Economic News Release =

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Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2008

Technical information:	(202) 691-6170					=
USDL 09-0979
Media information:	(202) 691-5902					FOR RELEASE:  10 a.m. EDT
Internet address:  http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm			Thursday, =
August 20, 2009

NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN 2008

	A total of 5,071 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States =
in 2008, down from a total
of 5,657 fatal work injuries reported for 2007. While the 2008 results =
are preliminary, this figure represents=20
the smallest annual preliminary total since the Census of Fatal =
Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program=20
was first conducted in 1992. Final results for 2008 will be released in =
April 2010.

	Based on these preliminary counts, the rate of fatal injury for U.S. =
workers in 2008 was 3.6 fatal work=20
injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, down from the =
final rate of 4.0 in 2007.  Please see the=20
text box at the bottom of this page which describes an important change =
in the way the Bureau of Labor=20
Statistics (BLS) calculated rates this year.

Key findings of the 2008 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:

-	Fatal work injuries in the private construction sector in 2008 =
declined by 20 percent from the updated
	2007 total, twice the all-worker decline of 10 percent.
-	Fatal workplace falls, which had risen to a series high in 2007, also =
declined by 20 percent in 2008.
-	Workplace suicides were up 28 percent to a series high of 251 cases in =
2008, but workplace homicides=20
	declined 18 percent in 2008.=20
-	The number and rate of fatal work injuries among 16 to 17 year-old =
workers were higher in 2008.=20
-	Fatal occupational injuries involving Hispanic or Latino workers in =
2008 were 17 percent lower than in 2007. =20
	Fatalities among non-Hispanic Black or African American workers were =
down 16 percent.
-	The number of fatal workplace injuries in farming, fishing, and =
forestry occupations rose 6 percent=20
	in 2008 after declining in 2007. =20
-	Transportation incidents, which accounted for approximately two-fifths =
of all the workplace=20
	fatalities in 2008, fell 13 percent from the previous series low of =
2,351 cases reported in 2007.

	In June of 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics introduced improved =
fatality rates for the Census of Fatal=20
Occupational Injuries (CFOI).  The new rates, based on hours worked as =
opposed to employment, are considered to be=20
more accurate in measuring the risk of dying from an injury on the job.  =
Further information on the rates is available=20
at: http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshnotice10.htm.  Hours-based rates for years =
2006 through 2008 and employment-based rates=20
for years 1992 through 2007 can be found at:  =
http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm.

	Economic factors likely played a role in the fatality decrease.  =
Average hours worked at the national level=20
fell by one percent in 2008, and some industries that have historically =
accounted for a significant share of worker=20
fatalities, such as construction, experienced larger declines in =
employment or hours worked.=20

	In addition to the impact of declining employment, another factor that =
should be considered when reviewing=20
these preliminary results is how the economy may have impacted the =
government agencies that provide source documents=20
used in the compilation of CFOI data.  Budget constraints at some of =
these governmental agencies may have delayed=20
the receipt and processing of the documents that are used by our State =
partners to classify and code CFOI cases. =20
The average net increase in CFOI cases as a result of updates over the =
past two years has been 153 cases, but the=20
updated 2008 counts scheduled for release in April 2010 have the =
potential to be larger because of these delays.

Profile of 2008 fatal work injuries by type of incident

	Most types of transportation fatalities saw decreases in 2008 relative =
to 2007, including highway=20
incidents (down 19 percent); railway incidents (down 31 percent); =
workers struck by vehicle or mobile=20
equipment (down 7 percent); and nonhighway incidents such as tractor =
overturns (down 4 percent).  Aircraft-related=20
fatalities were higher in 2008 (189 incidents in 2008, up from 174 =
incidents in 2007), as were water vehicle incidents.

	The 680 fatal falls in 2008 represent a 20 percent decline from the =
series high of 847 fatal falls in 2007. =20
Fatal falls to a lower level, which accounted for 85 percent of all =
falls, were down 23 percent in 2008.  Fatal falls=20
from roofs were down 26 percent and falls from ladders decreased by 14 =
percent.  The number of fatal falls on same=20
level (to a floor or walkway or against an object) increased slightly in =
2008.

