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News Release Information

24-216-CHI
Thursday, March 07, 2024

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Fatal Work Injuries in Nebraska — 2022

Fatal work injuries totaled 57 in 2022 for Nebraska, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Nebraska was up from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 83 in both 1994 and 2002 to a low of 35 in 2017. Nationwide, a total of 5,486 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2022, a 5.7-percent increase from 5,190 in 2021, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).


Fatal event or exposure

In Nebraska, transportation incidents resulted in 37 fatal work injuries, accounting for 65 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 24 over the year.

Contact with objects and equipment resulted in 10 fatal workplace injuries, followed by 4 worker deaths from fires and explosions. Worker deaths from contact with objects and equipment were up from six over the year.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event in 2022, accounting for 38 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (16 percent), followed by violence and other injuries by persons or animals along with exposure to harmful substances or environments (15 percent each).


Industry

Two of Nebraska’s private industry sectors had 11 workplace fatalities each: the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry sector and the construction industry sector. (See table 2.) The agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry sector’s 11 workplace fatalities were up from 10 in the previous year. The animal production and aquaculture subsector accounted for 6 of the 11 fatal workplace injuries in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry sector. Corn farming accounted for the remaining five workplace fatalities in the sector. Fatal workplace injuries in the construction industry sector were up from eight worker deaths in the previous year. Transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event for the sector. The specialty trade contractors subsector accounted for five, or 45 percent, of the fatal injuries in the construction industry sector.

Nebraska’s private transportation and warehousing industry sector had 10 workplace fatalities, with transportation incidents being the fatal event for all 10. Long distance general freight trucking had 6 of the 10 workplace fatalities in the sector.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 17. (See table 3.) Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 9 of the 17 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers.   

Additional highlights
  • Men accounted for 91 percent of the work-related fatalities in Nebraska, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 62 percent of the fatalities for men in Nebraska.
  • White non-Hispanics accounted for 54 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 58 percent of work-related deaths.
  • Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 49 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2022, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
  • Of the 57 fatal work injuries in Nebraska, 79 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both wage and salary workers and self-employed workers was transportation incidents.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, is a count of all fatalities resulting from workplace injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI uses a variety of state, federal, and independent data sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries. This ensures counts are as complete and accurate as possible. For the 2022 national data, over 27,200 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for the CFOI, see the BLS Handbook of Methods and the CFOI definitions.

Federal/State agency coverage. The CFOI includes data for all fatal work injuries, some of which may be outside the scope of other agencies or regulatory coverage. Comparisons between CFOI counts and those released by other agencies should account for the different coverage requirements and definitions used by each agency. For more information on the scope of CFOI, see Scope of the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries: Concepts.

Latency Cases. Latent fatal occupational injury cases occur when the date of injury differs from the date of death. In some cases, the death occurs in a different year than the occupational injury and are known as cross-year latent cases. In 2022, there were 186 cases nationally where this occurred, and 157 of these latent cases occurred more than 30 days prior to the start of 2022. For more information on latent cases, see Understanding latency in fatal occupational injuries.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. CFOI reports fatal workplace injuries only. These may include fatal workplace injuries complicated by an illness such as COVID-19. Fatal workplace illnesses not precipitated by an injury are not in scope for CFOI. CFOI does not report any illness related information, including COVID-19. Additional information is available on the Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, Compensation, Occupational Requirements, and Work Stoppages Statistics.

Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court 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 entities that provided 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 Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (Federal Employees' Compensation and Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation divisions); the Federal Railroad Administration; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; state vital statistics registrars, coroners, and medical examiners; state departments of health, labor, and industrial relations and workers' compensation agencies; state and local police departments; and state farm bureaus.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Nebraska, 2021–22
Event or exposure (1) 2021 2022
Number Number Percent

Total

39 57 100

Transportation incidents

24 37 65

Aircraft incidents

-- 3 5

Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing

-- 1 2

Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing--due to mechanical failure

-- 1 2

Other in-flight crash

-- 2 4

Rail vehicle incidents

1 4 7

Collision between rail vehicle and another vehicle

1 4 7

Collision between rail and roadway vehicles

1 4 7

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

20 24 42

Roadway collision with other vehicle

15 15 26

Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming

6 8 14

Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle on side of roadway

-- 2 4

Roadway collision with object other than vehicle

-- 2 4

Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway

-- 2 4

Roadway noncollision incident

-- 7 12

Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway

-- 5 9

Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles

3 3 5

Nonroadway noncollision incident

-- 3 5

Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway

-- 3 5

Fires and explosions

-- 4 7

Contact with objects and equipment

6 10 18

Struck by object or equipment

4 5 9

Footnotes:
(1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward.

NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. 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." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Nebraska, 2021–22
Industry (1) 2021 2022
Number Number Percent

Total

39 57 100

Private Industry (2)

36 52 91

Goods producing

-- -- --

Natural resources and mining

11 11 19

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

10 11 19

Crop production

-- 5 9

Oilseed and grain farming

-- 5 9

Corn farming

-- 5 9

Animal production and aquaculture

4 6 11

Construction

8 11 19

Construction

8 11 19

Specialty trade contractors

-- 5 9

Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors

-- 3 5

Masonry contractors

-- 1 2

Roofing contractors

-- 1 2

Other foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors

-- 1 2

Manufacturing

1 5 9

Manufacturing

1 5 9

Food manufacturing

-- 4 7

Sugar and confectionery product manufacturing

-- 1 2

Sugar manufacturing

-- 1 2

Beet sugar manufacturing

-- 1 2

Animal slaughtering and processing

-- 1 2

Animal slaughtering and processing

-- 1 2

Fabricated metal product manufacturing

-- 1 2

Architectural and structural metals manufacturing

-- 1 2

Plate work and fabricated structural product manufacturing

-- 1 2

Service providing (3)

-- -- --

Trade, transportation, and utilities

-- -- --

Wholesale trade

3 5 9

Merchant wholesalers, durable goods

-- 1 2

Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers

-- 1 2

Farm and garden machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers

-- 1 2

Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods

-- 4 7

Farm product raw material merchant wholesalers

-- 2 4

Grain and field bean merchant wholesalers

-- 2 4

Miscellaneous nondurable goods merchant wholesalers

-- 2 4

Farm supplies merchant wholesalers

-- 2 4

Transportation and warehousing

10 10 18

Air transportation

-- 1 2

Nonscheduled air transportation

-- 1 2

Nonscheduled air transportation

-- 1 2

Nonscheduled chartered passenger air transportation

-- 1 2

Truck transportation

8 8 14

General freight trucking

5 6 11

General freight trucking, long-distance

3 6 11

General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload

-- 1 2

Specialized freight trucking

3 2 4

Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local

2 1 2

Warehousing and storage

-- 1 2

Warehousing and storage

-- 1 2

Refrigerated warehousing and storage

-- 1 2

Leisure and hospitality

-- -- --

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

-- 1 2

Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries

-- 1 2

Spectator sports

-- 1 2

Spectator sports

-- 1 2

Government (4)

3 -- --

Local government

-- 3 5

Footnotes:
(1) CFOI has used several versions of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) since 2003 to define industry. For complete information on the version of NAICS used in this year, see our concepts page at https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm#industry.
(2) Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts.
(3) Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts.
(4) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. Cases classified as foreign government and other government are included in all government counts, but not displayed separately.

NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. 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." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Nebraska, 2021–22
Occupation (1) 2021 2022
Number Number Percent

Total

39 57 100

Management occupations

6 7 12

Architecture and engineering occupations

-- 1 2

Architects, surveyors, and cartographers

-- 1 2

Surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists

-- 1 2

Surveyors

-- 1 2

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

-- 3 5

Office and administrative support occupations

-- 1 2

Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers

-- 1 2

Couriers and messengers

-- 1 2

Couriers and messengers

-- 1 2

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

-- 6 11

Agricultural workers

-- 6 11

Miscellaneous agricultural workers

-- 6 11

Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse

-- 1 2

Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals

-- 5 9

Construction and extraction occupations

6 6 11

Construction trades workers

6 5 9

Construction laborers

-- 3 5

Construction laborers

-- 3 5

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

3 5 9

Production occupations

-- 5 9

Other production occupations

-- 3 5

Miscellaneous production workers

-- 1 2

Transportation and material moving occupations

16 17 30

Air transportation workers

-- 2 4

Motor vehicle operators

-- 11 19

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

-- 11 19

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

-- 9 16

Material moving workers

-- 4 7

Footnotes:
(1) CFOI has used several versions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system since 2003 to define occupation. For complete information on the version of SOC used in these years, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm#occupation. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.

NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. 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." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Nebraska, 2021–22
Worker characteristics 2021 2022
Number Number Percent

Total

39 57 100

Employee status

Wage and salary workers (1)

30 45 79

Self-employed (2)

9 12 21

Gender

Men

-- 52 91

Women

-- 5 9

Age (3)

20 to 24 years

2 7 12

25 to 34 years

7 8 14

35 to 44 years

8 12 21

45 to 54 years

9 8 14

55 to 64 years

7 14 25

65 years and over

5 8 14

Race or ethnic origin (4)

White, non-Hispanic

26 31 54

Hispanic or Latino

9 4 7

Footnotes:
(1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. Cases where employment status is unknown are included in the counts of wage and salary workers.
(2) Includes self-employed workers, owners of unincorporated businesses and farms, paid and unpaid family workers, and may include some owners of incorporated businesses or members of partnerships.
(3) Information may not be available for all age groups.
(4) Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude data for Hispanics and Latinos. Cases where ethnicity is unknown are included in counts of non-Hispanic workers.

NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. 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." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, March 07, 2024