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News Release Information

21-629-SAN
Tuesday, April 06, 2021

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

Fatal Work Injuries in Alaska – 2019

Fatal work injuries totaled 51 in 2019 for Alaska, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Dennis Reid noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Alaska was up from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 91 in 1992 to a low of 14 in 2015.

Nationwide, a total of 5,333 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2019, a 2-percent increase from the 5,250 in 2018, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. The 5,333 fatal occupational injuries in 2019 represents the largest annual number since 2007.

Chart 1. Number of fatal occupational injuries, Alaska, 2010-2019
Fatal event or exposure

In Alaska, transportation incidents resulted in 32 fatal work injuries and violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 11 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 84 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 18 over the year and worker fatalities due to violence or other injuries by persons or animals were up from 7. Exposure to harmful substances or environments was the third-most frequent fatal work event with four fatalities.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2019, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent), followed by violence and other injuries by persons or animals (16 percent).

Chart 2. Distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and Alaska, 2019
Industry

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry, as well as the transportation and warehousing industry, had the highest number of fatalities in Alaska with 11 each. (See table 2.) Within agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, the fishing sector accounted for all 11 fatalities. The air transportation sector accounted for 4 of the 11 workplace fatalities within transportation and warehousing.

The government sector had 11 workplace fatalities, 8 of which occurred in the federal government.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 11. (See table 3.) Commercial pilots accounted for 5 of the 11 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The farming, fishing, and forestry occupational group had the second highest number of workplace fatalities with 10. Within the group, fishing and hunting workers accounted for all 10 occupational fatalities.

Additional highlights:
  • Men accounted for 92 percent of the work-related fatalities in Alaska, equal to the national share. (See table 4.)
  • White non-Hispanics accounted for 75 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 62 percent of work-related deaths.
  • Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 65 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2019, compared to 55 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
  • Of the 51 fatal work injuries in Alaska, 84 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.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

Data in this news release are for reference year 2019. No changes in collection procedures or outputs were necessary due to 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.

Changes in Industry and Occupation Classification Structure

Information in this release incorporates revisions to both the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the Standard Occupational Classification codes (SOC). Comparison of data for 2019 to prior years should be done with caution due to these changes, and thus analysis in this release is limited to 2019 for industries and occupations. More information on NAICS can be found at www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm. More information on SOC can be found at www.bls.gov/soc/2018/home.htm.


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 fatal work 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 2019 national data, over 25,100 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 on the BLS website at https://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 Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development 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; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Alaska, 2018–19
Event or exposure (1)20182019
NumberNumberPercent

Total

3251100

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals

71122

Intentional injury by person

61020

Intentional injury by other person

124

Shooting by other person--intentional

--24

Self-inflicted injury--intentional

5816

Shooting--intentional self-harm

348

Injury by person--unintentional or intent unknown

--12

Injury by other person--unintentional or intent unknown

--12

Shooting by other person--unintentional

--12

Transportation incidents

183263

Aircraft incidents

61325

Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing

1816

Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing--into structure, object, or ground

1816

Other in-flight crash

5510

Other in-flight crash between air vehicles

112

Water vehicle incidents

101122

Capsized or sinking water vehicle

4510

Fall or jump and struck by water vehicle

--12

Fall or jump from water vehicle

336

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

2510

Roadway collision with other vehicle

112

Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming

--12

Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles

--36

Nonroadway collision with object other than vehicle

--12

Nonroadway noncollision incident

------

Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway

--12

Fires and explosions

------

Falls, slips, trips

------

Exposure to harmful substances or environments

348

Contact with objects and equipment

--24

Struck by object or equipment

--24

Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport

--24

Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle

--12

Struck by powered vehicle tipping over--nontransport

--12

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, Alaska, 2019
Industry (1)NumberPercent

Total

51100

Private industry (2)

4078

Goods producing

----

Natural resources and mining

1122

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

1122

Fishing, hunting and trapping

1122

Fishing

1122

Fishing

1122

Finfish fishing

48

Shellfish fishing

510

Construction

36

Construction

36

Service providing (3)

----

Trade, transportation, and utilities

----

Retail trade

24

Gasoline stations

12

Gasoline stations

12

Gasoline stations with convenience stores

12

Nonstore retailers

12

Direct selling establishments

12

Fuel dealers

12

Transportation and warehousing

1122

Air transportation

48

Scheduled air transportation

12

Scheduled air transportation

12

Nonscheduled air transportation

36

Nonscheduled air transportation

36

Water transportation

24

Deep sea, coastal, and Great Lakes water transportation

24

Deep sea, coastal, and Great Lakes water transportation

24

Truck transportation

36

Specialized freight trucking

12

Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local

12

Financial activities

----

Professional and business services

36

Professional, scientific, and technical services

12

Professional, scientific, and technical services

12

Legal services

12

Offices of lawyers

12

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services

24

Administrative and support services

24

Educational and health services

----

Educational services

12

Educational services

12

Leisure and hospitality

12

Accommodation and food services

12

Accommodation

12

Traveler accommodation

12

Hotels (except casino hotels) and motels

12

Other services, except public administration

----

Government (4)

1122

Federal government

816

State government

----

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, Alaska, 2019
Occupation (1)NumberPercent

Total

51100

Management occupations

----

Business and financial operations occupations

----

Computer and mathematical occupations

----

Architecture and engineering occupations

----

Life, physical, and social science occupations

24

Life scientists

24

Community and social service occupations

----

Legal occupations

12

Educational instruction and library occupations

----

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

----

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

510

Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners

24

Registered nurses

24

Registered nurses

24

Health technologists and technicians

36

Healthcare support occupations

----

Protective service occupations

24

Other protective service workers

24

Security guards and gambling surveillance officers

24

Security guards

24

Food preparation and serving related occupations

24

Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers

12

Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers

12

Chefs and head cooks

12

Cooks and food preparation workers

12

Food preparation workers

12

Food preparation workers

12

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

12

Building cleaning and pest control workers

12

Building cleaning workers

12

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

12

Personal care and service occupations

----

Sales and related occupations

----

Office and administrative support occupations

----

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

1020

Fishing and hunting workers

1020

Fishing and hunting workers

1020

Fishing and hunting workers

1020

Construction and extraction occupations

510

Supervisors of construction and extraction workers

12

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

12

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

12

Construction trades workers

48

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

----

Production occupations

----

Transportation and material moving occupations

1122

Air transportation workers

612

Aircraft pilots and flight engineers

612

Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers

12

Commercial pilots

510

Motor vehicle operators

36

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

36

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

36

Water transportation workers

24

Ship and boat captains and operators

24

Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

24

Military specific occupations (2)

714

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.
(2) Includes fatal injuries to persons identified as resident armed forces regardless of individual occupation listed.

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, Alaska, 2018–19
Worker characteristics20182019
NumberNumberPercent

Total

3251100

Employee status

Wage and salary workers (1)

284384

Self-employed (2)

4816

Gender

Men

304792

Women

--48

Age (3)

20 to 24 years

3510

25 to 34 years

41325

35 to 44 years

4918

45 to 54 years

91122

55 to 64 years

91020

65 years and over

236

Race or ethnic origin (4)

White, non-Hispanic

223875

Black or African-American, non-Hispanic

------

Hispanic or Latino

------

Asian, non-Hispanic

--36

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, April 06, 2021