Fatal work injuries totaled 37 in 2014 for the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that while the 2014 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in Boston decreased by five over the year. Since local area data became available in 2000 fatal occupational injuries in the metropolitan area have ranged from a high of 49 in 2005 to a low of 22 in 2012. (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 results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

Type of Incident

Of the 48 fatal work injuries reported in Boston in 2015, transportation incidents resulted in 14 deaths. Falls, slips, or trips were responsible for 12 deaths while violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 9 fatal work injuries. These three major categories accounted for 73 percent of all workplace fatalities in the metropolitan area. (See table 1).

Six of the fatalities within the transportation incidents category were roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles, and five were pedestrian vehicular incidents. Within the falls, slips, or trips category, 5 of the 12 fatalities were due to falls from collapsing structures or equipment. Five of the incidents in violence and other injuries by persons or animals were suicides while 3 were due to homicide.

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).

 

 

Industry

The private construction industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in the Boston area with 14, up from 6 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Falls, slips, or trips was the most frequent fatal event in the construction sector with 6 worker deaths, followed by exposure to harmful substances or other environments with 3 fatalities. Eleven of those fatally injured in this sector worked in specialty trade contracting.

The manufacturing sector had seven workplace fatalities in 2015, similar to the count in the previous year. Trade, transportation, and utilities also had 7 deaths, and was little changed over the year.

Occupation

Two occupations, construction and extraction (14) and transportation and material moving occupations (9), accounted for the highest number of workplace fatalities. (See table 3.) Within the construction and extraction occupations,  construction trades workers (14) had the largest number of fatalities. Motor vehicle operators accounted for the 5 of the 9 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers.

Additional Highlights

• Men accounted for 47, or 98 percent, of the work-related fatalities in the Boston area, compared to 93 percent nationwide. (See table 4.)
• 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 63 percent of the area’s on-the-job fatalities in 2015 compared to the 57 percent national share.
• Of the 48 fatally-injured persons in Boston, 85 percent worked for wages and salaries while the remaining were self-employed.

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 Massachusetts 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.

 

The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk Counties in Massachusetts and Rockingham and Strafford Counties in New Hampshire.

 

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, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 2014-15

Event or exposure (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	40	48	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	14	9	19
Intentional injury by person	14	8	17
Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)	4	3	6
Suicides (Self-inflicted injury--intentional)	10	5	10
Animal and insect related incidents	-	1	2
Struck by animal	-	1	2
Gored or rammed by animal	-	1	2
Transportation incidents	14	14	29
Aircraft incidents	6	-	--
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing	6	-	--
Pedestrian vehicular incident	2	5	10
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	-	1	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	1	4	8
Water vehicle incidents	1	1	2
Fall or jump from water vehicle	1	-	--
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	5	6	13
Roadway collision with other vehicle	-	3	6
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	1	-	--
Roadway noncollision incident	2	3	6
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	-	2	4
Nonroadway noncollision incident	-	1	2
Fires and explosions	2	-	--
Fires	2	-	--
Other structural fire without collapse	2	-	--
Falls, slips, trips	7	12	25
Falls on same level	-	3	6
Fall onto or against object on same level, n.e.c.	-	1	2
Falls to lower level	6	8	17
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment	6	5	10
Fall through surface or existing opening	3	-	--
Other fall to lower level	3	1	2
Exposure to harmful substances or environments		7	15
Exposure to temperature extremes	-	1	2
Exposure to environmental heat	-	1	2
Exposure to other harmful substnaces	-	5	10
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose	-	5	10
Contact with objects and equipment	2	4	8
Struck by object or equipment	1	4	8
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	-	-	--
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	-	2	4
Struck by swinging or slipping object, other than handheld	1	-	--
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	1	-	--
Caught in running equipment or machinery	1	-	--
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, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 2014-15

