Technical information: (202) 691-6170 USDL 05-1598
Media information: (202) 691-5902 FOR RELEASE: 10 a.m. EDT
Internet address: http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm Thursday, August 25, 2005
NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN 2004
A total of 5,703 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2004, an increase of 2 percent from the revised total of 5,575 fatal work injuries reported for 2003. Despite the increase, the total for 2004 was the third lowest annual total recorded by the
fatality census, which has been conducted each year since 1992. The rate at which fatal work injuries occurred in 2004 was 4.1 per 100,000 workers, up slightly from a rate of 4.0 per 100,000 workers in 2002 and 2003. The increase in the fatality rate in 2004 was the first
since 1994 when the rate was 5.3 fatalities per 100,000 workers.
Key findings of the 2004 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:
* Fatal work injuries among Hispanic workers were up 11 percent in 2004 after declining the previous two years.
* The number of fatal work injuries among older workers (55 years of age and older) rose 10 percent in 2004, but fatalities among younger workers (16 to 24 years of age) declined.
* Workplace homicides were down sharply in 2004 to the lowest level ever recorded by the fatality census.
* Fatal work injuries resulting from being struck by an object rose 12 percent in 2004, and overtook workplace homicide as the third most frequent type of fatal event.
* Fatal falls increased by 17 percent to a new series high, led by increases in the number of fatal falls from ladders and from roofs.
* The number of fatal work injuries in the construction sector rose 8 percent in 2004, but because of employment increases in this sector, the fatality rate for construction was not significantly higher than the rate reported in 2003.
* Twenty-seven states reported higher numbers of fatalities in 2004 than in 2003.
Profile of 2004 fatal work injuries by type of incident
Fatal work injuries involving falls were up 17 percent in 2004. The 815 fatal falls recorded in 2004 represented the highest annual total ever reported by the fatality census for this event and followed two years of declines. The increase in fatal falls was led by a 39
percent increase in the number of workers who were fatally injured after a fall from a roof (from 128 fatalities in 2003 to 178 in 2004) and a 17 percent increase in the number of fatal
falls from ladders (from 114 fatalities in 2003 to 133 in 2004). The totals for falls from roofs and for falls from ladders represented new series highs for these events. About 88 percent of the fatal falls from roofs involved construction workers, compared with about 54
percent for fatal falls overall.
Fatal highway incidents were up slightly in 2004 after declining the two previous years. The 1,374 fatal highway incidents recorded in 2004 represented about one out of every four fatal work injuries in 2004. Although nonhighway incidents (such as those that might occur on a farm or industrial premises) dropped slightly in 2004, other kinds of transportation incidents increased, led by incidents involving workers struck by vehicles or mobile equipment.
The number of workers who were fatally injured after being struck by objects rose 12 percent in 2004 (from 531 in 2003 to 596 in 2004), led by increases in the number of workers who were fatally injured after contact with falling, rolling, or sliding objects. The number
of electrocutions also rose slightly, though the overall category of exposure to harmful substances and environments was lower due to declines in the numbers of fatalities resulting from contact with temperature extremes, exposure to caustic, noxious, or allergenic
substances, and oxygen deficiency.
The number of workplace homicides recorded in 2004 was down sharply from the number reported in 2003. The 551 workplace homicides in 2004 represented a 13 percent decline from 2003 and was the lowest annual total yet recorded by the fatality census. Overall, workplace
homicides are down 49 percent from the high of 1,080 workplace homicides recorded in 1994 (excluding the 2,886 work-related homicides resulting from terrorist attacks of September 11).
Profile of fatal work injuries by industry
Overall, 91 percent of the fatal work injuries involved workers in private industry. Service-providing industries in the private sector recorded 47 percent of all fatal work injuries in 2004, while goods-producing industries recorded 44 percent. Another 9 percent of
the fatal work injury cases in 2004 involved federal, state, or local government workers. The number of fatal work injuries in the private sector increased by 3 percent in 2004, while fatalities among government workers were down slightly.
The construction industry sector recorded 1,224 fatal work injuries, the most of any industry sector, an increase of 8 percent over the number reported in 2003. The increase was led by a jump in fatalities among specialty trade contractors from 629 in 2003 to 752 in 2004.
The transportation and warehousing sector recorded 829 fatal work injuries, the second highest total among industry sectors. As in 2003, the majority of fatal injuries in this sector occurred in truck transportation (508 fatalities). Sharp increases in water transportation fatalities and in industries involved in support activities for transportation contributed to an overall increase of 3 percent in this sector in 2004.
The number of fatal work injuries in the manufacturing sector rose 9 percent from 420 in 2003 to 459 in 2004. Retail trade and wholesale trade also recorded higher numbers of fatalities.
Fatal work injuries in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting were down 7 percent in 2004.
Profile of fatal work injuries by occupation
Fatal work injuries were higher in transportation and material moving occupations (up 7 percent) and construction and extraction occupations (up 9 percent). These two occupational groups combined accounted for nearly half (46 percent) of all the fatal work injuries in 2004.
