Friday, September 18, 2015

2014 WORK DEATHS: 4,679 fatal work injuries was an increase of 2 percent over the revised count of 4,585 in 2013

Statement from Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez
on fatal occupational injuries in 2014

WASHINGTON, DC

Preliminary results from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries released today show the rate of fatal work injuries in 2014 was 3.3 per 100,000 full-time workers, the same as the final rate for 2013. While the preliminary total of 4,679 fatal work injuries was an increase of 2 percent over the revised count of 4,585 in 2013, there was also an increase in hours worked in 2014. U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement:

"Far too many people are still killed on the job — 13 workers every day taken from their families tragically and unnecessarily. These numbers underscore the urgent need for employers to provide a safe workplace for their employees as the law requires. 

"Preliminary results tell us 789 Hispanic workers died on the job in 2014, compared with 817 in 2013. While we were gratified by that drop, the number is still unacceptably high, and it is clear that there is still much more hard work to do. 

"BLS data shows fatalities rising in the construction sector (along with an overall increase in construction employment). Dangerous workplaces also are taking the lives of a growing number of people in oil and gas extraction. That is why OSHA continues extensive outreach and strong enforcement campaigns in these industries. The U.S. Department of Labor will continue to work with employers, workers, community organizations, unions and others to make sure that all workers can return home safely at the end of every day."



Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2014

For release 10:00 a.m.  (EDT) Thursday, September 17, 2015                                  USDL-15-1789
Technical information: (202) 691-6170 • iifstaff@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm
Media contact:  (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov

NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN 2014
(PRELIMINARY RESULTS)

A preliminary total of 4,679 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2014, an increase of 
2 percent over the revised count of 4,585 fatal work injuries in 2013, according to results from the Census of 
Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The preliminary rate of 
fatal work injury for U.S. workers in 2014 was 3.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers; the revised 
rate for 2013 was also 3.3.

Revised 2014 data from CFOI will be released in the late spring of 2016. Over the last 5 years, net increases 
to the preliminary count have averaged 173 cases, ranging from a low of 84 in 2011 (up 2 percent) to a high 
of 245 in 2012 (up 6 percent). 

Key preliminary findings of the 2014 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:

- The number of fatal work injuries in private goods-producing industries in 2014 was 9 percent higher 
 than the revised 2013 count but slightly lower in private service-providing industries. Fatal injuries 
 were higher in mining (up 17 percent), agriculture (up 14 percent), manufacturing (up 9 percent), 
 and construction (up 6 percent). Fatal work injuries for government workers were lower (down 12 percent). 
- Falls, slips, and trips increased 10 percent to 793 in 2014 from 724 in 2013. This was driven largely 
 by an increase in falls to a lower level to 647 in 2014 from 595 in 2013.
- Fatal work injuries involving workers 55 years of age and over rose 9 percent to 1,621 in 2014 up 
 from 1,490 in 2013. The preliminary 2014 count for workers 55 and over is the highest total ever 
 reported by CFOI. 
- After a sharp decline in 2013, fatal work injuries among self-employed workers increased 10 percent 
 in 2014 from 950 in 2013 to 1,047 in 2014.
- Women incurred 13 percent more fatal work injuries in 2014 than in 2013. Even with this increase, women 
 accounted for only 8 percent of all fatal occupational injuries in 2014.
- Fatal work injuries among Hispanic or Latino workers were lower in 2014, while fatal injuries among 
 non-Hispanic white, black or African-American, and Asian workers were all higher.
- In 2014, 797 decedents were identified as contracted workers, 6 percent higher than the 
 749 fatally-injured contracted workers reported in 2013. Workers who were contracted at the time of 
 their fatal injury accounted for 17 percent of all fatal work injury cases in 2014.
- The number of fatal work injuries among police officers and police supervisors was higher in 2014, rising 
 from 88 in 2013 to 103 in 2014, an increase of 17 percent. 


