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News Release Information

17-131-CHI
Thursday, February 23, 2017

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

Fatal Work Injuries in Nebraska — 2015

Fatal work injuries totaled 50 in 2015 for Nebraska, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Nebraska decreased from 55 the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 83 in 1994 and 2002 to a low of 36 in 2005. (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 Nebraska, transportation incidents and contact with objects or equipment resulted in 23 and 11 fatal work injuries, respectively. These two major categories accounted for 68 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents decreased by three over the year. Fatalities from contact with objects or equipment were little changed from the previous year.

Nationally, transportation incidents were 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 (17 percent), followed by contact with objects and equipment (15 percent) and violence and other injuries by persons or animals (15 percent).

Industry

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in Nebraska with 17, little changed from the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents was the most frequent fatal event in the agriculture sector with eight worker deaths, followed by contact with objects and equipment with seven fatalities. Fifty-nine percent of those fatally injured in this sector worked in cattle ranching and farming.

The private transportation and warehousing sector had eight workplace fatalities, up by four from the previous year. Truck transportation accounted for five of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations and management occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 15 and 13, respectively. (See table 3.) Six of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers accounted for 10 of the 13 fatalities among management workers.

Additional highlights
  • Men accounted for 90 percent of the work-related fatalities in Nebraska, below the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 49 percent of the fatalities for men in Nebraska.
  • White non-Hispanics accounted for 88 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 67 percent of work-related deaths.
  • Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 40 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2015, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
  • Of the 50 fatal work injuries in Nebraska, 60 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both groups was transportation incidents.
Change in the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) News Release Schedule

Beginning with the 2015 reference year, CFOI will publish a single, annual release with no revisions. A similar schedule will be followed in subsequent years. Preliminary releases, which normally appeared in August or September in past years, will no longer be produced.


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 the 2015 data, over 21,400 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for CFOI, 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 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 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, Nebraska, 2014–15
Event or exposure (1)20142015
NumberNumberPercent

Total

5550100

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals

7612

Intentional injury by person

536

Transportation incidents

262346

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

171938

Roadway collision with other vehicle

101224

Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming

348

Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly

4510

Roadway noncollision incident

6612

Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway

548

Ran off roadway

--24

Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles

448

Nonroadway noncollision incident

148

Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway

--36

Fires and explosions

248

Explosions

124

Explosion of nonpressurized vapors, gases, or liquids

--24

Falls, slips, trips

948

Falls to lower level

848

Contact with objects and equipment

101122

Struck by object or equipment

4714

Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport

--48

Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle

--48

Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle

--36

Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery--other than vehicle part

--36

Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material

436

Engulfment in other collapsing material

236

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 final. 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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.
 

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Nebraska, 2014–15
Industry (1)20142015
NumberNumberPercent

Total

5550100

Private industry

514896

Natural resources and mining

171836

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

161734

Crop production

11714

Oilseed and grain farming

2510

Corn farming

136

Animal production and aquaculture

51020

Cattle ranching and farming

41020

Beef cattle ranching and farming, including feedlots

--816

Beef cattle ranching and farming

--714

Construction

9510

Construction

9510

Construction of buildings

236

Nonresidential building construction

136

Commercial and institutional building construction

--24

Specialty trade contractors

--24

Manufacturing

736

Manufacturing

736

Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing

124

Trade, transportation, and utilities

141122

Wholesale trade

724

Transportation and warehousing

4816

Truck transportation

4510

General freight trucking

136

General freight trucking, long-distance

124

General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload

124

Support activities for transportation

--24

Support activities for rail transportation

--24

Support activities for rail transportation

--24

Information

212

Financial activities

112

Professional and business services

148

Administrative and waste services

148

Administrative and support services

148

Services to buildings and dwellings

--48

Educational and health services

112

Leisure and hospitality

--36

Accommodation and food services

--24

Other services, except public administration

--12

Government (2)

424

Local government

424

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 final. 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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.
 

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Nebraska, 2014–15
Occupation (1)20142015
NumberNumberPercent

Total

5550100

Management occupations

111326

Top executives

--12

Chief executives

--12

Chief executives

--12

Other management occupations

111224

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

111020

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

111020

Funeral service managers

--12

Funeral service managers

--12

Lodging managers

--12

Lodging managers

--12

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

--12

Health diagnosing and treating practitioners

--12

Dentists

--12

Dentists, general

--12

Protective service occupations

312

Law enforcement workers

112

Detectives and criminal investigators

--12

Detectives and criminal investigators

--12

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

--48

Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers

------

First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers

------

First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers

--12

Personal care and service occupations

--12

Entertainment attendants and related workers

--12

Miscellaneous entertainment attendants and related workers

--12

Amusement and recreation attendants

--12

Sales and related occupations

312

Supervisors of sales workers

312

First-line supervisors of sales workers

312

First-line supervisors of retail sales workers

112

Office and administrative support occupations

--12

Secretaries and administrative assistants

--12

Secretaries and administrative assistants

--12

Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive

--12

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

5714

Agricultural workers

5714

Miscellaneous agricultural workers

5714

Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse

236

Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals

348

Construction and extraction occupations

1148

Supervisors of construction and extraction workers

412

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

412

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

412

Construction trades workers

636

Construction laborers

536

Construction laborers

536

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

324

Electrical and electronic equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers

112

Radio and telecommunications equipment installers and repairers

--12

Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers

--12

Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

--12

Maintenance and repair workers, general

112

Maintenance and repair workers, general

112

Transportation and material moving occupations

151530

Motor vehicle operators

9816

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

9816

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

6612

Material moving workers

5714

Crane and tower operators

--12

Crane and tower operators

--12

Industrial truck and tractor operators

224

Industrial truck and tractor operators

224

Laborers and material movers, hand

------

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment

--24

Refuse and recyclable material collectors

--12

Refuse and recyclable material collectors

--12

Footnotes:
(1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010.
 

NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.
 

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics, Nebraska, 2014–15
Worker characteristics20142015
NumberNumberPercent

Total

5550100

Employee status

 

Wage and salary workers (1)

373060

Self-employed (2)

182040

Gender

 

Men

514590

Women

4510

Age (3)

 

25 to 34 years

6714

35 to 44 years

6816

45 to 54 years

10510

55 to 64 years

111428

65 years and over

171632

Race or ethnic origin (4)

 

White, non-Hispanic

424488

Black or African-American, non-Hispanic

4----

Hispanic or Latino

948

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 final. 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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, February 23, 2017