FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Information: (816)285-7000 For Release: October 11, 2007 |
Utah Workplace Fatalities, 2006 (PDF)
A total of 60 fatal work injuries were recorded in Utah in 2006, more than the previous year's count of 54, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that the most frequent type of workplace fatality in Utah in 2006 was highway crashes (16). Other events included aircraft crashes (9), being struck by an object (6), and falls to a lower level (6). Taken together, these four events1 accounted for 62 percent of the work-related fatalities in the State in 2006.
Total workplace fatalities in Utah, 1992-2006
Highway crashes remained the most frequent type of fatal workplace event for both the State and the nation in 2006. In Utah, fatal highway crashes decreased by 6 cases to 16 in 2006 and made up 27 percent of those fatally injured on the job. Nationally, this event accounted for 23 percent of all job-related deaths. (See table A.)
Aircraft crashes accounted for 15 percent of on-the-job deaths in the State with nine work-related deaths. Nationally, aircraft crashes made up 4 percent of all job fatalities.
Six fatalities in the State resulted from workers being struck by an object, one more than in 2005. This type of event accounted for 10 percent of on-the-job fatalities in both Utah and the nation.
Occupational fatalities caused by falls to a lower level accounted for six fatalities in Utah in 2006, three more than in the previous year. Falls to a lower level represented 10 percent of job-related deaths in Utah and 13 percent of the U.S. total.
Other fatal workplace events in Utah in 2006 included self-inflicted injuries (5), being caught in or compressed by equipment or objects (3), and contact with an electric current (3).
Year | Total fatalities | Highway crashes | Aircraft crashes | Struck by object | Falls to lower level | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | ||
United States | |||||||||
1992 |
6,217 | 1,158 | 19 | 353 | 6 | 557 | 9 | 507 | 8 |
1993 |
6,331 | 1,242 | 20 | 282 | 4 | 565 | 9 | 534 | 8 |
1994 |
6,632 | 1,343 | 20 | 426 | 6 | 591 | 9 | 580 | 9 |
1995 |
6,275 | 1,346 | 21 | 283 | 5 | 547 | 9 | 578 | 9 |
1996 |
6,202 | 1,346 | 22 | 324 | 5 | 582 | 9 | 610 | 10 |
1997 |
6,238 | 1,393 | 22 | 261 | 4 | 579 | 9 | 653 | 10 |
1998 |
6,055 | 1,442 | 24 | 224 | 4 | 520 | 9 | 625 | 10 |
1999 |
6,054 | 1,496 | 25 | 228 | 4 | 585 | 10 | 634 | 10 |
2000 |
5,920 | 1,365 | 23 | 280 | 5 | 571 | 10 | 659 | 11 |
2001 (1) |
5,915 | 1,409 | 24 | 247 | 4 | 553 | 9 | 700 | 12 |
2002 |
5,534 | 1,373 | 25 | 194 | 4 | 505 | 9 | 638 | 12 |
2003 |
5,575 | 1,353 | 24 | 211 | 4 | 531 | 10 | 604 | 11 |
2004 |
5,764 | 1,398 | 24 | 231 | 4 | 602 | 10 | 738 | 13 |
2005 (2) |
5,734 | 1,437 | 25 | 149 | 3 | 607 | 11 | 664 | 12 |
2006 |
5,703 | 1,329 | 23 | 215 | 4 | 583 | 10 | 728 | 13 |
Utah | |||||||||
1992 |
59 | 10 | 17 | 15 | 25 | 5 | 8 | — | — |
1993 |
66 | 21 | 32 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 17 | 7 | 11 |
1994 |
66 | 18 | 27 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 7 | 11 |
1995 |
51 | 17 | 33 | — | — | 4 | 8 | 4 | 8 |
1996 |
64 | 16 | 25 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 6 |
1997 |
66 | 26 | 39 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 4 | 6 |
1998 |
67 | 23 | 34 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 15 |
1999 |
54 | 21 | 39 | — | — | 9 | 17 | 5 | 9 |
2000 |
61 | 21 | 34 | 8 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 8 |
2001 (1) |
65 | 20 | 31 | — | — | 10 | 15 | 4 | 6 |
2002 |
52 | 18 | 35 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 6 | — | — |
2003 |
54 | 24 | 44 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 6 |
2004 |
50 | 23 | 46 | — | — | 5 | 10 | 6 | 12 |
2005 (2) |
54 | 22 | 41 | — | — | 5 | 9 | 3 | 6 |
2006 |
60 | 16 | 27 | 9 | 15 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 10 |
Footnotes |