Worker characteristics

Fatal injuries to self-employed workers rose 10 percent in 2014 to 1,047, up from 950 in 2013. Although higher 
than in 2013, the 2014 preliminary total for self-employed workers is about the same as the 10-year average for 
the series. Fatal injuries among wage and salary workers remained at about the same level as in 2013.

Fatal work injuries involving workers age 45 to 54 years, 55 to 64 years, and 65 years of age and over all 
increased in 2014 compared to 2013 totals. The number of workers 55 years and over who were fatally injured 
in 2014 increased 9 percent to 1,621, the highest annual total since the inception of the fatality census 
in 1992. Workers of a wide variety of ages are included in the 2014 CFOI counts – 8 workers under the age 
of 16 are included as well as 8 workers age 90 and over.

Fatal injuries among women rose 13 percent in 2014 to 359 from 319 in 2013. Fatal work injuries among men 
in 2014 were slightly higher than the previous year. Consistent with previous years, men accounted for 92 percent 
of all fatal occupational injuries.

Fatal work injuries among Hispanic or Latino workers fell 3 percent to 789 in 2014, compared to 817 in 2013. 
Fatal work injuries were higher among non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black or African-American, and non-Hispanic 
Asian workers. 

Overall, there were 827 fatal work injuries involving foreign-born workers in 2014. These 827 
foreign-born workers came from over 80 different countries, of which the greatest share 
(334 or 40 percent) was born in Mexico. Of the 789 fatal work injuries incurred by Hispanic 
or Latino workers, 503 (64 percent) involved foreign-born workers. Of the 134 fatal work injuries 
incurred by non-Hispanic Asian workers, 116 (87 percent) involved foreign-born workers.

For more detailed information on fatal injuries by worker characteristics, see the worker characteristics table 
in the 2014 data section at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm.

Type of incident

In 2014, fatal work injuries due to transportation incidents were slightly higher – 1,891, up from 1,865 in 2013. 
Overall, transportation incidents accounted for 40 percent of fatal workplace injuries in 2014 (see chart 1). 
Within the transportation event category, roadway incidents constituted 57 percent of the fatal work injury 
total in 2014. The second largest number of transportation fatalities in 2014 involved pedestrian vehicular 
incidents (17 percent). Fatalities resulting from pedestrian vehicular incidents were up 6 percent from 
last year’s revised count (313 in 2014 up from 294 in 2013). Rail vehicle incidents also increased 
in 2014, rising 34 percent to 55 fatal injuries from 41 in 2013.

(Note that roadway incident counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2014 data are 
released in the late spring of 2016 because key source documentation detailing specific transportation-related 
incidents has not yet been received.)

Fatal work injuries due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals were lower in 2014, with 749 deaths 
in 2014 compared to 773 in 2013. The number of workplace homicides was about the same as the total in 2013, 
but workplace suicides decreased slightly in 2014, from 282 to 271. Among the workplace homicides in which women 
were the victims, the greatest share of assailants were relatives or domestic partners (32 percent of 
those homicides). In workplace homicides involving men, robbers were the most common type of 
assailant (33 percent).

Fatal falls, slips, and trips were up 10 percent in 2014 from the previous year. Falls to lower level were 
up 9 percent to 647 from 595 in 2013, and falls on the same level increased 17 percent. In 532 of the 
647 fatal falls to lower level, the height of the fall was known. Of those cases in which the height of fall 
was known, four-fifths involved falls of 30 feet or less (427) while about two-thirds (340) involved falls 
of 20 feet or less.

Work-related injury deaths due to contact with objects and equipment were down slightly from the 
revised 2013 number (721 to 708). The largest proportion of fatal injuries in this category (34 percent) 
occurred when workers were struck by falling objects or equipment. The next largest share (28 percent) 
involved injuries in which decedents were struck by powered vehicles in nontransport situations (e.g., struck 
by a rolling vehicle or by a vehicle that had tipped over while on jacks).

Fatal work injuries due to fires decreased 35 percent from 82 in 2013 to 53 in 2014. Fatal injuries resulting 
from explosions, however, increased 25 percent to 84 cases, led by an increase in explosions of pressure 
vessels, piping, or tires.

