CF AR 9/96 Hwy Fatls Lead Cause WP Deaths Highway Fatalities Among the Leading Causes of Workplace Deaths by Janice Windau and Tracy Jack Highway fatalities accounted for 1 in every 5 of the 6,210 job-related deaths during 1995, and were the leading cause of fatal work injuries.1 This article summarizes the characteristics of the 1,329 workers who were fatally injured in highway traffic incidents, the occupations and industries in which they worked, and the types of highway incidents responsible. About half of the highway fatalities resulted from collisions between two or more vehicles. (See table 1.) One-fifth of the fatalities resulted from a crash with an object other than a vehicle, such as a tree, bridge abutment, or utility pole, and another fifth occurred when the vehicle jackknifed or overturned. Patterns varied somewhat according to the type of vehicle involved. Collisions with other vehicles, crashes with objects on the side of the road, and jackknifings and overturnings contributed about equally (roughly 30 percent) to the 359 deaths of those riding in tractor trailers. For workers killed while riding in other types of highway vehicles, collisions between vehicles accounted for slightly over half of the fatalities. Trucks played a large role in the incidence of job-related highway fatalities. Over half of the highway fatality victims had been driving or riding in a truck at the time of the incident, half of which were tractor trailer rigs. (See chart 1. available in .pdf format only) And in one-fourth of the job-related highway fatalities, a truck collided with the vehicle in which the victim was riding. Table 2 shows the role vehicles played in highway incidents. For example, there were 344 incidents in which the deceased was driving or riding in an automobile. However, there were 162 incidents in which automobiles were identified as the vehicles with which the deceased's vehicle collided. Fatalities by occupation and industry. About two-fifths of the decedents were truckdrivers; the rest worked in a variety of other occupations, including sales, farming, police, and executive and managerial jobs. (See table 3.) The manner in which truckdrivers were fatally injured in highway incidents is shown in chart 2. One-fourth of the workers fatally injured in highway incidents worked in the trucking and courier service industry. The remaining fatalities were widely dispersed among other industries. (See table 4.) Demographic characteristics. Workers who were killed were operating the vehicle 88 percent of the time; the remainder were passengers. About 90 percent of the victims of fatal highway incidents were men, and most of them were white. About 10 percent of the job-related highway fatalities were self-employed or working in the family business, compared with almost 20 percent of all victims of job-related fatalities. (See table 5.) Background The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, (CFOI), part of the BLS safety and health statistics program, provides the most complete count of fatal work injuries available. The census began in 1992 and is conducted in all 50 States and the District of Columbia. The BLS fatality census is a Federal/State cooperative venture in which costs are shared equally. CFOI uses diverse data sources to identify, verify, and profile fatal work injuries. Key information about each workplace fatality (occupation and other worker characteristics, equipment being used, circumstances of the event, etc.) is obtained by cross-referencing sources to assure annual job-related fatality counts are as complete and accurate as possible. These sources include death certificates and workers' compensation, police motor vehicle accident, and other reports compiled by various governmental agencies, as well as information from private sources. For more information on these data or on the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, contact Janice Windau or Tracy Jack, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Safety, Health and Working Conditions, Room 3180, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20212. Telephone: (202) 606-6175; E-mail: Windau_J@bls.gov or Jack_T@bls.gov Table 1. Job-related highway fatalities by event, 1995 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Type of highway incident (1) Number Percent Total......................................... 1,329 100 Collision between vehicles.......................... 634 48 Moving in opposite directions, oncoming.......... 244 18 Moving in same direction......................... 125 9 Moving in intersection........................... 97 7 Moving and standing vehicle-in roadway........... 31 2 Moving and standing vehicle-side of road......... 13 1 Re-entrant collision............................. 9 1 Noncollision incident............................... 350 26 Jackknifed or overturned-no collision............ 260 20 Ran off highway-no collision..................... 57 4 Vehicle struck object or equipment on side of road. 249 19 Vehicle struck object or equipment in roadway....... 19 1 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (1)Includes job-related fatalities that occurred on a public roadway, shoulder, or surrounding area. Excludes off-road (e.g., parking lot, farm, etc.), train, and pedestrian fatalities. NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Table 2. Vehicles involved in highway fatalities, 1995 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Source Primary source(1) Secondary source(2) Number Percent Number Percent Total............................ 1,329 100 1,329 100 Vehicles........................... 1,309 98 653 49 Highway vehicle, motorized....... 1,271 96 644 48 Truck.......................... 729 55 361 27 Semitrailer, tractor trailer, trailer truck...... 359 27 185 14 Pickup truck................. 136 10 67 5 Delivery truck............... 28 2 4 - Dump truck................... 19 1 18 1 Automobile..................... 344 26 162 12 Van-passenger or light delivery 74 6 22 2 Bus............................ 11 1 3 - Motorcycle, moped.............. 11 1 - - Highway vehicle, unspecified... 89 7 92 7 Plant and industrial powered vehicles, tractors.............. 31 2 3 - Tractor........................ 29 2 3 - Machinery.......................... 20 2 3 - Construction, logging, and mining machinery....................... 9 1 - - Road grading and surfacing machinery..................... 