Fatal work injuries totaled 58 in 2020 for Iowa, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Iowa was down from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 110 in 1992 to a low of 54 in 1995.

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.

Fatal event or exposure

In Iowa, transportation incidents resulted in 31 fatal work injuries and accounted for 53 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) In 2019, transportation incidents accounted for 32 worker deaths.

Contact with objects or equipment was the second-most frequent fatal workplace event with nine fatalities, down from 14 over the year. Falls, slips, or trips and exposure to harmful substances or environments were the third-most frequent fatal work events with seven fatalities each. Worker deaths from falls, slips, or trips were unchanged from the previous year, and worker fatalities due to exposure to harmful substances or environments were down from nine.

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).

Industry

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Iowa with 17, up from 14 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 12 of the 17 fatalities in the industry. The truck transportation subsector accounted for 15 of the 17 fatal workplace injuries in the transportation and warehousing industry.

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry sector had 11 fatal workplace injuries, down from 19 in the previous year. The crop production subsector accounted for nine, or 82 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 19. (See table 3.) Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 16 of the 19 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The management occupational group and construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 12 each. Construction trade workers accounted for 11 of the 12 construction and extraction occupational fatalities.

Additional highlights

• White non-Hispanics accounted for 72 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. (See table 4.) Nationwide, this group accounted for 61 percent of work-related deaths.

• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 52 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2020, compared to 56 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

• Of the 58 fatal work injuries in Iowa, 72 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. Transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event for both wage and salary workers and self-employed workers.

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 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 Iowa Division of Labor 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.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Iowa, 2019–20

Event or exposure (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	76	58	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	10	4	7
Intentional injury by person	6	4	7
Self-inflicted injury--intentional	3	4	7
Transportation incidents	32	31	53
Aircraft incidents	--	2	3
Pedestrian vehicular incident	4	8	14
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	3	2	3
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in nonroadway area	--	2	3
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	22	15	26
Roadway collision with other vehicle	12	5	9
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	--	3	5
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	4	1	2
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	--	1	2
Roadway noncollision incident	6	9	16
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	--	8	14
Ran off roadway	--	1	2
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	4	6	10
Nonroadway noncollision incident	4	6	10
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	--	4	7
Falls, slips, trips	7	7	12
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	9	7	12
Exposure to electricity	--	4	7
Direct exposure to electricity	--	1	2
Direct exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts	--	1	2
Indirect exposure to electricity	--	3	5
Indirect exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts	--	2	3
Exposure to other harmful substances	5	3	5
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose	--	3	5
Contact with objects and equipment	14	9	16
Struck by object or equipment	8	4	7
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	4	4	7
Struck by falling part of powered vehicle still attached	--	1	2
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. 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.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Iowa, 2019–20

