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News Release Information

22-443-CHI
Thursday, April 07, 2022

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

Fatal Work Injuries in Illinois — 2020

Fatal work injuries totaled 135 in 2020 for Illinois, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Illinois was down from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 262 in 1996 to a low of 135 in 2020.

Nationwide, a total of 4,764 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2020, an 11-percent decrease from 5,333 in 2019, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). The 4,764 fatal occupational injuries in 2020 represents the lowest annual number since 2013.


Fatal event or exposure

In Illinois, transportation incidents resulted in 55 fatal work injuries and accounted for 41 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 53 over the year.

Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most frequent fatal workplace event with 24 fatalities, down from 26 in 2019. Violence or other injuries by persons or animals resulted in 22 fatalities, down from 31 in the prior year. Contact with objects or equipment resulted in 17 work-related deaths compared to 23 in 2019.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2020, accounting for 37 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent).


Industry

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Illinois with 27, up from 24 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 19 of the 27 fatalities in the industry. The general freight trucking industry group accounted for 14 of the 19 fatal workplace injuries in the transportation and warehousing industry.

The private construction industry sector had 21 fatal workplace injuries, down from 30 in the previous year. The specialty trade contractors subsector accounted for 13, or 62 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 39. (See table 3.) Motor vehicle operators accounted for 31 of the 39 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 20, followed by installation, maintenance, and repair occupations with 15. Construction trades workers suffered 17 of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction occupational group.

Additional highlights
  • Men accounted for 93 percent of the work-related fatalities in Illinois, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 42 percent of the fatalities for men in Illinois.

  • White non-Hispanics accounted for 72 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 61 percent of work-related deaths.

  • Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 54 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2020, compared to 56 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

  • Of the 135 fatal work injuries in Illinois, 81 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. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals also was 8 for self-employed, same as transportation incidents.

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 at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-on-workplace-injuries-and-illnesses-compensation-and-occupational-requirements.htm


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 2020 national data, over 21,600 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 at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm and the CFOI definitions at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm.

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 www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm.

Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the Illinois Department of Public 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 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, Illinois, 2019–20
Event or exposure (1)20192020
NumberNumberPercent

Total

158135100

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals

312216

Intentional injury by person

292116

Intentional injury by other person

211410

Shooting by other person--intentional

1886

Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing

132

Hitting, kicking, beating, shoving

--11

Self-inflicted injury--intentional

875

Injury by person--unintentional or intent unknown

--11

Injury by other person--unintentional or intent unknown

--11

Shooting by other person--unintentional

--11

Transportation incidents

535541

Aircraft incidents

--32

Other in-flight crash

--32

Other in-flight crash into structure, object, or ground

--32

Rail vehicle incidents

532

Pedestrian vehicular incident

14107

Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road

432

Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area

432

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

293022

Roadway collision with other vehicle

201511

Roadway collision--moving in same direction

743

Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming

511

Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly

375

Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle in roadway

--32

Roadway collision with object other than vehicle

375

Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway

364

Roadway noncollision incident

686

Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles

597

Nonroadway noncollision incident

--75

Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway

--54

Fires and explosions

------

Falls, slips, trips

262418

Falls on same level

--64

Falls to lower level

181612

Exposure to harmful substances or environments

17----

Contact with objects and equipment

231713

Struck by object or equipment

16129

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

864

Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects

432

Caught in running equipment or machinery

332

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

--21

Engulfment in other collapsing material

--21

Overexertion and bodily reaction

------

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. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Illinois, 2019–20
Industry (1)20192020
NumberNumberPercent

Total

158135100

Private industry (2)

13912693

Goods producing

------

Natural resources and mining

--1410

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

151310

Crop production

12118

Oilseed and grain farming

1097

Soybean farming

111

Corn farming

886

Other crop farming

--11

All other crop farming

--11

Animal production and aquaculture

--11

Poultry and egg production

--11

Forestry and logging

--11

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (3)

--11

Mining (except oil and gas)

--11

Nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying

--11

Construction

302116

Construction

302116

Construction of buildings

--43

Heavy and civil engineering construction

443

Specialty trade contractors

--1310

Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors

--54

Roofing contractors

--32

Building equipment contractors

--43

Building finishing contractors

--32

Finish carpentry contractors

--11

Other specialty trade contractors

--11

Site preparation contractors

--11

Manufacturing

--1310

Manufacturing

--1310

Machinery manufacturing

--97

Industrial machinery manufacturing

--11

Industrial machinery manufacturing

--11

Service providing (4)

