Fatal work injuries totaled 28 in 2013 for the Pittsburgh, Pa. Metropolitan Statistical Area, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that while the 2013 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in the Pittsburgh area declined by three over the year and was the lowest count since 2007 when 26 fatalities were recorded. Since area data first became available in 2003, fatal occupational injuries in the area were the highest in 2008 with 45 worker deaths. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a preliminary total of 4,405 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2013, lower than the revised count of 4,628 fatal work injuries in 2012, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Final 2013 data from CFOI will be released in the late spring of 2015.

 

Of the 28 fatal work injuries reported in the Pittsburgh area in 2013, 7 resulted from violence and other injuries by persons or animals, an increase from the 3 fatal injuries reported in 2012. Transportation incidents and falls, slips, or trips each accounted for six worker fatalities in 2013. (Note that transportation counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2013 data are released in the late spring of 2015 because key source documentation detailing specific transportation-related incidents has not yet been received.) Over the year, workplace fatalities resulting from transportation incidents decreased from 9 in 2012 to 6, while fatalities from falls, slips, or trips decreased from 10 to 6. Exposure to harmful substances or environments accounted for five workplace fatalities in 2013 and contact with objects and equipment accounted for four, both identical to their counts recorded in 2012. (See table 1.)

Within violence and other injuries by persons or animals, homicide was the most frequent type of workplace fatality in the Pittsburgh area with four deaths; suicides made up the rest of the fatalities in this category with three. Nonroadway incidents involving a motorized land vehicle was the most frequent event within transportation incidents, accounting for four worker deaths. Falls to a lower level accounted for five of the six fatalities in the falls, slips, or trips category. In exposure to harmful substances or environments, three of the five fatalities were a result of exposure to other harmful substances. Being struck by a falling object or equipment accounted for two of the four fatalities within the contact with objects and equipment category.

In the United States, transportation incidents was the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2013, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. The Pittsburgh area’s share of on-the-job fatalities due to this event was lower at 21 percent. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most frequent event nationally, with 17 percent of work-related fatalities; Pittsburgh’s share was higher at 25 percent. Contact with objects and equipment and falls, slips, or trips each accounted for 16 percent of the nation’s workplace fatalities; in Pittsburgh, these events accounted for 14 percent and 21 percent of total fatalities, respectively.

 

Additional key characteristics in the Pittsburgh area:

• The transportation and warehousing industry had the largest number of fatalities in the Pittsburgh area with seven in 2013, up from four in the previous year. (See table 2.) Two of these worker deaths were a result of homicide.
• The manufacturing sector had the second-highest fatality count in the area with five. 
• Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities in the Pittsburgh area with nine. Four of these fatalities were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. (See table 3.) Management occupations and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations had the area’s next-highest workplace fatality count with four each.  
• Men accounted for 96 percent of the work-related fatalities in the Pittsburgh area. (See table 4.) Of the 27 fatal work injuries for men, violence and other injuries by persons or animals; transportation incidents; and falls, slips, or trips each accounted for 6 in the area. Nationally, men made up 93 percent of total workplace fatalities.
• In the Pittsburgh area, 82 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were white non-Hispanics; nationally, this group made up 68 percent. Non-Hispanic black or African-American workers accounted for 14 percent of the area’s fatal injuries, higher than the 9-percent share across the United States.
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 57 percent of the area’s work-related fatalities in 2013, similar to the 60-percent share nationwide. In Pittsburgh, the single age group with the largest number of fatal injuries was 45-54 years old with almost half of the area’s total fatalities.
• Of the 28 fatally-injured workers in the area, 71 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remaining were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents, while for the self-employed, it was violence and other injuries by persons or animals.
• The highest number of fatal workplace injuries in the Pittsburgh area occurred on Wednesday, with almost one-third of all worker fatalities in the area occurring on this day of the week. Nationally, fatalities on this day represented 17 percent of the total.

 

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200. Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the BLS Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI 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 and definitions for the CFOI program, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS web site at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch9.pdf.

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.

Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the Pennsylvania Department of Health 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 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 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 industries, and workers' compensation agencies; state and local police departments; and state farm bureaus.

