Fatal work injuries totaled 67 in 2020 for Minnesota, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Minnesota was down from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 113 in 1993 to a low of 60 in 2011.

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 Minnesota, transportation incidents resulted in 28 fatal work injuries and accounted for 42 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were down from 36 over the year.

Falls, slips, or trips was the second-most frequent fatal event with 15 fatalities, unchanged from 2019. Contact with objects and equipment was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 11 fatalities, down from 14 in the prior year.

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 construction industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Minnesota with 15, up from 11 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 6 of the 15 fatalities in the industry. The specialty trade contractors subsector accounted for 11 of the 15 fatal workplace injuries in the construction industry.

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry sector had 14 fatal workplace injuries, down from 23 in the previous year. The crop production subsector accounted for 11, or 79 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.) Motor vehicle operators accounted for 14 of the 19 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 16, followed by management occupations with 10. Construction trades workers suffered 15 of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction occupational group. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for all 10 of the management occupational fatalities.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 91 percent of the work-related fatalities in Minnesota, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 41 percent of the fatalities for men in Minnesota.

• White non-Hispanics accounted for 87 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 61 percent of work-related deaths.

• Workers aged 55 and older accounted for 52 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2020, compared to 36 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

• Of the 67 fatal work injuries in Minnesota, 63 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.

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 Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry 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, Minnesota, 2019–20

Event or exposure (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	80	67	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	7	--	--
Transportation incidents	36	28	42
Aircraft incidents	6	2	3
Other in-flight crash	4	2	3
Other in-flight crash into structure, object, or ground	--	2	3
Pedestrian vehicular incident	3	3	4
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	12	17	25
Roadway collision with other vehicle	9	9	13
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	--	1	1
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	--	4	6
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	6	3	4
Roadway noncollision incident	--	6	9
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	--	6	9
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	9	6	9
Fires and explosions	--	--	--
Falls, slips, trips	15	15	22
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	8	7	10
Exposure to other harmful substances	--	4	6
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose	--	4	6
Contact with objects and equipment	14	11	16
Struck by object or equipment	10	6	9
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	2	4	6
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. 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, Minnesota, 2019–20

Industry (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	80	67	100
Private industry (2)	75	64	96
Goods producing	--	--	--
Natural resources and mining	24	14	21
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	23	14	21
Crop production	14	11	16
Oilseed and grain farming	11	8	12
Animal production and aquaculture	9	3	4
Construction	11	15	22
Construction	11	15	22
Heavy and civil engineering construction	1	1	1
Utility system construction	--	1	1
Specialty trade contractors	--	11	16
Building equipment contractors	--	4	6
Plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors	--	4	6
Other specialty trade contractors	--	3	4
Manufacturing	--	7	10
Manufacturing	--	7	10
Food manufacturing	--	4	6
Animal slaughtering and processing	--	1	1
Animal slaughtering and processing	--	1	1
Poultry processing	--	1	1
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	--	1	1
Cement and concrete product manufacturing	--	1	1
Concrete pipe, brick, and block manufacturing	--	1	1
Concrete block and brick manufacturing	--	1	1
Service providing (3)	--	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	--	12	18
Wholesale trade	2	3	4
Retail trade	1	4	6
Motor vehicle and parts dealers	1	1	1
Automotive parts, accessories, and tire stores	1	1	1
Automotive parts and accessories stores	1	1	1
General merchandise stores	--	1	1
General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters	--	1	1
General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters	--	1	1
Warehouse clubs and supercenters	--	1	1
Transportation and warehousing	13	5	7
Information	--	--	--
Financial activities	1	--	--
Professional and business services	--	9	13
Professional, scientific, and technical services	--	1	1
Professional, scientific, and technical services	--	1	1
Other professional, scientific, and technical services	--	1	1
Veterinary services	--	1	1
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	--	8	12
Administrative and support services	--	7	10
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	2	3
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	5	1	1
Leisure and hospitality	--	1	1
Accommodation and food services	--	1	1
Food services and drinking places	--	1	1
Restaurants and other eating places	--	1	1
Restaurants and other eating places	--	1	1
Full-service restaurants	--	1	1
Other services, except public administration	--	--	--
Government (4)	5	3	4
Federal government	3	3	4
State government	1	--	--
Local government	--	--	--
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) Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts. (4) 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, Minnesota, 2019–20

Occupation (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	80	67	100
Management occupations	17	10	15
Other management occupations	17	10	15
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	--	10	15
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	--	10	15
Business and financial operations occupations	--	--	--
Computer and mathematical occupations	--	--	--
Architecture and engineering occupations	--	--	--
Life, physical, and social science occupations	--	--	--
Community and social service occupations	--	--	--
Legal occupations	--	--	--
Educational instruction and library occupations	--	--	--
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	--	--	--
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	1	1
Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners	--	1	1
Veterinarians	--	1	1
Veterinarians	--	1	1
Healthcare support occupations	--	--	--
Protective service occupations	--	--	--
Food preparation and serving related occupations	--	--	--
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	4	3	4
Personal care and service occupations	--	--	--
Sales and related occupations	--	--	--
Office and administrative support occupations	--	--	--
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	8	4	6
Supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	1	1
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	1	1
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	1	1
Agricultural workers	6	3	4
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	6	2	3
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse	4	2	3
Construction and extraction occupations	9	16	24
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	--	1	1
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	1	1
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	1	1
Construction trades workers	7	15	22
Brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons	--	1	1
Construction laborers	--	5	7
Construction laborers	--	5	7
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	4	4	6
Production occupations	3	4	6
Supervisors of production workers	--	1	1
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers	--	1	1
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers	--	1	1
Plant and system operators	--	1	1
Miscellaneous plant and system operators	--	1	1
Transportation and material moving occupations	25	19	28
Air transportation workers	--	1	1
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	--	1	1
Commercial pilots	--	1	1
Motor vehicle operators	16	14	21
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, Minnesota, 2019–20

Worker characteristics	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	80	67	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	48	42	63
Self-employed (2)	32	25	37
Gender
Men	74	61	91
Women	6	6	9
Age (3)
25 to 34 years	16	10	15
35 to 44 years	13	8	12
45 to 54 years	8	9	13
55 to 64 years	21	19	28
65 years and over	17	16	24
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	72	58	87
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	--	4	6
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.