	Workplace suicides rose from 196 cases in 2007 to 251 cases in 2008, an =
increase of 28 percent and the highest=20
number ever reported by the fatality census.  Suicides among protective =
service occupations rose from 14 in 2007 to 25=20
in 2008.  Workplace homicides fell by 18 percent in 2008.  Overall, the =
2008 preliminary workplace homicide=20
count (517 workplace homicides) represents a decline of 52 percent from =
the high of 1,080 homicides reported in 1994.=20

	The number of fatal work injuries involving fires and explosions was up =
14 percent in 2008; fatalities=20
involving contact with objects or equipment were also up slightly in =
2008.=20

Profile of fatal work injuries by industry

	Overall, 90 percent of the fatal work injuries involved workers in =
private industry.  Service-providing=20
industries in the private sector recorded 46 percent of all fatal work =
injuries in 2008, while goods-producing=20
industries recorded 43 percent.  Ten percent of the fatal work injury =
cases in 2008 involved government workers. =20
The number of fatal work injuries in the private sector decreased 11 =
percent in 2008, and fatalities among=20
government workers, including resident military personnel, decreased 4 =
percent.  Fatality rates were lower=20
in 2008 for both goods-producing industries and service-providing =
industries, but remained unchanged for=20
civilian government workers.=20
=20
	While workers in construction incurred the most fatalities of any =
industry in the private sector in 2008,=20
the number of fatalities in construction declined 20 percent, from 1,204 =
cases in 2007 to 969 cases in 2008. =20
Fatalities involving workers in the construction of buildings were down =
21 percent from 2007, with most of the=20
decrease occurring in residential building construction (down 28 percent =
to 93 cases).  Heavy and civil engineering=20
construction was down 14 percent, and the subsector with the largest =
number of fatalities, specialty trade=20
contractors, had 19 percent fewer fatalities in 2008 than in 2007.
=20
	Fatalities rose by 11 percent among private sector workers in the =
agriculture, forestry, fishing, and=20
hunting industry sector in 2008 after declining in 2007.  Fatalities to =
workers in crop production led the=20
increase, rising 18 percent, while fatalities to workers in animal =
production declined 8 percent.  Fishing and=20
logging, two of the industries with the highest fatality rates, had =
higher numbers of fatalities in 2008. =20
Fatalities were also slightly higher in manufacturing (404 in 2008, up =
from 400 fatalities in 2007). =20
Included in the manufacturing total are the 14 workers who perished in a =
sugar refinery explosion in Georgia=20
in February 2008.

	Among service-providing industries, workers in the transportation and =
warehousing sector=20
incurred 762 fatalities, a 14 percent decrease.  Truck transportation, =
the largest subsector in transportation=20
and warehousing, had a 20 percent decrease in fatalities in 2008.  Among =
other transportation sectors, workers in=20
air and water transportation industries incurred fewer fatalities in =
2008, but the number of fatal work injuries=20
in rail transportation increased.

	Both wholesale and retail trade had fewer fatal work injuries in 2008 =
than in 2007.  Fatalities were=20
down 17 percent in retail trade and 15 percent in wholesale trade in =
2008.=20

	Other service-providing industry sectors with large declines in 2008 =
included the information=20
industry (down 43 percent), professional and business services (down 18 =
percent), the leisure and hospitality=20
industry (down 10 percent), and educational and health services (down 8 =
percent).  Fatalities in the finance and=20
insurance sector were down nearly 50 percent in 2008, from 46 to 24 =
fatalities.

	Fatalities among government workers were down 4 percent.  While =
fatalities incurred by federal and local=20
government workers decreased in 2008, fatalities among state government =
workers were at the highest level=20
since 1998 (115 fatal work injuries in 2008).=20

Profile of fatal work injuries by occupation

	About one-fourth of all occupational fatalities in 2008 involved =
workers in transportation and material=20
moving occupations, though fatalities among these workers declined by 12 =
percent in 2008.  Driver/sales workers=20
and truck drivers, the largest occupation group in this sector, led the =
decline with 16 percent fewer fatal work=20
injuries in 2008 than in 2007.  Heavy and tractor-trailer truck driver =
fatalities were lower by 13 percent.