------

Trade, transportation, and utilities

364634

Utilities

111

Utilities

111

Electric power generation, transmission and distribution

111

Electric power transmission, control, and distribution

111

Wholesale trade

697

Merchant wholesalers, durable goods

354

Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers

--21

Construction and mining (except oil well) machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers

--11

Industrial machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers

--11

Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods

343

Farm product raw material merchant wholesalers

121

Grain and field bean merchant wholesalers

121

Retail trade

597

Food and beverage stores

143

Grocery stores

111

Convenience stores

--11

Specialty food stores

--11

Other specialty food stores

--11

Confectionery and nut stores

--11

Beer, wine, and liquor stores

--21

Beer, wine, and liquor stores

--21

Health and personal care stores

--21

Health and personal care stores

--21

Gasoline stations

111

Gasoline stations

111

Transportation and warehousing

242720

Truck transportation

171813

General freight trucking

121410

General freight trucking, local

643

General freight trucking, long-distance

586

Specialized freight trucking

543

Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance

543

Transit and ground passenger transportation

221

Taxi and limousine service

221

Support activities for transportation

--43

Support activities for water transportation

--11

Navigational services to shipping

--11

Information

------

Financial activities

--43

Real estate and rental and leasing

--43

Professional and business services

91410

Professional, scientific, and technical services

--54

Professional, scientific, and technical services

--54

Architectural, engineering, and related services

--11

Engineering services

--11

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services

--21

Environmental consulting services

--21

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services

797

Administrative and support services

786

Investigation and security services

--11

Investigation, guard, and armored car services

--11

Security guards and patrol services

--11

Services to buildings and dwellings

--75

Landscaping services

--75

Waste management and remediation services

--11

Waste collection

--11

Waste collection

--11

Solid waste collection

--11

Educational and health services

--54

Educational services

--11

Educational services

--11

Technical and trade schools

--11

Technical and trade schools

--11

Flight training

--11

Health care and social assistance

--43

Leisure and hospitality

13----

Accommodation and food services

1154

Other services, except public administration

11----

Government (5)

1997

Federal government

--11

State government

5----

Local government

1264

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 definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm.
(2) Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts.
(3) Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, including establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in oil and gas extraction.
(4) Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts.
(5) 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 final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Illinois, 2019–20
Occupation (1)20192020
NumberNumberPercent

Total

158135100

Management occupations

2064

Business and financial operations occupations

------

Computer and mathematical occupations

------

Architecture and engineering occupations

------

Life, physical, and social science occupations

------

Community and social service occupations

121

Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists

--21

Social workers

--11

Legal occupations

------

Educational instruction and library occupations

------

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

1----

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

------

Healthcare support occupations

------

Protective service occupations

1786

Other protective service workers

632

Food preparation and serving related occupations

4----

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

597

Personal care and service occupations

------

Sales and related occupations

797

Supervisors of sales workers

--54

First-line supervisors of sales workers

--54

First-line supervisors of retail sales workers

--43

First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

--11

Office and administrative support occupations

611

Information and record clerks

--11

Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks

--11

Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks

--11

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

464

Agricultural workers

354

Miscellaneous agricultural workers

354

Construction and extraction occupations

302015

Construction trades workers

241713

Carpenters

--32

Carpenters

--32

Construction laborers

1064

Construction laborers

1064

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

111511

Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers

564

Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

575

Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers

--32

Line installers and repairers

--11

Electrical power-line installers and repairers

--11

Production occupations

786

Metal workers and plastic workers

--64

Transportation and material moving occupations

413929

Motor vehicle operators

313123

Material moving workers

--54

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 this year, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.

NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Illinois, 2019–20
Worker characteristics20192020
NumberNumberPercent

Total

158135100

Employee status

Wage and salary workers (1)

12910981

Self-employed (2)

292619

Gender

Men

14212593

Women

16107

Age (3)

Under 16 years

--11

18 to 19 years

211

20 to 24 years

843

25 to 34 years

282519

35 to 44 years

322519

45 to 54 years

312317

55 to 64 years

343828

65 years and over

231813

Race or ethnic origin (4)

White, non-Hispanic

1169772

Black or African-American, non-Hispanic

181511

Hispanic or Latino

171813

Asian, non-Hispanic

--54

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 final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, April 07, 2022