| Internet: www.bls.gov/ro5/ | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
| GENERAL INFORMATION: (312) 353-1880 | Wednesday, November 12, 2008 |
| MEDIA CONTACT: Paul LaPorte | |
| (312) 353-1138 |
Workplace Fatalities in North Dakota for 2007
Fatal work injuries in North Dakota totaled 23 for 2007, down from 31 in 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Please note that the 2007 figures are preliminary; final numbers will be released in April 2009. Regional Commissioner Jay A. Mousa noted that the State’s 2007 fatality count was one of the lowest on record since the Bureau began conducting the fatality census in 1992. In 2007, no fatal event category had more than three deaths in North Dakota. The most frequent types of workplace fatalities in the State in 2007 were highway crashes, nonhighway transportation incidents, workers being caught in or compressed by equipment or objects, and falls to a lower level. Taken together, these four events 1/ accounted for just over half of the work-related fatalities in North Dakota.
In three of the last four years, North Dakota has had three fatal work injuries from highway crashes (officially titled highway incidents and includes non-collision incidents), the exception being 2006 when eight fatalities occurred. (See table A.) In 2007, highway crashes accounted for 13 percent of North Dakota’s fatal work injuries; in 2006, however, it accounted for 26 percent. Highway crashes were the leading cause of workplace fatalities nationwide in 2007, responsible for 24 percent of the total.
Nonhighway transportation incidents (excluding rail, air, and water), being caught in or compressed by equipment or objects, and falls to a lower level each accounted for 13 percent of the State’s total workplace deaths. Nationally, nonhighway transportation incidents and being caught in or compressed by equipment or objects accounted for smaller portions of workplace fatalities (5 percent each). Falls to a lower level were responsible for 13 percent of workplace fatalities nationwide.
| Year | Total | Highway crashes | Nonhighway incidents | Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects | Falls to lower level | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fatalities | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
1992 |
20 | 4 | 20 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 15 |
1993 |
30 | 4 | 13 | -- | -- | 4 | 13 | 6 | 20 |
1994 |
21 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 14 | -- | -- |
1995 |
28 | 3 | 11 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
1996 |
23 | 5 | 22 | 3 | 13 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
1997 |
35 | 9 | 26 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 9 | 26 |
1998 |
24 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 13 | -- | -- |
1999 |
22 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 18 | -- | -- |
2000 |
34 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 12 |
2001 |
25 | 9 | 36 | 4 | 16 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
2002 |
25 | 8 | 32 | 4 | 16 | -- | -- | 3 | 12 |
2003 |
26 | 10 | 38 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
2004 |
24 | 3 | 13 | -- | -- | 4 | 17 | -- | -- |
2005 |
22 | 3 | 14 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4 | 18 |
2006 |
31 | 8 | 26 | 7 | 23 | -- | -- | 5 | 16 |
2007 |
23 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 13 |
|
NOTE: Totals for 2007 are preliminary. |
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Nationwide, a total of 5,488 fatal work injuries were reported in 2007, a decrease of 6 percent from the revised total of 5,840 reported in 2006. While these results are preliminary, this figure represents the lowest annual total since the series began in 1992. (See table B.) Highway crashes in 2007 accounted for nearly one out of every four fatal work injuries in the nation and continued to lead all other events in the frequency of on-the-job fatalities. Still, the 2007 count of 1,311 fatal highway crashes was the lowest annual total since 1993. The 2007 total of 733 fatal falls to a lower level was the third highest since the fatality census began, but was slightly lower than the 738 recorded in 2006. The number of workers (504) who were fatally injured from being struck by objects or equipment in 2007 was at the lowest level since the fatality census began and represented a 14-percent decline from the 2006 total. Two other events were also at series lows in 2007—fatal work injuries involving electrocutions (212) and fatalities resulting from fires and explosions (151).
Workplace homicides increased by 13 percent to 610 in 2007 from the series low of 540 that was reported in 2006. Even after the increase, workplace homicides have declined 44 percent from the high of 1,080 reported in 1994.
Key characteristics of workplace fatalities in North Dakota in 2007:
(Detailed data tables are available at www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/tgs/2007/iiffi38.htm.)
-- Men accounted for 91 percent of the work-related fatalities in the State with 21 deaths. Transportation incidents, which include highway, nonhighway, pedestrian, air, water, and rail, and contact with objects and equipment accounted for almost three-fourths of these fatal injuries.
-- Ninety-one percent, or 21 of those who died from a workplace injury, were white, non-Hispanics.
-- Workers aged 55 and over accounted for 43 percent or 10 of the State’s workplace fatalities. Nationally, 27 percent of worker deaths belonged to this age group.
-- Sixty-five percent of workers killed on the job worked for wages and salaries, the rest were self-employed.
