Fatal work injuries totaled 17 in 2015 for the Richmond, Va. Metropolitan Statistical Area, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the number of work-related fatalities in the Richmond area decreased from 19 in 2014. Fatal occupational injuries in the area have ranged from a high of 30 in 2005 to a low of 13 in 2013. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 4,836 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2015, a slight increase from the 4,821 fatal injuries in 2014, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

 

Type of incident

In the Richmond area, transportation incidents resulted in eight fatal work injuries, while falls, slips, or trips and contact with objects and equipment each accounted for four workplace fatalities. These three major categories accounted for 94 percent of all workplace fatalities in the Richmond area. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents was unchanged from the previous year.

Nationally, transportation incidents was the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2015, accounting for approximately 42 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, or trips was the second-most frequent type of event, with 17 percent of work-related fatalities followed by contact with objects and equipment (15 percent) and violence and other injuries by persons or animals (15 percent).

Industry

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in the Richmond area with five compared to seven in the previous year. (See table 2.) Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles accounted for three of these fatalities. Sixty percent of those fatally injured in this sector worked in long-distance general freight trucking.

The private administrative and support and waste management and remediation services sector had four fatal workplace fatalities; the private construction industry had three on-the-job fatalities. Landscaping services accounted for all of the fatalities in the administrative and support and waste management and remediation services industry and specialty trade contracting accounted for all of the deaths in the construction industry.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with six and four, respectively. (See table 3.) Half of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Tree trimmers and pruners accounted for three fatalities among building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers.

Contracted Workers

A contracted worker is defined as a worker employed by one firm but working at the behest of another firm that exercises overall responsibility for the operations at the site of the fatal injury. In 2015, the Richmond area had two fatally-injured workers identified as fitting the contracted worker criteria; both of those were contracted by a firm in private nonresidential building construction.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 94 percent of the work-related fatalities in the Richmond area, similar to the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 44 percent of the fatalities for men in the Richmond area.
• White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 65 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 67 percent of work-related deaths. The share of fatalities among black or African-American non-Hispanic workers was 24 percent in the Richmond area and 10 percent nationwide.
• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 47 percent of the Richmond area’s work-related fatalities in 2015, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
• Of the 17 fatally-injured workers in the Richmond area, 65 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents.
• Twenty-nine percent of workplace fatalities in the Richmond area occurred on a Wednesday. Nationwide, 17 percent of workplace fatalities occurred on a Wednesday.

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 ensures counts are as complete and accurate as possible. For technical information and definitions for CFOI, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS web site at https://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 Virginia Department of Labor and Industry 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.

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 February 28, 2013. A detailed list of the geographic definitions is available at https://www.bls.gov/lau/lausmsa.htm.

The Richmond, Va. Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Amelia, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, King William, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, and Sussex Counties in Virginia; and Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond Cities in Virginia.

Information in this release is available to sensory-impaired individuals. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Fatal Occupational Injuries by event or exposure, Richmond, VA, 2014-2015

Event or exposure(1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	19	17	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	6	1	6
Intentional injury by person	6	1	6
Homicides	4	1	6
Strangulation by other person	1	1	6
Transportation incidents	8	8	47
Rail vehicle incidents	1	1	6
Pedestrian struck by rail vehicle--transportation incident	1	1	6
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle	5	6	35
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	5	5	29
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	5	5	29
Fall, slip, trip	-	4	24
Fall to lower level	-	4	24
Other fall to lower level	-	4	24
Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet	-	1	6
Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet	-	1	6
Contact with objects and equipment	-	4	24
Struck by object or equipment	-	3	18
Injured by handheld object or equipment	-	1	6
Injured by slipping or swinging object held by injured worker	-	1	6
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	-	1	6
Caught in running equipment or machinery	-	1	6
Caught in running equipment or machinery during regular operation	-	1	6
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. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 2. Fatal Occupational Injuries by Industry, Richmond, VA, 2014-2015

Industry(1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	19	17	100
Private industry	18	16	94
Goods producing	5	4	24
Construction	4	3	18
Specialty trade contractors	-	3	18
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	-	1	6
Masonry contractors	-	1	6
Nonresidential masonry contractors	-	1	6
Building finishing contractors	-	1	6
Finish carpentry contractors	-	1	6
Manufacturing	-	1	6
Primary metal manufacturing	-	1	6
Alumina and aluminum production and processing	-	1	6
Alumina and aluminum production and processing	-	1	6
Aluminum sheet, plate, and foil manufacturing	-	1	6
Service providing	13	12	71
Trade, transportation, and utilities	10	7	41
Retail trade	3	-	-
Motor vehicle and parts dealers	1	1	6
Automobile dealers	-	1	6
Used car dealers	-	1	6
Transportation and warehousing	7	5	29
Truck transportation	2	3	18
General freight trucking	1	3	18
General freight trucking, long-distance	1	3	18
Professional and business services	-	4	24
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	-	4	24
Administrative and support services	-	4	24
Services to buildings and dwellings	-	4	24
Landscaping services	-	4	24
Government (2)	1	1	6
State government	-	1	6
Service providing	-	1	6
Public administration	-	1	6
Justice, public order, and safety activities	-	1	6
Justice, public order, and safety activities	-	1	6
Police protection	-	1	6
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry.
NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Richmond, VA, 2014-2015

Occupation(1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	19	17	100
Service occupations	-	5	29
Protective service occupations	-	1	6
Law enforcement workers	-	1	6
Police officers	-	1	6
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	-	1	6
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	-	4	24
Grounds maintenance workers	-	4	24
Grounds maintenance workers	-	4	24
Tree trimmers and pruners	-	3	18
Sales and office occupations	2	1	6
Sales and related occupations	2	1	6
Supervisors, sales workers	2	1	6
First-line supervisors/managers, sales workers	2	1	6
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	2	1	6
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations	3	4	24
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	-	-	-
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	-	1	6
Line installers and repairers	-	1	6
Telecommunications line installers and repairers	-	1	6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	9	7	41
Production occupations	-	1	6
Metal workers and plastic workers	-	1	6
Machinists	-	1	6
Machinists	-	1	6
Transportation and material moving occupations	9	6	35
Motor vehicle operators	7	6	35
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	6	4	24
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	5	3	18
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010.
NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 4. Fatal Occupational Injuries by Worker Characteristics, Richmond, VA, 2014-2015

Worker characteristics	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	19	17	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers(1)	13	11	65
Self-employed(2)	6	6	35
Gender
Women	2	1	6
Men	17	16	94
Age(3)
25 to 34 years	3	1	6
35 to 44 years	1	3	18
45 to 54 years	4	4	24
55 to 64 years	3	5	29
Race or ethnic origin(4)
White (non-Hispanic)	16	11	65
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	-	4	24
Footnotes: (1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. (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 Hispanic and Latino workers.
NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.