7 1 - - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) Identifies the vehicle in which the fatally injured worker was an occupant. (2) Identifies the vehicle or other object with which the deceased's vehicle collided. Secondary source was coded for 986 highway fatalities. Table 3. Job-related highway fatalities by occupation, 1995 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Occupation(1) Number Percent Total.............................................. 1,329 100 Managerial and professional specialty occupations...... 172 13 Executive, administrative, managerial occupations.... 102 8 Professional specialty............................... 70 5 Engineers.......................................... 23 2 Technical, sales, and administrative support jobs...... 152 11 Sales occupations.................................... 94 7 Supervisors and proprietors, sales occupations..... 28 2 Sales representatives, commodities except retail... 23 2 Sales workers, retail and personal services........ 31 2 Administrative support occupations, including clerical............................... 34 3 Service occupations.................................... 107 8 Protective service occupations....................... 69 5 Police and detectives.............................. 46 3 Service occupations, except protective and household. 38 3 Farming, forestry, and fishing occupations............. 84 6 Farm operators and managers.......................... 34 3 Farmers, except horticultural...................... 24 2 Other agricultural and related occupations........... 45 3 Farm workers..................................... 28 2 Precision production, craft, and repair occupations.... 108 8 Mechanics and repairers.............................. 41 3 Vehicle, mobile equipment mechanics, repairers... 20 2 Construction trades.................................. 49 4 Operators, fabricators, and laborers................... 663 50 Transportation and material moving occupations....... 580 44 Motor vehicle operators............................ 559 42 Truckdrivers..................................... 508 38 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.. 72 5 Construction laborers.............................. 30 2 Laborers, except construction...................... 28 2 Military............................................... 31 2 Other or unspecified................................... 12 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (1 ) Based on the 1990 Occupational Classification System developed by the Bureau of the Census. NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Table 4. Job-related highway fatalities by industry, 1995 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Industry(1) Number Percent Total........................................... 1,329 100 Total, private...................................... 1,135 85 Agriculture, forestry, and fishing.................. 88 7 Agricultural production, crops.................. 47 4 General farms, primarily crop............... 24 2 Agricultural services........................... 21 2 Mining.............................................. 27 2 Oil and gas extraction.......................... 20 2 Construction........................................ 120 9 Heavy construction, except building............. 35 3 Special trade contractors....................... 64 5 Manufacturing....................................... 110 8 Lumber and wood products........................ 27 2 Transportation and public utilities................. 377 28 Local and interurban passenger transit.......... 27 2 Trucking and warehousing........................ 312 23 Trucking and courier services, except air... 300 23 Local trucking without storage.......... 66 5 Trucking, except local.................. 199 15 Wholesale trade..................................... 87 7 Wholesale trade, durable goods.................. 44 3 Wholesale trade, nondurable goods............... 42 3 Groceries and related products.............. 22 2 Retail trade........................................ 116 9 Automotive dealers and service stations......... 33 2 Eating and drinking places...................... 21 2 Miscellaneous retail............................ 30 2 Finance, insurance, and real estate................. 22 2 Services............................................ 166 12 Business services............................... 51 4 Health services................................. 23 2 Engineering and management services............. 22 2 Other or unspecified................................ 22 2 Total government................................. 194 15 Federal............................................. 49 4 State............................................... 45 3 Local............................................... 97 7 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987. NOTE: Totals for major categories include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Table 5. Job-related fatalities by selected characteristics, 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Characteristics Fatalities Highway fatalities Number Percent Number Percent Total....................... 6,210 100 1,329 100 Employee status Wage and salary workers.......... 5,024 81 1,182 89 Self-employed.................... 1,186 19 147 11 Sex Men.............................. 5,676 91 1,197 90 Women............................ 534 9 132 10 Age 16 to 17 years................... 40 - 7 1 18 to 19 years................... 128 1 33 2 20 to 24 years................... 484 8 123 9 25 to 34 years................... 1,395 22 295 22 35 to 44 years................... 1,555 25 316 24 45 to 54 years................... 1,242 20 272 20 55 to 64 years................... 811 13 188 14 65 years and over................ 514 8 88 7 Other or unspecified............. 26 - 7 1 Race White............................ 5,061 82 1,095 82 Black............................ 689 11 146 11 Asian or Pacific Islander........ 161 3 10 1 Other or unspecified............. 299 4 78 6 Hispanic origin(2) Hispanic......................... 610 10 114 9 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) Includes paid and unpaid family workers, and may include owners of incorporated businesses, or members of partnerships. (2) Hispanics may be of any race. NOTE: Percentages may not add due to rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or that data do not meet publication criteria.