Nationwide, a total of 5,703 fatal work injuries were reported in 2006, down slightly from the revised total of 5,734 fatal work injuries recorded in 2005. The count for 2006 was the third lowest annual total recorded by the fatality census, which has been conducted yearly since 1992. (See table A.) Highway crashes in 2006 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. Even so, the 2006 count of 1,329 fatal highway crashes was the lowest annual total since 1993. Fatal work injuries involving falls to a lower level increased 10 percent in 2006 after declining 10 percent in 2005. The 2006 total of 728 fatal falls to a lower level was the second highest since the fatality census began. The number of workers who were fatally injured from being struck by objects was lower in 2006, after increasing for the last three years. The 583 fatalities resulting from being struck by objects in 2006 represented a 4-percent decline from the 2005 total.
Workplace homicides in the United States decreased 9 percent to 516 in 2006, the lowest annual total ever reported by the fatality census. Overall, workplace homicides have decreased more than 50 percent from the series high in 1994.
Selected characteristics of workplace fatalities in Utah in 2006:
- Men accounted for 93 percent of the work-related fatal injuries in Utah with 56 fatalities. Transportation incidents, which include highway, nonhighway, pedestrian, air, water, and rail fatalities, accounted for almost 50 percent of these deaths and contact with objects and equipment accounted for another 16 percent. Four women were fatally injured on the job in 2006. (See table 2.)
- Eighty-five percent of those who died from a workplace injury were white, non-Hispanic (51) and 10 percent were Hispanic or Latino (6). Transportation incidents (25) were the most frequent type of fatal event for white, non-Hispanic workers. (See table 2.)
- Workers 25-54 years old-the prime working age group-made up 72 percent of the State's work-related fatalities in 2006 with 43 deaths. Ten workers 55 years of age or older died on the job, accounting for 17 percent of the fatally injured. Nationally, those 25-54 years old accounted for 64 percent of on-the-job fatalities, and those 55 and older, 27 percent. (See table 2.)
- Ninety-two percent of workers killed on-the-job in Utah worked for wages and salaries and the remaining 8 percent were self-employed. Transportation incidents (28) accounted for the largest number of fatalities among wage and salary workers in 2006. (See table 2.)
- Four industry sectors made up 55 percent of the workplace fatalities in Utah-construction (15), transportation and warehousing (8), and manufacturing and health care and social assistance (5 each). Transportation incidents were the most frequent type of fatal event for the construction and transportation and warehousing sectors. (See table 3.)
- Workers in construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of fatalities with 18. Construction trades workers accounted for 11 of those fatally injured in this occupational group. Workers in the transportation and material moving occupational group had the second highest number of fatalities, 14. Motor vehicle operators accounted for nine of the deaths in this group (heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers made up seven of these fatalities). Combined, workers in construction and extraction and transportation and material moving occupations accounted for about one-half of the fatal work injuries in Utah. (See table 4.)
Additional Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data are available on the BLS Internet site at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm. Data can be accessed in a number of ways. Selected current and historical information is available in PDF format. Detailed data may be accessed through the online query system located at http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/outside.jsp?survey=fi or via an extensive collection of flat text files. For personal assistance or further information on the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries program, as well as other Bureau programs, contact the Kansas City Economic Analysis & Information Office at 816-285-7000 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT.
TECHNICAL NOTES
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 and Federal data sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries. Information about each workplace fatality (industry, occupation, and other worker characteristics; equipment being used; and circumstances of the event) is obtained by cross-referencing source documents, such as death certificates, workers compensation records, and reports to Federal and State agencies. This method assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible.
