Fatal work injuries totaled 145 in 2012 for Illinois, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that while the 2012 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in Illinois declined by 32 over the year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 262 in 1996 to this year’s low of 145. Over the last two years, the number of fatalities has trended downward, declining by 61 since 2010. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a preliminary total of 4,383 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2012, down from a revised count of 4,693 fatalities in 2011, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Final 2012 CFOI data will be released in spring 2014.

Of the 145 fatal work injuries reported in Illinois in 2012, 52 resulted from transportation incidents and 32 from violence and other injuries by persons or animals; along with falls, slips, and trips (24), these major categories accounted for three-quarters of all fatal work injuries. Other major event categories each reported less than 20 deaths. (See table 1.) Within transportation incidents, roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles was the most frequent type of workplace fatality with 25 deaths. The second largest event in transportation incidents, pedestrian vehicular incidents, accounted for 17 fatalities. In the violence and other injuries by persons or animals category, 16 deaths were homicides and 14 were suicides. (Note that transportation counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2012 data are released in Spring 2014 because key source documentation detailing specific transportation-related incidents has not yet been received.)

In the United States, transportation incidents were also the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2012, accounting for 41 percent of fatal work injuries. Illinois’s 36-percent share of on-the-job fatalities due to this event was lower than the nationwide share. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries was the second most frequent type of event nationally, with 17 percent of work-related fatalities, 5 percentage points lower than the share in Illinois. Contact with objects or equipment (16 percent) and falls, slips, and trips (15 percent) were the third and fourth most frequent events, respectively, in the nation.

Additional key characteristics:

• The transportation and warehousing industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in the state with 32, unchanged from the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents accounted for 16 of the worker deaths, while 5 fatalities were due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals.
• The manufacturing industry had the second highest fatality count with 17, up from 13 in 2011. Falls, slips, and trips accounted for five worker deaths in this sector.
• Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of fatal work injuries with 45. (See table 3.) The majority of these fatalities were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (26). Workers in construction and extraction occupations had the next highest fatality count at 27.
• Men accounted for 134, or 92 percent, of the work-related fatalities in the state. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up just over 1 out of every 3 of these fatalities.
• In Illinois, 72 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were white non-Hispanics. Nationwide, this group accounted for 68 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 93, or 64 percent, of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2012. Nationally, workers in this group accounted for 59 percent of on-the-job fatalities.
• Of the 145 persons that suffered fatal work injuries in Illinois, 80 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remaining were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents; for the self-employed it was violence and other injuries by persons or animals.

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 United States 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 at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/home.htm.

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. 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, in particular the Illinois Department of Public Health.

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.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Illinois, 2011-2012

Event or exposure(1)	2011	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	177	145	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	44	32	22
Intentional injury by person	43	30	21
Intentional injury by other person	29	16	11
Shooting by other person--intentional	24	12	8
Hitting, kicking, beating, shoving	1	4	3
Self-inflicted injury--intentional	14	14	10
Hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation--intentional self-harm	4	6	4
Transportation incidents	54	52	36
Aircraft incidents	2	5	3
Other in-flight crash	1	5	3
Other in-flight crash into structure, object, or ground	1	4	3
Pedestrian vehicular incident	10	17	12
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in work zone	2	4	3
Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road	--	5	3
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle on side of road	--	4	3
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	4	5	3
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	25	25	17
Roadway collision with other vehicle	15	18	12
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	5	5	3
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	3	4	3
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	5	4	3
Fires and Explosions	4	8	6
Explosions	--	5	3
Falls, slips, trips	29	24	17
Falls on same level	4	5	3
Falls to lower level	25	18	12
Other fall to lower level	22	16	11
Other fall to lower level less than 6 feet	1	4	3
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	25	10	7
Exposure to other harmful substances	11	9	6
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose	6	7	5
Contact with objects and equipment	20	17	12
Struck by object or equipment	10	14	10
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	6	9	6
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	--	5	3
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward. Total may include other events not shown. (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2012 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2014.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Illinois, 2011-2012

Industry(1)	2011	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	177	145	100
Private industry	161	129	89
Natural resources and mining	22	12	8
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	22	9	6
Crop production	17	9	6
Construction	21	16	11
Construction	21	16	11
Heavy and civil engineering construction	--	6	4
Highway, street, and bridge construction	--	5	3
Specialty trade contractors	15	8	6
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	7	5	3
Roofing contractors	4	4	3
Manufacturing	13	17	12
Manufacturing	13	17	12
Food manufacturing	1	4	3
Grain and oilseed milling	--	4	3
Transportation equipment manufacturing	--	4	3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	53	44	30
Retail trade	12	10	7
Transportation and warehousing	32	32	22
Truck transportation	21	23	16
General freight trucking	9	10	7
General freight trucking, long-distance	3	6	4
Specialized freight trucking	12	13	9
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	1	4	3
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance	11	9	6
Financial activities	4	7	5
Real estate and rental and leasing	--	6	4
Real estate	--	6	4
Professional and business services	17	10	7
Administrative and waste services	--	7	5
Waste management and remediation services	3	4	3
Waste collection	--	4	3
Waste collection	--	4	3
Solid waste collection	--	4	3
Educational and health services	8	10	7
Health care and social assistance	6	9	6
Hospitals	2	4	3
General medical and surgical hospitals	2	4	3
Leisure and hospitality	11	8	6
Accommodation and food services	7	5	3
Food services and drinking places	7	4	3
Government(2)	16	16	11
Local government	12	12	8
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2007. Total may include other industries not shown. (2) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2012 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2014.
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. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Illinois, 2011-2012

Occupation(1)	2011	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	177	145	100
Management occupations	26	10	7
Other management occupations	22	9	6
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	13	5	3
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	13	5	3
Architecture and engineering occupations	--	4	3
Engineers	--	4	3
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	--	5	3
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	3	4	3
Health diagnosing and treating practitioners	2	4	3
Protective service occupations	12	6	4
Sales and related occupations	9	9	6
Office and administrative support occupations	3	4	3
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	7	4	3
Agricultural workers	7	4	3
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	7	4	3
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse	7	4	3
Construction and extraction occupations	20	27	19
Construction trades workers	18	20	14
Construction laborers	3	8	6
Construction laborers	3	8	6
Roofers	3	4	3
Roofers	3	4	3
Other construction and related workers	--	4	3
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	14	6	4
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	10	4	3
Production occupations	8	9	6
Other production occupations	3	4	3
Transportation and material moving occupations	47	45	31
Motor vehicle operators	31	30	21
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	26	28	19
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	24	26	18
Material moving workers	11	9	6
Laborers and material movers, hand	11	4	3
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	11	4	3
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. Total may include occupations not shown. (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2012 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2014.
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. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics, Illinois, 2011-2012

Worker characteristics	2011	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	177	145	100
Employee status
Wage and salary(1)	136	116	80
Self-employed(2)	41	29	20
Gender
Men	153	134	92
Women	24	11	8
Age(3)
20 to 24 years	7	9	6
25 to 34 years	29	17	12
35 to 44 years	45	30	21
45 to 54 years	40	46	32
55 to 64 years	28	23	16
65 years and over	24	18	12
Race or ethnic origin(4)
White, non-Hispanic	128	104	72
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	21	18	12
Hispanic or Latino	25	19	13
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. (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2012 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2014.
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. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.