Fatal work injuries totaled 68 in 2010 for Mississippi, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Janet S. Rankin, the Bureau's regional commissioner, noted that while the 2010 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in Mississippi was little changed from last year’s total. Over the 19-year history of the series, fatal occupational injuries in the State have ranged from a high of 128 in both 1995 and 1999 to last year’s low of 67. (See table 1 and chart 1.)

Nationwide, a preliminary total of 4,547 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2010, about the same as the final count of 4,551 fatalities recorded in 2009, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Final 2010 CFOI data will be released in Spring 2012.

For the 13th consecutive year, highway incidents were the most frequent type of workplace fatality in Mississippi, accounting for 17 deaths in 2010. (See table 2.) This was the lowest total recorded for this event in the 19-year history of the series. Workplace fatalities from highway incidents have ranged from 18 in 1997 to a series high of 50 in 1993. Fatalities due to falls to a lower level doubled over the year, from 5 to 10. Over the history of the series, falls to a lower level have ranged from 3 to 17. In 2010, nine workers died as a result of being struck by a vehicle, the largest total ever recorded for this event. Workplace homicides accounted for 7 on-the-job fatalities, down from 10 in the previous year.

In the United States, highway incidents were also the most frequent fatal workplace event, accounting for 21 percent of fatal work injuries in 2010. Mississippi’s share of on-the-job fatalities due to this event, however, was above the national average at 25 percent. Nationwide, falls to a lower level and homicides were the next most frequent types of events, each with 11 percent of the work-related fatalities. Falls to a lower level accounted for a higher share in the State at 15 percent, while homicides were similar to the U.S. average at 10 percent. The share of workplace fatalities due to workers being struck by a vehicle for the nation (6 percent) was less than half of that for Mississippi (13 percent).

Additional key characteristics:

• Men accounted for 64, or 94 percent, of the work-related fatalities in the State. Transportation incidents, which include highway, nonhighway, pedestrian, air, water, and rail, made up half of these fatalities. (See table 3.)
• In Mississippi, 62 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were white non-Hispanics, while black non-Hispanics accounted for 28 percent. Nationwide, these groups accounted for 72 and 8 percent of work-related deaths, respectively.
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 38, or 56 percent, of the State’s work-related fatalities in 2010. Nationally, workers in this group accounted for 60 percent of on-the-job fatalities.
• Of the 68 occupational fatalities in Mississippi, 81 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remaining were self-employed. The leading cause of death for wage and salary workers and the self-employed was transportation incidents.
• The trade, transportation, and utilities industry sector had the largest number of fatalities, 20, followed by construction with 13. Transportation incidents accounted for 12 of the worker deaths in the trade, transportation, and utilities industry. Falls resulted in six worker deaths in the construction industry.
• Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 16, the majority of which were motor vehicle operators (10). Workers in construction and extraction occupations had the second-highest fatality count at 14, followed by installation, maintenance, and repair occupations with 9.

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data are available on the BLS Internet site at www.bls.gov/iif/. Further information on the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries program, as well as other Bureau programs, is available on the Southeast Information Office Web site at www.bls.gov/ro4/ or by contacting us at 404-893-4222 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.

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. during the 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 here: http://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/homch9_a1.htm. The technical information and definitions for the CFOI Program are in Chapter 9, Part III 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. The Bureau of Labor Statistics 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.

Last Modified Date: November 1, 2011