Definitions
For a fatality to be included in the census, the decedent must have been employed (that is working for pay, compensation, or profit) at the time of the event, engaged in a legal work activity, or present at the site of the incident as a requirement of his or her job. Fatalities to volunteer and unpaid family workers who perform the same duties and functions as paid workers are also included in the counts. These criteria are generally broader than those used by Federal and State agencies administering specific laws and regulations. (Fatalities that occur during a person's normal commute to or from work are excluded from the census counts.)
Data presented in this release include deaths occurring in 2006 that resulted from traumatic occupational injuries. An injury is defined as any wound or damage to the body resulting from acute exposure to energy, such as heat, electricity, or impact from a crash or fall, or from the absence of such essentials as heat or oxygen caused by a specific event or incident within a single workday or shift. Included are open wounds, intracranial and internal injuries, heatstroke, hypothermia, asphyxiation, acute poisonings resulting from short-term exposures limited to the worker's shift, suicides and homicides, and work injuries listed as underlying or contributory causes of death.
Information on work-related fatal illnesses is not reported in the BLS census and is excluded from the attached tables because the latency period of many occupational illnesses and the difficulty of linking illnesses to work exposures make identification of a universe problematic.
Measurement techniques and limitations
Data for the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries are compiled from various Federal, State, and local administrative sources--including death certificates, workers' compensation reports and claims, reports to various regulatory agencies, medical examiner reports, and police reports--as well as news and other non-governmental reports. Diverse sources are used because studies have shown that no single source captures all job-related fatalities. Source documents are matched so that each fatality is counted only once. To ensure that a fatality occurred while the decedent was at work, information is verified from two or more independent source documents or from a source document and a follow-up questionnaire. Approximately 30 data elements are collected, coded, and tabulated, including information about the worker, the fatal incident, and the machinery or equipment involved.
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 ex-cluded 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.
Fatalities occurring among several other groups of workers are generally not covered by any Federal or State agencies. These groups include self-employed and unpaid family workers, which accounted for about 18 percent of the fatalities; laborers on small farms, accounting for about 1 percent of the fatalities; and State and local government employees in States without OSHA-approved safety programs, which accounted for about 4 percent. (Approximately one-half of the States have approved OSHA safety programs, which cover State and local government employees.)
Acknowledgments
BLS thanks the Utah Occupational Safety and Health Statistics office for their efforts in collecting accurate, comprehensive, and useful data on fatal work injuries. BLS also appreciates the efforts of all Federal, State, local, and private sector agencies 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 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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 Fatal events are categorized into several major groupings including transportation incidents, assaults and violent acts, and falls. These major groups are further broken down into more detailed groups. For example, transportation incidents includes highway incidents, commonly referred to as highway crashes, and aircraft incidents; assaults and violent acts includes homicides and suicides; and falls includes falls to a lower level (as from a roof or ladder) and falls on the same level (as from grease on a floor or ice on a sidewalk).