A total of 372 workers were killed in 163 multiple fatality incidents (events where more than one worker was 
killed). For more detailed information on fatal injuries by incident, see the event tables in the 2014 data 
section at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations accounted for the largest share (28%) of fatal occupational 
injuries of any occupation group. Fatal work injuries in this group rose 3 percent to 1,289 in 2014, the 
highest total since 2008. Drivers/sales workers and truck drivers (see chart 2) accounted for nearly 2 out 
of every 3 fatal injuries in this group (835 of the 1,289 fatal injuries in 2014). In this group, drivers/sales 
workers increased 74 percent to 54 in 2014, and heavy and tractor-trailer drivers had their highest total 
since 2008 (725 fatalities in 2014).

Fatal work injuries in construction and extraction occupations increased 5 percent (40 cases) in 2014 to 885. 
This is the highest total for this occupation group since 2008. The fatal injury rate for workers in construction 
and extraction occupations was 11.8 per 100,000 FTE workers in 2014 and 12.2 per 100,000 FTE workers in 2013. 
Fatal injuries among construction trades workers increased 3 percent in 2014 to 611 fatalities, the highest 
count since 2009. Fatal work injuries to construction laborers, the occupation within construction trades workers 
with the highest number of fatalities, decreased by 14 cases in 2014 to 206. Conversely, the number of 
fatally-injured electricians increased by 14 cases in 2014 to 78.

The number of fatal work injuries among protective service occupations decreased 15 percent in 2014 to 
211 fatalities, a series low for this occupation group. This was led by a drop in fatalities among firefighters 
and first-line supervisors of fire fighting and prevention workers, down 51 percent to 35 in 2014. Fatal injuries 
to police officers and first-line supervisors of police and detectives, however, increased 17 percent 
to 103 in 2014.

Fatalities among farming, fishing, and forestry occupations rose 9 percent to 253 in 2014. The increase was led 
by fatalities involving agricultural workers (up 12 percent to 143) and fatalities involving logging workers 
(up 31 percent to 77). 

Fatal injuries to resident military personnel declined to 55 from 71 in 2013. 

For more detailed information on fatal injuries by occupation, see the occupation tables in the 2014 data 
section at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm.

Industry

In the private sector, a total of 4,251 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2014, 4 percent higher than the 
revised total of 4,101 in 2013. Goods-producing industries were up 9 percent in 2014. Totals were higher for 
private mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (up 17 percent); agriculture, forestry, fishing and 
hunting (up 14 percent); manufacturing (up 9 percent); and construction (up 6 percent). 

Construction fatalities rose to 874 in 2014 from 828 in 2013 (see chart 3). The number of fatal work injuries in 
construction in 2014 was the highest reported total since 2008. The fatal injury rate for workers in the private 
construction industry was 9.5 per 100,000 FTE workers in 2014 and 9.7 per 100,000 FTE workers in 2013. Heavy and 
civil engineering construction recorded a series low of 138 fatal injuries in 2014, down from 165 in 2013.

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting fatalities were 14 percent higher in 2014 at 568 compared 
to 500 in 2013. Fatal injuries in forestry and logging rose to 92 in 2014 from 81 in 2013 and the highest 
total since 2008. Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting recorded the highest fatal injury rate of any 
industry sector at 24.9 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2014.
 
Fatal work injuries in the private mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector were 17 percent higher 
in 2014, rising to 181 from 155 in 2013, and the fatal injury rate also increased to 14.1 per 100,000 FTE workers 
in 2014 from 12.4 per 100,000 FTE workers in 2013. While coal mining recorded smaller numbers of fatal work 
injuries in 2014, the number of fatal work injury cases in oil and gas extraction industries were 27 percent higher 
in 2014, rising to 142 in 2014 from 112 in 2013. Oil and gas extraction industries include oil and gas 
extraction (North American Industry Classification System [NAICS] 21111), drilling oil and gas wells 
(NAICS 213111), and support activities for oil and gas operations (NAICS 213112).