Area definitions. The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, dated December 2009. A detailed list of the geographic definitions is available at https://www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

The Pittsburgh, Pa. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is composed of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland Counties in Pennsylvania.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Pittsburgh, Pa, 2012-2013

Event or exposure(1)	2012(2)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	31	28	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	3	7	25
Intentional injury by person	3	7	25
Homicides	2	4	14
Shooting by other person--intentional	2	4	14
Suicides	-	3	11
Transportation incidents	9	6	21
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	3	2	7
Roadway collision with other vehicle	-	1	4
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	-	1	4
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	1	1	4
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	1	1	4
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	1	4	14
Nonroadway noncollision incident	1	4	14
Ran off driving surface, nonroadway	-	1	4
Fall or jump from and struck by same vehicle in normal operation, nonroadway	-	1	4
Falls, slips, trips	10	6	21
Falls to lower level	8	5	18
Other fall to lower level	7	3	11
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	5	5	18
Exposure to electricity	3	-	-
Direct exposure to electricity	2	1	4
Direct exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts	2	1	4
Exposure to other harmful substances	-	3	11
Contact with objects and equipment	4	4	14
Struck by object or equipment	3	3	11
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	3	1	4
Struck by falling part of powered vehicle still attached	-	1	4
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	-	2	7
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	1	1	4
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward. (2) Data for 2012 are revised and final. (p) Data for 2013 are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released spring 2015.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Pittsburgh, Pa, 2012-2013

Industry(1)	2012(2)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	31	28	100
Private industry	30	26	93
Goods-producing	12	10	36
Natural resources and mining	1	1	4
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	1	1	4
Forestry and logging	-	1	4
Logging	-	1	4
Logging	-	1	4
Construction	9	4	14
Construction	9	4	14
Specialty trade contractors	5	2	7
Building equipment contractors	1	1	4
Electrical contractors and other wiring installation contractors	1	1	4
Nonresidential electrical contractors and other wiring installation contractors	1	1	4
Other specialty trade contractors	-	1	4
Site preparation contractors	-	1	4
Manufacturing	-	5	18
Manufacturing	-	5	18
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	-	3	11
Cement and concrete product manufacturing	-	2	7
Ready-mix concrete manufacturing	-	2	7
Other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	-	1	4
All other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	-	1	4
Cut stone and stone product manufacturing	-	1	4
Service-providing	18	16	57
Trade, transportation, and utilities	8	9	32
Transportation and warehousing	4	7	25
Truck transportation	-	5	18
General freight trucking	-	3	11
General freight trucking, long-distance	-	3	11
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	-	1	4
Specialized freight trucking	-	-	-
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	-	1	4
Transit and ground passenger transportation	3	2	7
Taxi and limousine service	-	2	7
Taxi service	-	2	7
Professional and business services	7	4	14
Administrative and waste services	5	3	11
Administrative and support services	4	3	11
Services to buildings and dwellings	2	3	11
Leisure and hospitality	-	-	-
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	-	1	4
Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries	-	1	4
Other amusement and recreation industries	-	1	4
Golf courses and country clubs	-	1	4
Other services, except public administration	-	1	4
Other services, except public administration	-	1	4
Repair and maintenance	-	1	4
Automotive repair and maintenance	-	1	4
Automotive mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance	-	1	4
General automotive repair	-	1	4
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2007. Total may include other industries not shown. (2) Data for 2012 are revised and final. (3) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. (p) Data for 2013 are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released spring 2015.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Pittsburgh, Pa, 2012-2013

Occupation(1)	2012(2)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	31	28	100
Management occupations	3	4	14
Operations specialties managers	-	-	-
Industrial production managers	-	1	4
Industrial production managers	-	1	4
Other management occupations	-	-	-
Construction managers	-	1	4
Construction managers	-	1	4
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	2	4	14
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	1	1	4
First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	1	1	4
First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers	1	1	4
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	-	1	4
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	-	1	4
Logging workers	-	1	4
Fallers	-	1	4
Construction and extraction occupations	9	3	11
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	1	2	7
Supervisors of installation, maintenance, and repair workers	-	1	4
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers	-	1	4
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers	-	1	4
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	-	1	4
Line installers and repairers	-	1	4
Electrical power-line installers and repairers	-	1	4
Transportation and material moving occupations	7	9	32
Motor vehicle operators	5	7	25
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	-	5	18
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	-	4	14
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs	1	2	7
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs	1	2	7
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. Total may include occupations not shown. (2) Data for 2012 are revised and final. (p) Data for 2013 are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released spring 2015.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics, Pittsburgh, Pa, 2012-2013

Characteristic	2012(1)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	31	28	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(2)	25	20	71
Self-employed(3)	6	8	29
Gender
Men	26	27	96
Women	5	1	4
Age(4)
25 to 34 years	4	2	7
35 to 44 years	3	2	7
45 to 54 years	11	12	43
55 to 64 years	7	7	25
65 and over	6	5	18
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White (non-Hispanic)	29	23	82
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	-	4	14
Footnotes: (1) Data for 2012 are revised and final. (2) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. (3) 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. (4) Information may not be available for all age groups. (5) Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude Hispanic and Latino workers. (p) Data for 2013 are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released spring 2015.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.