Event or exposure (2) | Total fatalities (number) | Goods producing | Service providing | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total goods producing | Natural resources and mining (3) | Construc-tion | Manufac-turing | Total service providing | Trade, transpor-tation, and utilities | Informa-tion | Financial activities | Profes-sional and business services | Education and health services | Leisure and hospitality | Other services | ||
Total |
60 | 27 | 7 | 15 | 5 | 29 | 13 | 3 | — | — | 7 | — | — |
Contact with objects and equipment |
9 | 6 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Struck by object |
6 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Struck by falling object |
3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects |
3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Falls |
7 | 6 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Fall to lower level |
6 | 6 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Exposure to harmful substances or environments |
7 | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Contact with electric current |
3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Transportation accidents |
30 | 12 | 3 | 7 | — | 16 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Highway accident |
16 | 7 | — | 5 | — | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Collision between vehicles, mobile equipment |
6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Moving in opposite directions, oncoming |
3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Noncollision accident |
7 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Jack-knifed or overturned--no collision |
6 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Aircraft accident |
9 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
During takeoff or landing |
5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Aircraft accident, n.e.c. |
4 | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Assaults and violent acts |
6 | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — |
Self-inflicted injury |
5 | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Suicide, attempted suicide |
3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Footnotes NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. n.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." Data for 2006 are preliminary. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries |
Worker characteristics | Total fatalities (number) | Event or exposure (1) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transportation incidents (2) | Assaults and violent acts (3) | Contact with objects and equipment | Falls | Exposure to harmful substances or environments | Fires and explosions | ||
Total |
60 | 30 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | — |
Employee Status | |||||||
Wage and Salary Workers (4) |
55 | 28 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 6 | — |
Self-employed (5) |
5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Gender | |||||||
Men |
56 | 27 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 7 | — |
Women |
4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
Age | |||||||
Under 16 years |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
16 to 17 years |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
18 to 19 years |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
20 to 24 years |
6 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
25 to 34 years |
11 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — |
35 to 44 years |
14 | 7 | 3 | — | 3 | — | — |
45 to 54 years |
18 | 10 | — | 3 | — | 3 | — |
55 to 64 years |
6 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | — |
65 years and over |
4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Race or Ethnic Origin (6) | |||||||
White, non-Hispanic |
51 | 25 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | — |
Black, non-Hispanic |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Hispanic or Latino |
6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
American Indian or Alaska Native |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Asian |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Footnotes NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. Data for 2006 are preliminary. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries |
Industry (1) | NAICS code (1) | Total fatalities (number) | Event or exposure (2) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transportation incidents (3) | Assaults and violent acts (4) | Contact with objects and equipment | Falls | Exposure to harmful substances or environments | Fires and explosions | |||
Total |
60 | 30 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | — | |
Private Industry |
56 | 28 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 7 | — | |
Goods Producing |
27 | 12 | — | 6 | 6 | — | — | |
Natural Resources and Mining |
7 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting |
11 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Mining (5) |
21 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Support Activities for Mining |
213 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Support Activities for Mining |
2131 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Support Activities for Mining |
21311 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
213111 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Construction |
15 | 7 | — | — | 5 | — | — | |
Construction |
23 | 15 | 7 | — | — | 5 | — | — |
Specialty Trade Contractors |
238 | 10 | 5 | — | — | 5 | — | — |
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors |
2381 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Building Finishing Contractors |
2383 | 4 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — |
Other Specialty Trade Contractors |
2389 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
Site Preparation Contractors |
23891 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
Manufacturing |
5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Manufacturing |
31-33 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Service providing |
29 | 16 | 5 | 3 | — | 5 | — | |
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities |
13 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Transportation and Warehousing |
48-49 | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
Truck Transportation |
484 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
Specialized Freight Trucking |
4842 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Information |
3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Information |
51 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Publishing Industries (Except Internet) |
511 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers |
5111 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Education and Health Services |
7 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | |
Health Care and Social Assistance |
62 | 5 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — |
Government (6) |
4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Footnotes NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. Data for 2006 are preliminary. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries |
Occupation (1) | Total fatalities (number) | Event or exposure (2) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transportation incidents (3) | Assaults and violent acts (4) | Contact with objects and equipment | Falls | Exposure to harmful substances or environments | Fires and explosions | ||
Total |
60 | 30 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | — |
Management occupations |
4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
Other management occupations |
4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
Architecture and engineering occupations |
3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations |
3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Health diagnosing and treating practitioners |
3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Construction and extraction occupations |
18 | 8 | — | — | 6 | — | — |
Construction trades workers |
11 | 4 | — | — | 5 | — | — |
Construction equipment operators |
3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators |
3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
Extraction workers |
4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Production occupations |
5 | — | — | — | — | 3 | — |
Other production occupations |
3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Transportation and material moving occupations |
14 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
Air transportation workers |
4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers |
4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
Commercial pilots |
4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
Motor vehicle operators |
9 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers |
9 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer |
7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
Footnotes NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. n.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." Data for 2006 are preliminary. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries |
Last Modified Date: October 31, 2008