	Fatalities in construction and extraction occupations, which accounted =
for nearly one-fifth of all=20
fatalities in 2008, decreased by 18 percent from the previous year.  =
Construction laborer fatalities were=20
down 31 percent (from 345 in 2007 to 239 in 2008).  Carpenters, brick =
masons, electricians, roofers, pipe layers,=20
plumbers, and extraction workers were among the other groups that saw =
declines in 2008. =20
First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction =
workers, construction equipment operators,=20
and painters/paperhangers were among the occupational groups in =
construction and extraction that had higher numbers=20
of fatal injuries in 2008.

	Fatal work injuries among protective service occupations fell by 13 =
percent in 2008 after rising 22 percent
 from 2006 to 2007.  Fewer fatalities among law enforcement workers =
(down 15 percent), fire fighting and prevention=20
workers (down 14 percent), and security guards (down 23 percent) led the =
decline in this occupational group.=20

	Among the occupation groups with a higher number of fatalities in 2008 =
were farming, fishing, and=20
forestry (up 6 percent) and management occupations (up 2 percent).  Four =
occupations with particularly high fatality=20
rates in 2008 were fishers and related fishing workers with a fatality =
rate of 128.9 per 100,000 FTE=92s, logging=20
workers (115.7), aircraft pilots and flight engineers (72.4), and =
structural iron and steel workers (46.4).

Profile of fatal work injuries by demographic characteristics

	While the number of fatal work injuries among White, non-Hispanic =
workers fell 8 percent in 2008, greater=20
declines were observed among non-Hispanic Black or African American =
workers (down 16 percent) and Hispanic or Latino=20
workers (down 17 percent).=20

	The decline in fatal work injuries among Hispanic or Latino workers in =
2008 primarily involved foreign-born=20
Hispanic or Latino workers.  Fatalities among foreign-born Hispanic or =
Latino workers were lower=20
by 24 percent (from 634 in 2007 to 480 in 2008), but among native-born =
Hispanics, the decline was only 3 percent.=20

	Overall, 795 fatal work injuries were incurred by workers who were born =
outside of the United States - a decline=20
of 21 percent from 2007.  Fatalities involving foreign-born workers =
accounted for 16 percent of all fatal work=20
injuries in the U.S.  Of the foreign-born workers who were =
fatally-injured in the U.S. in 2008, the largest=20
share (42 percent) was born in Mexico.=20

	The number of fatalities declined for all age categories in 2008 except =
for 16 to 17 year-old workers. =20
Fatality rates for 16 to 17 year-old workers rose from 1.9 in 2007 to =
2.5 in 2008.=20

	Self-employed workers had a 4 percent drop in fatalities, while =
fatalities among wage and salary workers fell=20
by 12 percent.  Workplace fatalities among both male and female workers =
decreased in 2008.

Profile of fatal work injuries by State

Thirty-five States and the District of Columbia reported lower numbers =
of fatal work injuries in 2008 than=20
in 2007, 14 States reported higher numbers, and one State was unchanged. =
 For more detailed State results, contact=20
the individual State agency responsible for the collection of CFOI data =
in that State.  Although data for Puerto Rico=20
and the Virgin Islands are not included in the national totals for this =
release, results for Puerto Rico and the=20
Virgin Islands are available.  Participating 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,=20
compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during =
the calendar year.  The program uses=20
diverse State, federal, and independent data sources to identify, =
verify, and describe fatal work injuries. =20
This assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible.  For the =
2008 data, over 20,000 unique source documents=20
were reviewed as part of the data collection process.

	Another BLS program, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, =
presents frequency counts and incidence=20
rates by industry and also detailed case circumstances and worker =
characteristics of nonfatal workplace injuries and=20
illnesses that result in days away from work.  Incidence rates for 2008 =
by industry will be published in=20
October 2009, and information on 2008 case circumstances and worker =
characteristics will be available in November 2009. =20
For additional data, access the BLS Internet site: =
http://www.bls.gov/iif/.

	For technical information about the CFOI program, please go to the BLS =
Handbook of Methods on the BLS web=20
site here: http://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/homch9_a1.htm.  The technical =
information and definitions for the CFOI Program=20
are in Chapter 9, Part III of the BLS Handbook of Methods.
Economic News Release =

Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2008

The PDF = version of=20 the news release

Table of = Contents=20

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