September 13, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Fatal work injuries by occupation in 2004

The two occupations with the highest rates of fatal injury in 2004 were logging workers and aircraft pilots and flight engineers (both with a rate of 92.4 fatal injuries per 100,000 employed). The rate for fishers and related fishing workers was 86.4 per 100,000. In 2003, these occupations' rates of fatal injuries were all higher than the 2004 rates.

[Chart data—TXT]

In 2004, the rate of fatal on-the-job injuries for all workers was 4.1 fatalities per 100,000 workers.

Other occupations with rates far above the average for all workers were structural iron and steel workers (47.0 per 100,000), refuse and recyclable material collectors (43.2 per 100,000) and farmers and ranchers (37.5 per 100,000).

The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program, provides the most complete count of fatal work injuries available. For more information on fatal work injuries by occupation, see "National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2004" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-1598.

 

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