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Thursday, April 07, 2022
Fatal work injuries totaled 135 in 2020 for Illinois, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Illinois was down from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 262 in 1996 to a low of 135 in 2020.
Nationwide, a total of 4,764 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2020, an 11-percent decrease from 5,333 in 2019, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). The 4,764 fatal occupational injuries in 2020 represents the lowest annual number since 2013.
In Illinois, transportation incidents resulted in 55 fatal work injuries and accounted for 41 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 53 over the year.
Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most frequent fatal workplace event with 24 fatalities, down from 26 in 2019. Violence or other injuries by persons or animals resulted in 22 fatalities, down from 31 in the prior year. Contact with objects or equipment resulted in 17 work-related deaths compared to 23 in 2019.
Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2020, accounting for 37 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent).
The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Illinois with 27, up from 24 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 19 of the 27 fatalities in the industry. The general freight trucking industry group accounted for 14 of the 19 fatal workplace injuries in the transportation and warehousing industry.
The private construction industry sector had 21 fatal workplace injuries, down from 30 in the previous year. The specialty trade contractors subsector accounted for 13, or 62 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.
OccupationThe transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 39. (See table 3.) Motor vehicle operators accounted for 31 of the 39 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 20, followed by installation, maintenance, and repair occupations with 15. Construction trades workers suffered 17 of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction occupational group.
Additional highlightsMen accounted for 93 percent of the work-related fatalities in Illinois, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 42 percent of the fatalities for men in Illinois.
White non-Hispanics accounted for 72 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 61 percent of work-related deaths.
Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 54 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2020, compared to 56 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
Of the 135 fatal work injuries in Illinois, 81 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both wage and salary workers and self-employed workers was transportation incidents. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals also was 8 for self-employed, same as transportation incidents.
CFOI reports fatal workplace injuries only. These may include fatal workplace injuries complicated by an illness such as COVID-19. Fatal workplace illnesses not precipitated by an injury are not in scope for CFOI. CFOI does not report any illness related information, including COVID-19. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-on-workplace-injuries-and-illnesses-compensation-and-occupational-requirements.htm
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 fatalities resulting from workplace 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 2020 national data, over 21,600 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 at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm and the CFOI definitions at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.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 Illinois Department of Public Health 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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.
Event or exposure (1) | 2019 | 2020 | |
---|---|---|---|
Number | Number | Percent | |
Total |
158 | 135 | 100 |
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals |
31 | 22 | 16 |
Intentional injury by person |
29 | 21 | 16 |
Intentional injury by other person |
21 | 14 | 10 |
Shooting by other person--intentional |
18 | 8 | 6 |
Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing |
1 | 3 | 2 |
Hitting, kicking, beating, shoving |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Self-inflicted injury--intentional |
8 | 7 | 5 |
Injury by person--unintentional or intent unknown |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Injury by other person--unintentional or intent unknown |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Shooting by other person--unintentional |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Transportation incidents |
53 | 55 | 41 |
Aircraft incidents |
-- | 3 | 2 |
Other in-flight crash |
-- | 3 | 2 |
Other in-flight crash into structure, object, or ground |
-- | 3 | 2 |
Rail vehicle incidents |
5 | 3 | 2 |
Pedestrian vehicular incident |
14 | 10 | 7 |
Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road |
4 | 3 | 2 |
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area |
4 | 3 | 2 |
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle |
29 | 30 | 22 |
Roadway collision with other vehicle |
20 | 15 | 11 |
Roadway collision--moving in same direction |
7 | 4 | 3 |
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming |
5 | 1 | 1 |
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly |
3 | 7 | 5 |
Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle in roadway |
-- | 3 | 2 |
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle |
3 | 7 | 5 |
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway |
3 | 6 | 4 |
Roadway noncollision incident |
6 | 8 | 6 |
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles |
5 | 9 | 7 |
Nonroadway noncollision incident |
-- | 7 | 5 |
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway |
-- | 5 | 4 |
Fires and explosions |
-- | -- | -- |
Falls, slips, trips |
26 | 24 | 18 |
Falls on same level |
-- | 6 | 4 |
Falls to lower level |
18 | 16 | 12 |
Exposure to harmful substances or environments |
17 | -- | -- |
Contact with objects and equipment |
23 | 17 | 13 |
Struck by object or equipment |
16 | 12 | 9 |
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle |
8 | 6 | 4 |
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects |
4 | 3 | 2 |
Caught in running equipment or machinery |
3 | 3 | 2 |
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material |
-- | 2 | 1 |
Engulfment in other collapsing material |
-- | 2 | 1 |
Overexertion and bodily reaction |
-- | -- | -- |
Footnotes: |
|||
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Industry (1) | 2019 | 2020 | |
---|---|---|---|
Number | Number | Percent | |
Total |
158 | 135 | 100 |
Private industry (2) |
139 | 126 | 93 |
Goods producing |
-- | -- | -- |
Natural resources and mining |
-- | 14 | 10 |
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting |
15 | 13 | 10 |
Crop production |
12 | 11 | 8 |
Oilseed and grain farming |
10 | 9 | 7 |
Soybean farming |
1 | 1 | 1 |
Corn farming |
8 | 8 | 6 |
Other crop farming |
-- | 1 | 1 |
All other crop farming |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Animal production and aquaculture |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Poultry and egg production |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Forestry and logging |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (3) |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Mining (except oil and gas) |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Construction |
30 | 21 | 16 |
Construction |
30 | 21 | 16 |
Construction of buildings |
-- | 4 | 3 |
Heavy and civil engineering construction |
4 | 4 | 3 |
Specialty trade contractors |
-- | 13 | 10 |
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors |
-- | 5 | 4 |
Roofing contractors |
-- | 3 | 2 |
Building equipment contractors |
-- | 4 | 3 |
Building finishing contractors |
-- | 3 | 2 |
Finish carpentry contractors |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Other specialty trade contractors |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Site preparation contractors |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Manufacturing |
-- | 13 | 10 |
Manufacturing |
-- | 13 | 10 |
Machinery manufacturing |
-- | 9 | 7 |
Industrial machinery manufacturing |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Industrial machinery manufacturing |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Service providing (4) |
-- | -- | -- |
Trade, transportation, and utilities |
36 | 46 | 34 |
Utilities |
1 | 1 | 1 |
Utilities |
1 | 1 | 1 |
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution |
1 | 1 | 1 |
Electric power transmission, control, and distribution |
1 | 1 | 1 |
Wholesale trade |
6 | 9 | 7 |
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods |
3 | 5 | 4 |
Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers |
-- | 2 | 1 |
Construction and mining (except oil well) machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Industrial machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods |
3 | 4 | 3 |
Farm product raw material merchant wholesalers |
1 | 2 | 1 |
Grain and field bean merchant wholesalers |
1 | 2 | 1 |
Retail trade |
5 | 9 | 7 |
Food and beverage stores |
1 | 4 | 3 |
Grocery stores |
1 | 1 | 1 |
Convenience stores |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Specialty food stores |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Other specialty food stores |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Confectionery and nut stores |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Beer, wine, and liquor stores |
-- | 2 | 1 |
Beer, wine, and liquor stores |
-- | 2 | 1 |
Health and personal care stores |
-- | 2 | 1 |
Health and personal care stores |
-- | 2 | 1 |
Gasoline stations |
1 | 1 | 1 |
Gasoline stations |
1 | 1 | 1 |
Transportation and warehousing |
24 | 27 | 20 |
Truck transportation |
17 | 18 | 13 |
General freight trucking |
12 | 14 | 10 |
General freight trucking, local |
6 | 4 | 3 |
General freight trucking, long-distance |
5 | 8 | 6 |
Specialized freight trucking |
5 | 4 | 3 |
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance |
5 | 4 | 3 |
Transit and ground passenger transportation |
2 | 2 | 1 |
Taxi and limousine service |
2 | 2 | 1 |
Support activities for transportation |
-- | 4 | 3 |
Support activities for water transportation |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Navigational services to shipping |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Information |
-- | -- | -- |
Financial activities |
-- | 4 | 3 |
Real estate and rental and leasing |
-- | 4 | 3 |
Professional and business services |
9 | 14 | 10 |
Professional, scientific, and technical services |
