Fatal work injuries totaled 69 in 2019 for Oregon, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Dennis Reid noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Oregon was up from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 88 in 1992 to a low of 43 in 2012.

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.

Fatal event or exposure

In Oregon, transportation incidents resulted in 32 fatal work injuries and falls, slips, or trips accounted for 16 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 70 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 24 over the year and worker fatalities due to falls, slips, or trips were up from 7.

Contact with objects or equipment was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 12 fatalities, down from 17 in the prior year. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals resulted in six work-related deaths compared to eight in 2018.

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).

Industry

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry had 16 workplace fatalities in Oregon. (See table 2.) The logging sector accounted for 5 of the 16 workplace fatalities in this industry. The private transportation and warehousing industry had 11 workplace fatalities. The general freight trucking sector accounted for five of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

The transportation and warehousing occupational group had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 19. (See table 3.) Motor vehicle operators accounted for 15 of the 19 fatalities among transportation and warehousing workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second highest number of workplace fatalities with 16, followed by farming, fishing, and forestry occupations with 11. Carpenters and construction laborers each suffered four of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction occupational group. Logging workers and miscellaneous agricultural workers each accounted for four of the farming, fishing, and forestry occupational fatalities.

Additional highlights:

• Men accounted for 83 percent of the work-related fatalities in Oregon, compared to the 92-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 49 percent of the fatalities for men in Oregon.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 80 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 49 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2019, compared to 55 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
• Of the 69 fatal work injuries in Oregon, 80 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 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 Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services 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, Oregon, 2018–19

Event or exposure (1)	2018	2019
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	62	69	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	8	6	9
Intentional injury by person	7	6	9
Intentional injury by other person	4	3	4
Shooting by other person--intentional	4	3	4
Self-inflicted injury--intentional	3	3	4
Transportation incidents	24	32	46
Aircraft incidents	--	--	--
Other in-flight crash	--	1	1
Other in-flight crash into structure, object, or ground	--	1	1
Pedestrian vehicular incident	--	6	9
Water vehicle incidents	--	3	4
Capsized or sinking water vehicle	--	3	4
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	21	16	23
Roadway collision with other vehicle	10	6	9
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	6	4	6
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	9	5	7
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	8	5	7
Roadway noncollision incident	--	5	7
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	--	3	4
Ran off roadway	--	1	1
Fall or jump from vehicle in normal operation, roadway	--	1	1
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	--	4	6
Fires and explosions	--	--	--
Falls, slips, trips	7	16	23
Falls to lower level	5	14	20
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment	--	2	3
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment 11 to 15 feet	--	1	1
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment 16 to 20 feet	--	1	1
Fall through surface or existing opening	--	4	6
Other fall to lower level	3	8	12
Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet	--	3	4
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	4	3	4
Contact with objects and equipment	17	12	17
Struck by object or equipment	10	9	13
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	4	5	7
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	--	3	4
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	6	3	4
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, Oregon, 2019

Industry (1)	Number	Percent
Total	69	100
Private industry (2)	65	94
Goods producing	--	--
Natural resources and mining	16	23
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	16	23
Crop production	3	4
Vegetable and melon farming	3	4
Vegetable and melon farming	3	4
Animal production and aquaculture	5	7
Forestry and logging	5	7
Logging	5	7
Logging	5	7
Fishing, hunting and trapping	3	4
Fishing	3	4
Fishing	3	4
Shellfish fishing	3	4
Construction	--	--
Service providing (3)	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	20	29
Wholesale trade	3	4
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	3	4
Miscellaneous nondurable goods merchant wholesalers	1	1
Farm supplies merchant wholesalers	1	1
Retail trade	6	9
Food and beverage stores	3	4
Grocery stores	3	4
Transportation and warehousing	11	16
Air transportation	1	1
Nonscheduled air transportation	1	1
Nonscheduled air transportation	1	1
Truck transportation	9	13
General freight trucking	5	7
General freight trucking, long-distance	3	4
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	3	4
Couriers and messengers	1	1
Financial activities	--	--
Professional and business services	--	--
Educational and health services	4	6
Health care and social assistance	4	6
Leisure and hospitality	7	10
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	5	7
Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries	2	3
Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events	1	1
Independent artists, writers, and performers	1	1
Independent artists, writers, and performers	1	1
Other services, except public administration	1	1
Other services, except public administration	1	1
Personal and laundry services	1	1
Other personal services	1	1
Pet care (except veterinary) services	1	1
Government (4)	4	6
Federal government	1	1
State government	1	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, Oregon, 2019

Occupation (1)	Number	Percent
Total	69	100
Management occupations	6	9
Other management occupations	4	6
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	2	3
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	2	3
Lodging managers	1	1
Lodging managers	1	1
Social and community service managers	1	1
Social and community service managers	1	1
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	2	3
Art and design workers	1	1
Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers	1	1
Athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers	1	1
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	--
Healthcare support occupations	--	--
Protective service occupations	--	--
Other protective service workers	--	--
Miscellaneous protective service workers	--	--
Crossing guards and flaggers	1	1
Food preparation and serving related occupations	--	--
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	--	--
Personal care and service occupations	--	--
Sales and related occupations	4	6
Office and administrative support occupations	--	--
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	11	16
Agricultural workers	4	6
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	4	6
Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals	1	1
Fishing and hunting workers	3	4
Fishing and hunting workers	3	4
Fishing and hunting workers	3	4
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	4	6
Logging workers	4	6
Construction and extraction occupations	16	23
Construction trades workers	14	20
Carpenters	4	6
Carpenters	4	6
Construction laborers	4	6
Construction laborers	4	6
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	4	6
Production occupations	--	--
Transportation and material moving occupations	19	28
Motor vehicle operators	15	22
Military specific occupations (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. (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, Oregon, 2018–19

Worker characteristics	2018	2019
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	62	69	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	52	55	80
Self-employed (2)	10	14	20
Gender
Men	59	57	83
Women	3	12	17
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	3	5	7
25 to 34 years	9	6	9
35 to 44 years	7	11	16
45 to 54 years	20	17	25
55 to 64 years	13	14	20
65 years and over	10	16	23
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	49	55	80
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	8	11	16
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.