occupational fatalities.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 95 percent of the work-related fatalities in Nebraska, compared to the 92-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 43 percent of the fatalities for men in Nebraska.

• White non-Hispanics accounted for 80 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 65 percent of work-related deaths.

• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 52 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2018, compared to 58 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

• Of the 44 fatal work injuries in Nebraska, 80 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both wage and salary workers and the self-employed was transportation incidents.

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 fatal work 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 2018 national data, over 24,800 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 on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm.

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 www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm.

Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court 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 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, Nebraska, 2017–18

Event or exposure (1)	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	35	44	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	2	--	--
Transportation incidents	20	18	41
Rail vehicle incidents	1	2	5
Collision between rail vehicle and another vehicle	1	2	5
Collision between rail and roadway vehicles	1	2	5
Pedestrian vehicular incident	3	3	7
Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road	--	1	2
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle on side of road	--	1	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	11	13	30
Roadway collision with other vehicle	4	7	16
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	1	2	5
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	2	4	9
Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle on side of roadway	--	1	2
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	5	3	7
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	3	3	7
Roadway noncollision incident	1	3	7
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	1	3	7
Fires and explosions	1	1	2
Explosions	--	1	2
Dust explosion	--	1	2
Falls, slips, trips	4	9	20
Falls on same level	--	3	7
Fall on same level due to tripping	--	1	2
Falls to lower level	--	6	14
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment	--	1	2
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment more than 30 feet	--	1	2
Other fall to lower level	--	5	11
Other fall to lower level 26 to 30 feet	--	1	2
Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet	--	1	2
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	--	6	14
Exposure to electricity	--	3	7
Contact with objects and equipment	7	9	20
Struck by object or equipment	6	5	11
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	4	--	--
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	--	1	2
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	--	2	5
Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery--other than vehicle part	--	1	2
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	--	3	7
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	--	1	2
Engulfment in other collapsing material	--	1	2
Overexertion and bodily reaction	--	--	--
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Nebraska, 2017–18

Industry (1)	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	35	44	100
Private industry	31	44	100
Goods producing	15	25	57
Natural resources and mining	12	13	30
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	12	13	30
Crop production	9	7	16
Oilseed and grain farming	2	5	11
Corn farming	--	3	7
Other grain farming	1	2	5
Oilseed and grain combination farming	1	2	5
Animal production and aquaculture	3	4	9
Cattle ranching and farming	2	4	9
Beef cattle ranching and farming, including feedlots	2	--	--
Cattle feedlots	--	1	2
Dairy cattle and milk production	--	1	2
Support activities for agriculture and forestry	--	2	5
Support activities for crop production	--	2	5
Support activities for crop production	--	2	5
Postharvest crop activities (except cotton ginning)	--	1	2
Farm labor contractors and crew leaders	--	1	2
Construction	--	9	20
Construction	--	9	20
Construction of buildings	--	1	2
Nonresidential building construction	--	1	2
Commercial and institutional building construction	--	1	2
Heavy and civil engineering construction	--	4	9
Highway, street, and bridge construction	--	2	5
Highway, street, and bridge construction	--	2	5
Specialty trade contractors	--	4	9
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	--	--	--
Framing contractors	--	1	2
Residential framing contractors	--	1	2
Building equipment contractors	1	1	2
Other building equipment contractors	--	1	2
Other nonresidential building equipment contractors	--	1	2
Manufacturing	1	3	7
Manufacturing	1	3	7
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	--	1	2
Cement and concrete product manufacturing	--	1	2
Ready-mix concrete manufacturing	--	1	2
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	--	1	2
Architectural and structural metals manufacturing	--	1	2
Plate work and fabricated structural product manufacturing	--	1	2
Fabricated structural metal manufacturing	--	1	2
Service providing	16	19	43
Trade, transportation, and utilities	8	10	23
Wholesale trade	1	4	9
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	1	1	2
Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies merchant wholesalers	--	1	2
Automobile and other motor vehicle merchant wholesalers	--	1	2
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	--	3	7
Farm product raw material merchant wholesalers	--	1	2
Grain and field bean merchant wholesalers	--	1	2
Petroleum and petroleum products merchant wholesalers	--	1	2
Petroleum and petroleum products merchant wholesalers (except bulk stations and terminals)	--	1	2
Miscellaneous nondurable goods merchant wholesalers	--	1	2
Farm supplies merchant wholesalers	--	1	2
Retail trade	2	1	2
Gasoline stations	1	1	2
Gasoline stations	1	1	2
Transportation and warehousing	5	5	11
Truck transportation	5	5	11
General freight trucking	2	2	5
General freight trucking, long-distance	2	2	5
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	2	2	5
Specialized freight trucking	3	3	7
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	2	1	2
Information	1	--	--
Financial activities	--	--	--
Professional and business services	--	5	11
Administrative and waste services	--	5	11
Administrative and support services	--	--	--
Services to buildings and dwellings	--	--	--
Landscaping services	--	1	2
Waste management and remediation services	--	3	7
Waste collection	--	3	7
Waste collection	--	3	7
Solid waste collection	--	3	7
Educational and health services	--	--	--
Educational services	--	1	2
Educational services	--	1	2
Colleges, universities, and professional schools	--	1	2
Colleges, universities, and professional schools	--	1	2
Leisure and hospitality	3	1	2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	2	1	2
Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries	1	1	2
Other amusement and recreation industries	1	1	2
Other services, except public administration	3	--	--
Government (2)	4	--	--
Federal government	--	--	--
State government	--	--	--
Local government	2	--	--
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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, Nebraska, 2017–18

