| 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 Nebraska for 2007
Fatal work injuries totaled 63 in 2007 for Nebraska according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Please note that the 2007 results are preliminary; final results will be released in April 2009. Regional Commissioner Jay A. Mousa noted that the State’s workplace fatalities have increased in the last two years, after reaching the series low of 36 in 2005. (See table A.) The most frequent types of workplace fatalities in 2007 were highway crashes (16) and homicides (8). Falls to a lower level, workers being caught or crushed in collapsing materials, and workers being struck by an object each accounted for six fatalities. Combined, these five 1/ events accounted for two-thirds of all work-related deaths in the State.
Highway crashes (officially titled highway incidents and includes non-collision incidents) in 2007 led all events as the most frequent type of on-the-job fatality for both the nation and the State. The number of work-related fatalities increased by five over the year to 16 in 2007. (See table A.) Work-related deaths due to highway crashes accounted for 25 percent of Nebraska’s fatalities in 2007 and 24 percent of the nation’s.
Workplace deaths due to homicides (8) accounted for 13 percent of the State’s total fatality count in 2007. The 2007 homicide fatality total surpassed the previous high of six in 2002. Nationally, homicides accounted for 11 percent of workplace fatalities.
Three other events had six fatalities each (falls to a lower level, caught or crushed in collapsing material, and being struck by an object); separately, these events each accounted for 10 percent of Nebraska’s total workplace fatalities. Nationally, the share of fatalities from falls to a lower level and caught or crushed in collapsing material were 13 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Nationwide, 9 percent of all workplace deaths were from workers being struck by objects.
| Year | Total fatalities | Highway crashes | Homicides | Falls to a lower level | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | ||||
1992 |
43 | 9 | 21 | -- | -- | 4 | 9 | ||
1993 |
78 | 19 | 24 | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
1994 |
83 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 17 | ||
1995 |
54 | 10 | 19 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 15 | ||
1996 |
56 | 11 | 20 | -- | -- | 5 | 9 | ||
1997 |
46 | 9 | 20 | -- | -- | 5 | 11 | ||
1998 |
56 | 18 | 32 | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
1999 |
66 | 17 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | ||
2000 |
59 | 22 | 37 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | ||
2001 |
57 | 26 | 46 | -- | -- | 5 | 9 | ||
2002 |
83 | 32 | 39 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | ||
2003 |
51 | 20 | 39 | 3 | 6 | -- | -- | ||
2004 |
46 | 11 | 24 | -- | -- | 7 | 15 | ||
2005 |
36 | 10 | 28 | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
2006 |
57 | 11 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 9 | ||
2007 |
63 | 16 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 6 | 10 | ||
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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 fatal work injuries reported in 2006. While these results are preliminary, this figure represents the smallest 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 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 Nebraska in 2007:
(Detailed data tables are available at www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/tgs/2007/iiffi31.htm.)
--- Men accounted for 87 percent of the work-related fatalities (55) in the State. In 2006, 95 percent of workplace fatalities were men. Eight women were fatally injured on the job in 2007 compared to three in 2006.
-- In Nebraska, 94 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were white, non-Hispanics.
-- Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 44 percent of the State’s work-related fatalities in 2007; 41 percent were 55 years or older. Nationally, workers 25-54 years old and 55 and over accounted for 63 percent and 27 percent, respectively, of the fatally injured.
-- Seventy-one percent of workers killed on-the-job in Nebraska worked for wages and salaries; the rest were self-employed.
-- The agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry sector had the largest number of fatalities (18) followed by transportation and warehousing (9) and retail trade (9). In agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, the most frequent types of fatal events were contact with objects and equipment (8) and transportation incidents (6). Transportation incidents also accounted for seven worker deaths in transportation and warehousing. Homicides accounted for eight worker deaths in the retail trade industry.
-- Workers in management occupations led all other occupational groups with 17 fatalities, with managers of farms and ranches representing 16 of these deaths. Workers in transportation and material moving occupations suffered 15 on-the-job fatalities. Drivers of heavy and tractor-trailer trucks accounted for eight of these deaths in 2007.
| Year | Total fatalities | Highway Crashes | Falls to a lower level | Homicides | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | ||
1992 |
6,217 | 1,158 | 19 | 507 | 8 | 1,044 | 17 |
1993 |
6,331 | 1,242 | 20 | 534 | 8 | 1,074 | 17 |
1994 |
6,632 | 1,343 | 20 | 580 | 9 | 1,080 | 16 |
1995 |
6,275 | 1,346 | 21 | 578 | 9 | 1,036 | 17 |
1996 |
6,202 | 1,346 | 22 | 610 | 10 | 927 | 15 |
1997 |
6,238 | 1,393 | 22 | 653 | 10 | 860 | 14 |
1998 |
6,055 | 1,442 | 24 | 625 | 10 | 714 | 12 |
1999 |
6,054 | 1,496 | 25 | 634 | 10 | 651 | 11 |
2000 |
5,920 | 1,365 | 23 | 659 | 11 | 677 | 11 |
2001(1) |
5,915 | 1,409 | 24 | 700 | 12 | 643 | 11 |
2002 |
5,534 | 1,373 | 25 | 638 | 12 | 609 | 11 |
2003 |
5,575 | 1,353 | 24 | 604 | 11 | 632 | 11 |
2004 |
5,764 | 1,398 | 24 | 738 | 13 | 559 | 10 |
2005 |
5,734 | 1,437 | 25 | 664 | 12 | 567 | 10 |
2006(2) |
5,840 | 1,356 | 23 | 738 | 13 | 540 | 9 |
2007 |
5,488 | 1,311 | 24 | 733 | 13 | 610 | 11 |
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NOTE: Data from 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 thanks the Nebraska Compensation Court for its efforts in collecting accurate, comprehensive, and useful data on fatal work injuries. 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 Nebraska can be obtained at www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/tgs/2007/iiffi31.htm.
Last Modified Date: November 14, 2008
