June 8, 2007—The US Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released data from the 2005 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), which provides information on fatal occupational injuries that occur in the US.
For 2005, BLS reported a total of 5,702 work-related fatal injuries and a rate of 4.0 deaths per 100,000 workers; compared with 1992, this represents an 8% decline in the number of deaths (from 6,217 in 1992) and a 23% decline in the fatality rate (from 5.2 in 1992).
The report indicates that the highest percentages of fatal workplace injuries were attributed to highway incidents (43%), followed by being struck by an object (18%), falls(13%), and homicides (14%). Since 1992, the number of deaths resulting from highway incidents, being struck by an object, and falls has increased, and the number of homicides has decreased.
Males accounted for 93% of all work-related deaths in 2005, and had a fatality rate approximately 12 times the rate for females (6.9 per 100,000 workers versus 0.6). Workers aged 35-54 years accounted for 46% of workplace deaths. Rates increased with age, from 2.3 per 100,000 workers for those aged 16-19 years to 11.3 for workers aged over 65 years.
Transportation incidents resulted in the highest rate of fatal occupational injuries for six of the eight sectors. Falls resulted in the highest rate in the construction sector, and contact with objects and equipment resulted in the highest rate in the manufacturing sector. Assaults and violent acts resulted in the second-highest rate for three sectors (trade, services, and health care and social assistance).