Occupation (1)	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	35	44	100
Management occupations	8	7	16
Other management occupations	7	7	16
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	6	6	14
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	6	6	14
Education administrators	--	1	2
Education administrators, postsecondary	--	1	2
Business and financial operations occupations	--	--	--
Computer and mathematical occupations	--	--	--
Architecture and engineering occupations	--	--	--
Life, physical, and social science occupations	--	--	--
Community and social services occupations	--	--	--
Legal occupations	--	--	--
Education, training, and library occupations	--	--	--
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	1	--	--
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	--	--
Healthcare support occupations	--	--	--
Protective service occupations	1	--	--
Food preparation and serving related occupations	--	--	--
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	--	--	--
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	--	1	2
First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	--	1	2
First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers	--	1	2
Personal care and service occupations	--	1	2
Entertainment attendants and related workers	--	1	2
Miscellaneous entertainment attendants and related workers	--	1	2
Amusement and recreation attendants	--	1	2
Sales and related occupations	1	--	--
Office and administrative support occupations	--	--	--
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	4	6	14
Agricultural workers	4	6	14
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	4	6	14
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse	3	5	11
Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals	1	1	2
Construction and extraction occupations	4	9	20
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	--	3	7
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	3	7
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	3	7
Construction trades workers	3	6	14
Construction laborers	--	3	7
Construction laborers	--	3	7
Construction equipment operators	--	1	2
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators	--	1	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	4	--	--
Production occupations	--	--	--
Other production occupations	--	1	2
Miscellaneous production workers	--	1	2
Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic	--	1	2
Transportation and material moving occupations	7	14	32
Motor vehicle operators	6	11	25
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	6	11	25
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	6	11	25
Material moving workers	--	3	7
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	--	2	5
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	--	2	5
Military specific occupations (2)	--	--	--
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. (2) Includes fatal injuries to persons identified as resident armed forces regardless of individual occupation listed.
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 selected demographic characteristics, Nebraska, 2017–18

Worker characteristics	2017	2018
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	35	44	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	23	35	80
Self-employed (2)	12	9	20
Gender
Men	33	42	95
Women	--	--	--
Age (3)
18 to 19 years	--	1	2
20 to 24 years	--	1	2
25 to 34 years	2	7	16
35 to 44 years	6	8	18
45 to 54 years	4	8	18
55 to 64 years	10	15	34
65 years and over	11	4	9
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	27	35	80
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	4	7	16
Footnotes: (1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. (2) 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. (3) Information may not be available for all age groups. (4) Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude data for Hispanics and Latinos.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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.