Service-providing industries in the private sector decreased slightly from 2013. Fatal work injuries in 
transportation and warehousing accounted for 735 fatal work injuries in 2014, almost unchanged from the 
revised 2013 count of 733 fatalities. Financial activities rose 31 percent, while wholesale trade 
fell 11 percent.

Fatal occupational injuries among government workers fell 12 percent to a series low of 428 fatal work injuries 
in 2014, down from 484 in 2013. Federal government work fatalities, which fell 29 percent to 92 in 2014 from 
129 in 2013, accounted for most of the decline.

For more detailed information on fatal injuries by industry, see the industry tables in the 2014 data section 
at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm.

Contracted workers

In 2014, the number of fatal occupational injuries incurred by contracted workers was 797, or 17 percent of 
all fatal injuries, compared to 749 (16 percent) reported in 2013. Falls to a lower level accounted 
for 33 percent of contracted worker deaths while struck by object or equipment (17 percent), pedestrian 
vehicular incidents (12 percent), and exposure to electricity (9 percent) incidents were also frequent events 
among contracted workers. These four types of incidents each constituted a greater share of fatalities among 
contracted workers than they did for all workers.

Fatally-injured contracted workers were most often contracted by a firm in the private construction industry 
sector (164 or 21 percent of all contracted workers). They were also frequently contracted by a government 
entity (148 or 19 percent) and by firms in the private financial activities (81 or 10 percent); private mining, 
quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (72 or 9 percent); and private manufacturing (70 or 9 percent) 
industry sectors.

Over half of all contracted workers (415 workers) were working in construction and extraction occupations when 
fatally injured. Decedents in this occupation group were most often employed as construction laborers (108); 
electricians (48); first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers (44); roofers (42); and 
painters, construction and maintenance (25). Among contracted workers who were employed outside the construction 
and extraction occupation group, the largest number of fatal occupational injuries was incurred by heavy and 
tractor-trailer truck drivers (76 workers); landscaping and groundskeeping workers (21); security guards (17); 
tree trimmers and pruners (16); heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers (15); 
and excavating and loading machine and dragline operators (13).

For more detailed information on fatal injuries incurred by contracted workers, see the contracted workers table 
in the miscellaneous CFOI data tables section at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm#other and the CFOI definition of 
contracted workers at http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm.

State and metropolitan statistical area (MSA)

Twenty-four states reported higher numbers of fatal work injuries in 2014 than in 2013, while 22 states and the 
District of Columbia reported lower numbers. Four states reported the same number as in 2013.

For more detailed state results, contact the individual state agency responsible for the collection of CFOI data 
in that state. Although data for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam are not included in the national 
totals for this release, results for these jurisdictions are available. Participating agencies and their 
telephone numbers are listed in Table 6.

Detailed data are available on fatal work injuries for more than 50 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), and 
counts of fatal work injuries are available for over 300 MSAs. Eleven MSAs reported 50 or more fatal 
occupational injuries in 2014. For additional data by MSA, see the tables in the MSA section 
at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm#MSA.

Background of the program

The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the BLS Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) 
program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. 
The CFOI program uses diverse 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 2014 data, 
over 19,800 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical 
information and definitions for CFOI, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS website 
at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch9.pdf.

The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), another component of the OSHS program, presents frequency 
counts and incidence rates by industry and also by detailed case circumstances and worker characteristics for 
nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses for cases that result in days away from work. Incidence rates for 2014 by 
industry and case type will be published in October 2015, and information on 2014 case circumstances and worker 
characteristics will be available in November 2015. For additional data, access the BLS website: www.bls.gov/iif/. 

Beginning with 2014 data, CFOI began classifying industry using the 2012 version of the North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS 2012). Industry data from 2009 to 2013 were classified using the NAICS 2007. 
NAICS 2012 includes revisions across several sectors. For more information, go to http://www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm.
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