Industry (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	40	48	100
Private industry	35	48	100
Goods Producing	8	27	56
Natural resources and mining	1	6	13
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	1	5	10
Crop production	-	2	4
Animal production and aquaculture	-	1	2
Fishing, hunting and trapping	1	2	4
Mining (2)	-	1	2
Mining (except oil and gas)	-	1	2
Construction	6	14	29
Construction	6	14	29
Construction of buildings	3	1	2
Heavy and civil engineering construction	-	1	2
Specialty trade contractors	3	11	23
Building equipment contractors	1	-	--
Building finishing contractors	-	5	10
Manufacturing	1	7	15
Manufacturing	1	7	15
Food manufacturing	-	-	--
Beverage and tobacco product manufacturing	-	1	2
Machinery manufacturing	1	-	--
Transportation equipment manufacturing	-	1	2
Plastics and rubber product manufacturing	-	1	2
Service Producing	27	21	44
Trade, transportation, and utilities	8	7	15
Wholesale trade	-	4	8
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	-	2	4
Retail trade	2	-	--
Food and beverage stores	2	-	--
Transportation and warehousing	6	3	6
Air transportation	3	-	--
Truck transportation	1	1	2
Transit and ground passenger transportation	1	-	--
Support activities for transportation	1	-	--
Postal service	-	1	2
Information	1	-	--
Information	1	-	--
Telecommunications	1	-	--
Financial activities	-	3	6
Real estate and rental and leasing	-	3	6
Real estate	-	2	4
Activities related to real estate	-	1	2
Rental and leasing services	-	1	2
Professional and business services	6	3	6
Professional and technical services	-	1	2
Professional, scientific, and technical services	-	1	2
Administrative and waste services	6	2	4
Waste management and remediation services	-	1	2
Educational and health services	2	2	4
Educational services	1	-	--
Educational services	1	-	--
Colleges, universities, and professional schools	1	-	--
Health care and social assistance	1	2	4
Hospitals	-	2	4
Social assistance	1	-	--
Leisure and hospitality	1	2	4
Accommodation and food services	1	2	4
Food services and drinking places	1	2	4
Other services, except public administration	9	4	8
Other services, except public administration	9	4	8
Repair and maintenance	4	3	6
Personal and laundry services	2	-	--
Personal care services	2	-	--
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations	-	1	2
Grantmaking and giving services	2	-	--
Civic and social organizations	-	1	2
Government (3)	5	-	--
Local government	5	-	--
Service providing	5	-	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1	-	--
Utilities	1	-	--
Public Administration	4	-	--
Justice, public order, and safety activities	4	-	--
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, 2012, including ","establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in Oil and Gas Extraction. (3) 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, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 2014-15

Occupation (1)	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	40	48	100
Management occupations	5	3	6
Operations specialties managers	-	1	2
Other management occupations	2	2	4
Top Executives	3	-	--
Business and financial operations occupations	-	1	2
Financial specialists	-	1	2
Architecture and engineering occupations	-	1	2
Drafters, engineering technicians, and mapping technicians	-	1	2
Life, physical, and social science occupations	-	1	2
Life scientists	-	1	2
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	-	1	2
Health diagnosing and treating practitioners	-	1	2
Protective service occupations	4	-	--
Supervisors of protective service workers	1	-	--
Firefighting and prefention workers	1	-	--
Law enforcement workers	2	-	--
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	4	3	6
Supervisors of grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	1	-	--
Building cleaning and pest control workers	-	1	2
Grounds maintenance workers	2	2	4
Personal care and service occupations	2	-	--
Personal appearance workers	2	-	--
Sales and related occupations	1	-	--
Supervisors of sales workers	1	-	--
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	1	3	6
Agricultural workers	-	1	2
Fishing and hunting workers	1	2	4
Construction and extraction occupations	8	14	29
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	2	-	--
Construction trades workers	5	14	29
Structural iron and steel workers	-	2	4
Other construction and related workers	1	-	--
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	5	3	6
Supervisors of installation, maintenance, and repair workers	2	1	2
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	2	-	--
Other installation, maintenance, repair occupations	1	-	--
Production occupations	-	7	15
Supervisors of production workers	-	-	--
Food processing workers	-	1	2
Other production occupations	-	1	2
Transportation and material moving occupations	8	9	19
Air transportation workers	3	-	--
Supervisors, transportation and material moving workers	-	1	2
Motor vehicle operators	4	5	10
Material moving workers	1	3	6
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, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 2014-15

Worker characteristics	2014	2015
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	40	48	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	35	41	85
Self-employed (2)	5	7	15
Gender
Men	36	47	98
Women	4	1	2
Age (3)
Under 16 years	-	-	--
16 to 17 years	-	-	--
18 to 19 years	-	-	--
20 to 24 years	-	5	10
25 to 34 years	7	6	13
35 to 44 years	10	12	25
45 to 54 years	12	12	25
55 to 64 years	6	8	17
65 years and over	5	5	10
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	34	42	88
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	3	1	2
Hispanic or Latino	1	3	6
American Indian or Alaskan Native, non-Hispanic	-	-	--
Asian, non-Hispanic	2	-	--
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic	-	-	--
of compensation
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.