Industry (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	76	58	100
Private industry (2)	73	55	95
Goods producing	--	--	--
Natural resources and mining	19	12	21
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	19	11	19
Crop production	10	9	16
Oilseed and grain farming	8	5	9
Corn farming	6	5	9
Animal production and aquaculture	6	2	3
Cattle ranching and farming	4	1	2
Dairy cattle and milk production	--	1	2
Poultry and egg production	--	1	2
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (3)	--	1	2
Mining (except oil and gas)	--	1	2
Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying	--	1	2
Construction	7	8	14
Construction	7	8	14
Heavy and civil engineering construction	--	3	5
Highway, street, and bridge construction	--	3	5
Highway, street, and bridge construction	--	3	5
Specialty trade contractors	--	3	5
Manufacturing	--	4	7
Manufacturing	--	4	7
Wood product manufacturing	--	1	2
Sawmills and wood preservation	--	1	2
Sawmills and wood preservation	--	1	2
Sawmills	--	1	2
Machinery manufacturing	--	1	2
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing	--	1	2
Agricultural implement manufacturing	--	1	2
Farm machinery and equipment manufacturing	--	1	2
Electrical equipment, appliance, and component manufacturing	--	1	2
Transportation equipment manufacturing	--	1	2
Motor vehicle parts manufacturing	--	1	2
Other motor vehicle parts manufacturing	--	1	2
Service providing (4)	--	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	22	20	34
Wholesale trade	5	2	3
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	--	2	3
Miscellaneous nondurable goods merchant wholesalers	--	2	3
Farm supplies merchant wholesalers	--	2	3
Retail trade	3	1	2
Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers	--	1	2
Building material and supplies dealers	--	1	2
Transportation and warehousing	14	17	29
Air transportation	--	1	2
Scheduled air transportation	--	1	2
Scheduled air transportation	--	1	2
Scheduled passenger air transportation	--	1	2
Truck transportation	12	15	26
General freight trucking	10	9	16
General freight trucking, local	6	1	2
General freight trucking, long-distance	--	7	12
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	--	2	3
Warehousing and storage	--	1	2
Warehousing and storage	--	1	2
General warehousing and storage	--	1	2
Information	--	3	5
Information	--	3	5
Telecommunications	--	3	5
Other telecommunications	--	1	2
Other telecommunications	--	1	2
Financial activities	--	1	2
Finance and insurance	--	1	2
Insurance carriers and related activities	--	1	2
Professional and business services	7	6	10
Professional, scientific, and technical services	1	1	2
Professional, scientific, and technical services	1	1	2
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services	--	1	2
Environmental consulting services	--	1	2
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	6	5	9
Administrative and support services	--	4	7
Employment services	--	1	2
Temporary help services	--	1	2
Services to buildings and dwellings	--	3	5
Landscaping services	--	3	5
Waste management and remediation services	--	1	2
Waste treatment and disposal	--	1	2
Waste treatment and disposal	--	1	2
Other services, except public administration	4	1	2
Other services, except public administration	4	1	2
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations	1	1	2
Religious organizations	1	1	2
Religious organizations	1	1	2
Government (5)	3	--	--
Local government	1	1	2
Footnotes: (1) CFOI has used several versions of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) since 2003 to define industry. For complete information on the version of NAICS used in this year, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. (2) Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts. (3) Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, including establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in oil and gas extraction. (4) Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts. (5) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. Cases classified as foreign government and other government are included in all government counts, but not displayed separately.
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.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Iowa, 2019–20

Occupation (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	76	58	100
Management occupations	14	12	21
Top executives	--	1	2
Chief executives	--	1	2
Chief executives	--	1	2
Other management occupations	--	11	19
Life, physical, and social science occupations	--	1	2
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	--	3	5
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	8	2	3
Agricultural workers	6	2	3
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	6	2	3
Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals	3	2	3
Construction and extraction occupations	9	12	21
Construction trades workers	4	11	19
Construction laborers	--	9	16
Construction laborers	--	9	16
Extraction workers	--	1	2
Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers	--	1	2
Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining	--	1	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	6	4	7
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	--	4	7
Line installers and repairers	--	3	5
Telecommunications line installers and repairers	--	2	3
Maintenance and repair workers, general	--	1	2
Maintenance and repair workers, general	--	1	2
Production occupations	--	3	5
Supervisors of production workers	--	1	2
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers	--	1	2
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers	--	1	2
Transportation and material moving occupations	22	19	33
Motor vehicle operators	19	17	29
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	--	17	29
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	--	16	28
Light truck drivers	--	1	2
Footnotes: (1) CFOI has used several versions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system since 2003 to define occupation. For complete information on the version of SOC used in this year, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.
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.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Iowa, 2019–20

Worker characteristics	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	76	58	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	53	42	72
Self-employed (2)	23	16	28
Gender
Men	68	--	--
Women	8	--	--
Age (3)
25 to 34 years	9	9	16
35 to 44 years	9	13	22
45 to 54 years	14	8	14
55 to 64 years	18	12	21
65 years and over	18	12	21
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	67	42	72
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	6	13	22
Footnotes: (1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. Cases where employment status is unknown are included in the counts of wage and salary workers. (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. Cases where ethnicity is unknown are included in counts of non-Hispanic workers.
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.