Fatal work injuries totaled 84 in 2019 for Washington, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Dennis Reid noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Washington was down from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 128 in 1996 to a low of 56 in 2013.

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 Washington, transportation incidents resulted in 29 fatal work injuries and violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 25 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 64 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were unchanged over the year and worker fatalities due to violence or other injuries by persons or animals were up from 20.

Falls, slips, or trips was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 13 fatalities, down from 17 in the prior year. Contact with objects or equipment resulted in 9 work-related deaths compared to 13 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

In private industry, the construction industry had the highest number of fatalities in Washington with 17. (See table 2.) The agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry had 12 workplace fatalities, and the retail trade industry had 8 fatalities.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 20. (See table 3.) Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 11 of the 20 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second highest number of workplace fatalities with 15, followed by farming, fishing, and forestry occupations with 10. Construction trades workers suffered 11 of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction occupational group. Agricultural workers accounted for 5 of the 10 farming, fishing, and forestry occupational fatalities.

Additional highlights:

• Men accounted for 86 percent of the work-related fatalities in Washington, compared to the 92-percent national share. (See table 4.)
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 71 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 54 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2019, compared to 55 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
• Of the 84 fatal work injuries in Washington, 76 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents; violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the most frequent fatal event for self-employed workers.

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 Washington Department of Labor and Industries 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, Washington, 2018–19

Event or exposure (1)	2018	2019
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	86	84	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	20	25	30
Intentional injury by person	20	23	27
Intentional injury by other person	9	15	18
Shooting by other person--intentional	7	8	10
Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing	--	3	4
Hitting, kicking, beating, shoving	--	3	4
Multiple violent acts by other person	--	1	1
Self-inflicted injury--intentional	11	8	10
Hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation--intentional self-harm	7	5	6
Transportation incidents	29	29	35
Aircraft incidents	3	2	2
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing	1	1	1
Other in-flight crash	--	1	1
Other in-flight crash due to mechanical failure	--	1	1
Pedestrian vehicular incident	4	6	7
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	--	3	4
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in roadway	--	3	4
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	--	--	--
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area	--	1	1
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	16	18	21
Roadway collision with other vehicle	8	11	13
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	--	7	8
Roadway noncollision incident	3	5	6
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	3	5	6
Fires and explosions	--	--	--
Falls, slips, trips	17	13	15
Falls to lower level	14	11	13
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment	--	3	4
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment more than 30 feet	--	3	4
Other fall to lower level	12	7	8
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	5	5	6
Exposure to other harmful substances	4	4	5
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose	3	4	5
Exposure to oxygen deficiency, n.e.c.	--	1	1
Drowning, submersion, n.e.c.	--	1	1
Contact with objects and equipment	13	9	11
Struck by object or equipment	8	9	11
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	--	3	4
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	--	3	4
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	4	4	5
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, Washington, 2019

Industry (1)	Number	Percent
Total	84	100
Private industry (2)	76	90
Goods producing	--	--
Natural resources and mining	12	14
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	12	14
Crop production	5	6
Forestry and logging	3	4
Logging	3	4
Logging	3	4
Construction	17	20
Construction	17	20
Heavy and civil engineering construction	1	1
Utility system construction	1	1
Power and communication line and related structures construction	1	1
Service providing (3)	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	23	27
Retail trade	8	10
Motor vehicle and parts dealers	3	4
Gasoline stations	2	2
Gasoline stations	2	2
Gasoline stations with convenience stores	2	2
Financial activities	3	4
Real estate and rental and leasing	3	4
Real estate	3	4
Professional and business services	--	--
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	3	4
Administrative and support services	3	4
Educational and health services	3	4
Educational services	1	1
Educational services	1	1
Technical and trade schools	1	1
Technical and trade schools	1	1
Flight training	1	1
Leisure and hospitality	--	--
Other services, except public administration	4	5
Other services, except public administration	4	5
Government (4)	8	10
Federal government	2	2
State government	--	--
Local government	6	7
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, Washington, 2019

Occupation (1)	Number	Percent
Total	84	100
Management occupations	5	6
Other management occupations	4	5
Lodging managers	1	1
Lodging managers	1	1
Property, real estate, and community association managers	3	4
Property, real estate, and community association managers	3	4
Business and financial operations occupations	3	4
Business operations specialists	3	4
Computer and mathematical occupations	--	--
Architecture and engineering occupations	1	1
Engineers	1	1
Civil engineers	1	1
Civil engineers	1	1
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	--	--
Healthcare support occupations	--	--
Protective service occupations	5	6
Supervisors of protective service workers	2	2
First-line supervisors of law enforcement workers	1	1
First-line supervisors of police and detectives	1	1
First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers	1	1
First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers	1	1
Law enforcement workers	3	4
Police officers	3	4
Food preparation and serving related occupations	--	--
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	--	--
Personal care and service occupations	1	1
Personal appearance workers	1	1
Barbers, hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists	1	1
Barbers	1	1
Sales and related occupations	6	7
Supervisors of sales workers	4	5
First-line supervisors of sales workers	4	5
Retail sales workers	--	--
Cashiers	1	1
Office and administrative support occupations	--	--
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	10	12
Agricultural workers	5	6
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	5	6
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	4	5
Construction and extraction occupations	15	18
Construction trades workers	11	13
Painters and paperhangers	1	1
Painters, construction and maintenance	1	1
Structural iron and steel workers	2	2
Structural iron and steel workers	2	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	6	7
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	3	4
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	3	4
Line installers and repairers	1	1
Electrical power-line installers and repairers	1	1
Production occupations	4	5
Transportation and material moving occupations	20	24
Air transportation workers	2	2
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	2	2
Commercial pilots	2	2
Motor vehicle operators	15	18
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	14	17
Driver/sales workers	3	4
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	11	13
Military specific occupations (2)	1	1
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, Washington, 2018–19

Worker characteristics	2018	2019
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	86	84	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	71	64	76
Self-employed (2)	15	20	24
Gender
Men	78	72	86
Women	8	12	14
Age (3)
16 to 17 years	--	1	1
20 to 24 years	4	4	5
25 to 34 years	15	18	21
35 to 44 years	12	14	17
45 to 54 years	15	13	15
55 to 64 years	25	19	23
65 years and over	14	15	18
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	57	60	71
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	3	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	16	13	15
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic	2	2	2
Asian, non-Hispanic	6	9	11
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.