-- The agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry sector had the largest number of fatalities with 10—almost one-half of the State’s fatal injuries. Transportation incidents accounted for almost two-thirds (6) of the fatalities in this sector. No other industry sector had more than five fatalities.
-- Workers in management, specifically farmers and ranchers, led all major occupational groups with eight worker fatalities, accounting for more than one-third of the State’s total fatality count. Those in construction and extraction, and transportation and material moving occupations accounted for six and seven workplace fatalities, respectively.
| Year | Total fatalities | Highway crashes | Falls to lower Level | Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects | Nonhighway incidents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | ||
1992 |
6,217 | 1,158 | 19 | 507 | 8 | 316 | 5 | 436 | 7 |
1993 |
6,331 | 1,242 | 20 | 534 | 8 | 311 | 5 | 392 | 6 |
1994 |
6,632 | 1,343 | 20 | 580 | 9 | 280 | 4 | 409 | 6 |
1995 |
6,275 | 1,346 | 21 | 578 | 9 | 255 | 4 | 387 | 6 |
1996 |
6,202 | 1,346 | 22 | 610 | 10 | 285 | 5 | 374 | 6 |
1997 |
6,238 | 1,393 | 22 | 653 | 10 | 320 | 5 | 377 | 6 |
1998 |
6,055 | 1,442 | 24 | 625 | 10 | 266 | 4 | 388 | 6 |
1999 |
6,054 | 1,496 | 25 | 634 | 10 | 302 | 5 | 352 | 6 |
2000 |
5,920 | 1,365 | 23 | 659 | 11 | 294 | 5 | 399 | 7 |
2001(1) |
5,915 | 1,409 | 24 | 700 | 12 | 266 | 5 | 326 | 6 |
2002 |
5,534 | 1,373 | 25 | 638 | 12 | 231 | 4 | 323 | 6 |
2003 |
5,575 | 1,353 | 24 | 604 | 11 | 238 | 4 | 347 | 6 |
2004 |
5,764 | 1,398 | 24 | 738 | 13 | 269 | 5 | 338 | 6 |
2005 |
5,734 | 1,437 | 25 | 664 | 12 | 278 | 5 | 340 | 6 |
2006 (2) |
5,840 | 1,356 | 23 | 738 | 13 | 283 | 5 | 345 | 6 |
2007 |
5,488 | 1,311 | 24 | 733 | 13 | 294 | 5 | 292 | 5 |
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NOTE: Totals for 2007 are preliminary. |
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Additional Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data are available on the BLS Internet site at www.bls.gov/iif/. For personal assistance or further information on the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries program, as well as other Bureau programs, contact the Midwest Information Office at (312) 353-1880, menu option 0, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT. Information on the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and other programs and surveys are available on our Web site at www.bls.gov/ro5/.
1/ Fatal events are categorized into several major groupings including transportation incidents, assaults and violent acts, and falls, among others. These major groups are further broken down into more detailed groups. See the Occupational Injury & Illness Classification System (OIICS) Manual at www.bls.gov/iif/oshoiics.htm for detailed information on the categories of fatalities used in this census.
TECHNICAL NOTE
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, federal, and independent data sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries. This assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible.
For technical information about the CFOI program, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS Web site. To get to that document, click on Workplace Injuries on the BLS home page, scroll down to IIF Documentation, and then click on “BLS Handbook of Methods.” The technical information and definitions for the CFOI Program are in Chapter 9, Part 2 of the BLS Handbook of Methods.
Federal/State agency coverage
The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries includes data for all fatal work injuries, whether the decedent was working in a job covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or other federal or State agencies or was outside the scope of regulatory coverage. Thus, any comparison between the BLS fatality census counts and those released by other agencies should take into account the different coverage requirements and definitions being used by each agency.
Several federal and State agencies have jurisdiction over workplace safety and health. OSHA and affiliated agencies in States with approved safety programs cover the largest portion of the nation's workers. However, injuries and illnesses occurring in certain industries or activities, such as coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and highway, water, rail, and air transportation, are excluded from OSHA coverage because they are covered by other federal agencies, such as the Mine Safety and Health Administration and various agencies within the Department of Transportation.
Acknowledgments
BLS appreciates the efforts of all federal, State, local, and private sector entities that submitted 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 Employment Standards Administration (Federal Employees' Compensation and Longshore and Harbor Workers' divisions); the Federal Railroad Administration; the Department of Energy; State vital statistics registrars, coroners, and medical examiners; State departments of health, labor and industries, and workers' compensation agencies; State and local police departments; and State farm bureaus.
Detailed statistics on fatal occupational injuries in North Dakota can be obtained at www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/tgs/2007/iiffi38.htm.
Last Modified Date: November 14, 2008
