Fatal work injuries totaled 72 in 2016 for Oregon, 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 Oregon was higher than the 44 fatalities in the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 88 in 1992 to a low of 43 in 2012. (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 Oregon, transportation incidents resulted in 30 fatal work injuries and contact with objects and equipment accounted for 17 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 65 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents rose by eight over the year, while work related fatalities from contact with objects and equipment increased by nine.

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 agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Oregon with 27, compared to 12 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event in the sector with 11 worker deaths. Eleven of those fatally injured in this sector worked in logging.

The private transportation and warehousing sector had 12 workplace fatalities in 2016. Specialized freight trucking accounted for eight fatalities in this industry.

Occupation

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 22. (See table 3.) Ten of these fatalities were logging workers.

Additional highlights:

• Men accounted for 88 percent of the work-related fatalities in Oregon, compared to the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 40 percent of the fatalities for men in Oregon.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 78 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 54 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2016, equal to the national rate, compared to 57 percent nationwide.
• Of the 72 fatally-injured workers in Oregon, 81 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, Oregon, 2015–16

Event or exposure (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	44	72	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	5	10	14
Intentional injury by person	4	9	13
Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)	3	6	8
Shooting by other person--intentional	3	5	7
Suicides (Self-inflicted injury--intentional)	--	3	4
Jumping from building or other structure--intentional self-harm	--	1	1
Transportation incidents	22	30	42
Aircraft incidents	2	1	1
Other in-flight crash	1	1	1
Other in-flight crash into structure, object, or ground	--	1	1
Water vehicle incidents	--	6	8
Capsized or sinking water vehicle	--	2	3
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	13	19	26
Roadway collision with other vehicle	5	13	18
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	4	9	13
Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle in roadway	--	1	1
Roadway noncollision incident	--	6	8
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	--	6	8
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	--	3	4
Nonroadway noncollision incident	--	3	4
Fires and explosions	2	3	4
Fires	--	3	4
Falls, slips, trips	5	6	8
Falls to lower level	5	5	7
Other fall to lower level	4	4	6
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	--	3	4
Contact with objects and equipment	8	17	24
Struck by object or equipment	5	13	18
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	--	4	6
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	2	6	8
Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery--other than vehicle part	1	3	4
Struck by swinging or slipping object, other than handheld	1	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, Oregon, 2015–16

Industry (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	44	72	100
Private industry	41	66	92
Natural resources and mining	12	27	38
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	12	27	38
Crop production	--	7	10
Fruit and tree nut farming	--	3	4
Noncitrus fruit and tree nut farming	--	3	4
Berry (except strawberry) farming	--	2	3
Other crop farming	1	1	1
Hay farming	1	1	1
Forestry and logging	6	11	15
Logging	6	11	15
Fishing, hunting and trapping	--	6	8
Fishing	--	6	8
Fishing	--	6	8
Shellfish fishing	--	4	6
Construction	6	9	13
Construction	6	9	13
Specialty trade contractors	3	5	7
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	--	3	4
Framing contractors	--	1	1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	13	17	24
Retail trade	--	5	7
Motor vehicle and parts dealers	--	1	1
Automotive parts, accessories, and tire stores	--	1	1
Automotive parts and accessories stores	--	1	1
Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers	--	1	1
Building material and supplies dealers	--	1	1
Home centers	--	1	1
Transportation and warehousing	9	12	17
Air transportation	--	1	1
Nonscheduled air transportation	--	1	1
Nonscheduled air transportation	--	1	1
Truck transportation	8	10	14
Specialized freight trucking	4	8	11
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	3	5	7
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance	--	1	1
Financial activities	--	2	3
Finance and insurance	--	2	3
Insurance carriers and related activities	--	2	3
Agencies, brokerages, and other insurance related activities	--	2	3
Insurance agencies and brokerages	--	2	3
Professional and business services	1	4	6
Professional and technical services	--	1	1
Professional, scientific, and technical services	--	1	1
Architectural, engineering, and related services	--	1	1
Engineering services	--	1	1
Administrative and waste services	1	3	4
Administrative and support services	--	3	4
Services to buildings and dwellings	--	1	1
Landscaping services	--	1	1
Educational and health services	1	1	1
Health care and social assistance	--	1	1
Ambulatory health care services	--	1	1
Home health care services	--	1	1
Government (2)	3	6	8
State government	--	3	4
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, Oregon, 2015–16

Occupation (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	44	72	100
Management occupations	7	3	4
Operations specialties managers	--	1	1
Financial managers	--	1	1
Financial managers	--	1	1
Business and financial operations occupations	--	4	6
Healthcare support occupations	--	1	1
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides	--	1	1
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides	--	1	1
Home health aides	--	1	1
Protective service occupations	3	4	6
Law enforcement workers	1	1	1
Police officers	1	1	1
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	1	1	1
Food preparation and serving related occupations	--	1	1
Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	--	1	1
Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	--	1	1
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	--	1	1
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	--	1	1
Grounds maintenance workers	--	1	1
Grounds maintenance workers	--	1	1
Tree trimmers and pruners	--	1	1
Sales and related occupations	--	4	6
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	6	22	31
Supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	2	3
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	2	3
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	--	2	3
Agricultural workers	--	4	6
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	--	4	6
Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals	--	2	3
Fishing and hunting workers	--	6	8
Fishers and related fishing workers	--	5	7
Fishers and related fishing workers	--	5	7
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	5	10	14
Logging workers	5	10	14
Fallers	--	5	7
Construction and extraction occupations	5	9	13
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	2	4	6
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	2	4	6
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	2	4	6
Construction trades workers	--	4	6
Carpenters	--	1	1
Carpenters	--	1	1
Construction laborers	--	3	4
Construction laborers	--	3	4
Helpers, construction trades	--	1	1
Helpers, construction trades	--	1	1
Helpers--roofers	--	1	1
Transportation and material moving occupations	16	17	24
Air transportation workers	--	1	1
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	--	1	1
Commercial pilots	--	1	1
Motor vehicle operators	13	15	21
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	12	13	18
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	11	13	18
Water transportation workers	--	1	1
Ship and boat captains and operators	--	1	1
Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels	--	1	1
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, Oregon, 2015–16

Worker characteristics	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	44	72	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	32	58	81
Self-employed (2)	12	14	19
Gender
Men	41	63	88
Women	3	9	13
Age (3)
25 to 34 years	3	11	15
35 to 44 years	11	8	11
45 to 54 years	13	20	28
55 to 64 years	9	20	28
65 years and over	5	9	13
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	37	56	78
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	5	12	17
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.