-- | 5 | 4 |
Professional, scientific, and technical services |
-- | 5 | 4 |
Architectural, engineering, and related services |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Engineering services |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services |
-- | 2 | 1 |
Environmental consulting services |
-- | 2 | 1 |
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services |
7 | 9 | 7 |
Administrative and support services |
7 | 8 | 6 |
Investigation and security services |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Investigation, guard, and armored car services |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Security guards and patrol services |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Services to buildings and dwellings |
-- | 7 | 5 |
Landscaping services |
-- | 7 | 5 |
Waste management and remediation services |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Waste collection |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Waste collection |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Solid waste collection |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Educational and health services |
-- | 5 | 4 |
Educational services |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Educational services |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Technical and trade schools |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Technical and trade schools |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Flight training |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Health care and social assistance |
-- | 4 | 3 |
Leisure and hospitality |
13 | -- | -- |
Accommodation and food services |
11 | 5 | 4 |
Other services, except public administration |
11 | -- | -- |
Government (5) |
19 | 9 | 7 |
Federal government |
-- | 1 | 1 |
State government |
5 | -- | -- |
Local government |
12 | 6 | 4 |
Footnotes: |
|||
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Occupation (1) | 2019 | 2020 | |
---|---|---|---|
Number | Number | Percent | |
Total |
158 | 135 | 100 |
Management occupations |
20 | 6 | 4 |
Business and financial operations occupations |
-- | -- | -- |
Computer and mathematical occupations |
-- | -- | -- |
Architecture and engineering occupations |
-- | -- | -- |
Life, physical, and social science occupations |
-- | -- | -- |
Community and social service occupations |
1 | 2 | 1 |
Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists |
-- | 2 | 1 |
Social workers |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Legal occupations |
-- | -- | -- |
Educational instruction and library occupations |
-- | -- | -- |
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations |
1 | -- | -- |
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
-- | -- | -- |
Healthcare support occupations |
-- | -- | -- |
Protective service occupations |
17 | 8 | 6 |
Other protective service workers |
6 | 3 | 2 |
Food preparation and serving related occupations |
4 | -- | -- |
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
5 | 9 | 7 |
Personal care and service occupations |
-- | -- | -- |
Sales and related occupations |
7 | 9 | 7 |
Supervisors of sales workers |
-- | 5 | 4 |
First-line supervisors of sales workers |
-- | 5 | 4 |
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers |
-- | 4 | 3 |
First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Office and administrative support occupations |
6 | 1 | 1 |
Information and record clerks |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
4 | 6 | 4 |
Agricultural workers |
3 | 5 | 4 |
Miscellaneous agricultural workers |
3 | 5 | 4 |
Construction and extraction occupations |
30 | 20 | 15 |
Construction trades workers |
24 | 17 | 13 |
Carpenters |
-- | 3 | 2 |
Carpenters |
-- | 3 | 2 |
Construction laborers |
10 | 6 | 4 |
Construction laborers |
10 | 6 | 4 |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
11 | 15 | 11 |
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers |
5 | 6 | 4 |
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
5 | 7 | 5 |
Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers |
-- | 3 | 2 |
Line installers and repairers |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Electrical power-line installers and repairers |
-- | 1 | 1 |
Production occupations |
7 | 8 | 6 |
Metal workers and plastic workers |
-- | 6 | 4 |
Transportation and material moving occupations |
41 | 39 | 29 |
Motor vehicle operators |
31 | 31 | 23 |
Material moving workers |
-- | 5 | 4 |
Footnotes: |
|||
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Worker characteristics | 2019 | 2020 | |
---|---|---|---|
Number | Number | Percent | |
Total |
158 | 135 | 100 |
Employee status |
|||
Wage and salary workers (1) |
129 | 109 | 81 |
Self-employed (2) |
29 | 26 | 19 |
Gender |
|||
Men |
142 | 125 | 93 |
Women |
16 | 10 | 7 |
Age (3) |
|||
Under 16 years |
-- | 1 | 1 |
18 to 19 years |
2 | 1 | 1 |
20 to 24 years |
8 | 4 | 3 |
25 to 34 years |
28 | 25 | 19 |
35 to 44 years |
32 | 25 | 19 |
45 to 54 years |
31 | 23 | 17 |
55 to 64 years |
34 | 38 | 28 |
65 years and over |
23 | 18 | 13 |
Race or ethnic origin (4) |
|||
White, non-Hispanic |
116 | 97 | 72 |
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic |
18 | 15 | 11 |
Hispanic or Latino |
17 | 18 | 13 |
Asian, non-Hispanic |
-- | 5 | 4 |
Footnotes: |
|||
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. |
Last Modified Date: Thursday, April 07, 2022