Fatal work injuries totaled 77 in 2016 for Arizona, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Arizona was higher than the 69 fatalities in the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 118 in 2000 to a low of 55 in 1993. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 5,190 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2016, a 7-percent increase from the 4,836 fatal injuries in 2015, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. This was the third consecutive increase in annual workplace fatalities and the first time more than 5,000 fatalities have been recorded since 2008.

Type of incident

In Arizona, transportation incidents resulted in 33 fatal work injuries, accounting for 43 percent of workplace fatalities. Exposure to harmful substances or environments (13), violence and other injuries by persons or animals (12), and falls, slips, and trips (11) accounted for 47 percent of workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.)

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2016, 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 (17 percent), followed by falls, slips, or trips (16 percent).

Industry

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Arizona with 19, compared to 22 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event in the transportation and warehousing sector with 15 worker deaths. Fourteen of those fatally injured in this sector worked in general freight trucking.

The private construction sector had 15 workplace fatalities in 2016, with specialty trade contracting accounting for 8 of the deaths.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 29. (See table 3.) Eighteen of these fatalities were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.

Additional highlights:

• Men accounted for 97 percent of the work-related fatalities in Arizona, compared to the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 44 percent of the fatalities for men in Arizona.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 49 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 67 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 65 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2016, compared to 57 percent nationwide.
• Of the 77 fatally-injured workers in Arizona, 86 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the BLS Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI 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 the 2016 national data, over 23,300 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for CFOI, please go to 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, even those that may be outside the scope of other agencies or 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. More on the scope of CFOI can be found at www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm.

Acknowledgments. BLS 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, Arizona, 2015–16

Event or exposure (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	69	77	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	15	12	16
Intentional injury by person	15	11	14
Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)	8	6	8
Shooting by other person--intentional	6	4	5
Suicides (Self-inflicted injury--intentional)	7	5	6
Shooting--intentional self-harm	4	3	4
Transportation incidents	29	33	43
Aircraft incidents	4	6	8
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing	--	3	4
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing--due to mechanical failure	--	2	3
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing--into structure, object, or ground	--	1	1
Pedestrian vehicular incident	--	6	8
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	23	18	23
Roadway collision with other vehicle	10	8	10
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	4	3	4
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	7	1	1
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	6	1	1
Roadway noncollision incident	5	8	10
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	5	8	10
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	--	3	4
Falls, slips, trips	10	11	14
Falls to lower level	9	10	13
Other fall to lower level	9	9	12
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	6	13	17
Exposure to electricity	--	6	8
Direct exposure to electricity	--	4	5
Exposure to temperature extremes	--	3	4
Contact with objects and equipment	8	8	10
Struck by object or equipment	5	7	9
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	--	4	5
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	3	3	4
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, Arizona, 2015–16

Industry (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	69	77	100
Private industry	63	70	91
Natural resources and mining	4	5	6
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	4	4	5
Construction	12	15	19
Construction	12	15	19
Construction of buildings	3	3	4
Specialty trade contractors	9	8	10
Building equipment contractors	--	3	4
Electrical contractors	--	3	4
Nonresidential electrical contractors	--	3	4
Building finishing contractors	3	3	4
Flooring contractors	--	1	1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	30	23	30
Retail trade	5	4	5
Nonstore retailers	--	1	1
Electronic shopping and mail-order houses	--	1	1
Electronic shopping and mail-order houses	--	1	1
Electronic shopping	--	1	1
Transportation and warehousing	22	19	25
Truck transportation	13	18	23
General freight trucking	11	14	18
General freight trucking, long-distance	9	7	9
Specialized freight trucking	--	4	5
Professional and business services	5	9	12
Administrative and waste services	5	5	6
Administrative and support services	5	5	6
Services to buildings and dwellings	3	4	5
Landscaping services	3	3	4
Educational and health services	5	6	8
Educational services	--	5	6
Educational services	--	5	6
Technical and trade schools	--	4	5
Technical and trade schools	--	4	5
Flight training	--	4	5
Health care and social assistance	4	1	1
Ambulatory health care services	4	1	1
Other ambulatory health care services	--	1	1
All other ambulatory health care services	--	1	1
Blood and organ banks	--	1	1
Leisure and hospitality	--	4	5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	--	1	1
Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries	--	1	1
Other amusement and recreation industries	--	1	1
Accommodation and food services	--	3	4
Food services and drinking places	--	3	4
Restaurants and other eating places	--	3	4
Restaurants and other eating places	--	3	4
Limited-service restaurants	--	3	4
Other services, except public administration	--	3	4
Other services, except public administration	--	3	4
Government (2)	6	7	9
Local government	1	4	5
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, Arizona, 2015–16

Occupation (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	69	77	100
Healthcare support occupations	--	1	1
Other healthcare support occupations	--	1	1
Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations	--	1	1
Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers	--	1	1
Protective service occupations	4	7	9
Law enforcement workers	1	5	6
Police officers	1	5	6
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	1	5	6
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	3	4	5
Sales and related occupations	4	4	5
Retail sales workers	3	1	1
Cashiers	--	1	1
Cashiers	--	1	1
Construction and extraction occupations	10	15	19
Construction trades workers	8	13	17
Carpet, floor, and tile installers and finishers	--	1	1
Carpet installers	--	1	1
Construction laborers	--	3	4
Construction laborers	--	3	4
Electricians	--	4	5
Electricians	--	4	5
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3	7	9
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	--	4	5
Maintenance and repair workers, general	--	4	5
Maintenance and repair workers, general	--	4	5
Transportation and material moving occupations	25	29	38
Air transportation workers	1	6	8
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	1	6	8
Commercial pilots	1	6	8
Motor vehicle operators	22	21	27
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	15	20	26
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	14	18	23
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010.
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, Arizona, 2015–16

Worker characteristics	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	69	77	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	60	66	86
Self-employed (2)	9	11	14
Gender
Men	63	75	97
Women	6	--	--
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	5	5	6
25 to 34 years	9	12	16
35 to 44 years	12	17	22
45 to 54 years	24	21	27
55 to 64 years	11	17	22
65 years and over	8	5	6
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	39	38	49
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	3	4	5
Hispanic or Latino	18	21	27
American Indian or Alaskan Native, non-Hispanic	--	4	5
Asian, non-Hispanic	--	7	9
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 Hispanic and Latino workers.
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.