Transportation and material moving occupations accounted for the largest number of fatal work injuries of any major occupational group (1,490 fatalities, up from 1,393 in 2003). The fatality rate for this occupational group rose from 16.7 fatalities per 100,000 in 2003 to
17.5 in 2004. Motor vehicle operators recorded two thirds of the fatal work injuries in this occupational group (1,005 fatal work injuries, up 5 percent from 2003). Material moving occupations, such as forklift operators and refuse collectors, recorded the second highest
total in this group (271 fatalities). Fatal work injuries among material moving occupations
were up 8 percent in 2004.
Construction and extraction occupations accounted for the second highest number of fatal work injuries among major occupational groups in 2004 (1,129 fatalities, up from 1,038 in 2003). Fatal work injuries among construction trade workers rose from 788 in 2003 to 870 in 2004 and accounted for most of the increase for this occupational group. The 94 fatal work injuries involving roofers was a sharp increase from the 55 fatal work injuries recorded in 2003 and accounted for nearly half of the increase among construction trade workers.
Among the individual occupations with high rates of fatal injury were logging workers (92.4 per 100,000 workers), aircraft pilots and flight engineers (92.4 per 100,000), fishers and related fishing workers (86.4 per 100,000), and structural iron and steel workers
(47.0 per 100,000).
Profile of fatal work injuries by demographic characteristics
The number of fatal work injuries involving Hispanic or Latino workers was sharply higher in 2004 after declining for the two previous years. The number of fatally injured Hispanic or Latino workers rose from 794 in 2003 to 883 in 2004, an increase of 11 percent. The rate of fatal work injuries among Hispanic or Latino workers rose from 4.5 per 100,000 workers in 2003 to 4.9 per 100,000 in 2004. Although homicides to Hispanic or Latino workers were down 27 percent from 2003, increases in the number of fatal work injuries resulting from falls (up 27 percent), transportation incidents (up 27 percent), and contact with objects or equipment (up 14 percent) led to the higher number of fatal work injuries among this population. Fatal work injuries among workers of Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander descent rose from 158 in
2003 to 177 in 2004, an increase of 12 percent. The increase was due in part to two multiple-fatality incidents which took the lives of 24 Asian workers.
Fatal work injuries among older workers (55 years of age and older) rose by 10 percent in 2004. The fatality rate for older workers increased from 6.2 fatal work injuries per 100,000 in 2003 to 6.6 per 100,000 in 2004. For younger workers (16 to 24 years of age), the number of fatal injuries was down by 6 percent. Fatal work injuries among workers 15 years of age and younger fell by half, from 25 in 2003 to 12 in 2004. Fatalities among male workers rose in 2004, but fatalities among female workers were down 8 percent from 2003 levels.
Fatalities among self-employed workers remained about the same in 2004 and accounted for about one of every five fatal work injuries in 2004. The number of fatal work injuries among wage and salary workers was higher by 3 percent (from 4,405 in 2003 to 4,537 in 2004). The
rate of fatal injury among wage and salary workers edged up from 3.4 per 100,000 workers in 2003 to 3.5 per 100,000 in 2004.
Profile of fatal work injuries by State
Twenty-seven States reported higher numbers of fatal work injuries in 2004 than in 2003, 22 States and the District of Columbia reported lower numbers, and one State was unchanged. Of those States reporting 25 or more fatal work injuries in 2004, six States reported increases
of at least 20 percent (Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, and New Mexico), while two States reported declines of 20 percent (Arkansas and Oregon).
For more detailed State results, contact the individual State agency responsible for the collection of CFOI data in that State. Participating State agencies and their telephone numbers are listed in table 6.
Background of the program
The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS occupational safety and health statistics program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. in each calendar year. The program uses diverse state and federal data sources to identify, verify, and profile fatal work injuries. Information about each workplace fatality (industry, occupation, and other worker characteristics; equipment being used; and circumstances of the
event) is obtained by cross-referencing source documents, such as death certificates, workers’ compensation records, and reports to federal and state agencies. This method assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible. For the 2004 data, over 20,000 unique source
documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process.
This is the 13th year that the fatality census has been conducted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The BLS fatality census is a federal/state cooperative program in which costs are shared equally. Additional state-specific data are available from the participating state agencies listed in table 6.
Another BLS program, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, presents frequency counts and incidence rates by industry and also profiles worker and case characteristics of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses that result in lost work time. Copies of the news releases on nonfatal injuries and illnesses in 2003 are available from BLS by calling (202) 691-6170 or by accessing the website listed below. Incidence rates for 2004 by industry will be published in November 2005, and information on 2004 worker and case characteristics
will be available December 2005. For additional data, access the BLS Internet site: http://www.bls.gov/iif/.
To request a copy of BLS Report 988, which highlights 2003 fatality results and includes a number of analytical articles, e-mail your address to [email protected] or write to U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Room 3180,
Washington, DC 20212.
The following three charts are available in the .pdf version of this news release:
- The four most frequent work-related fatal events, 1992-2004
- Number and rate of fatal occupational injuries by industry sector, 2004
- Selected occupations with high fatality rates, 2004