News Release Information
20-183-NEW
Monday, February 03, 2020
Fatal Occupational Injuries in New Jersey – 2018
Fatal work injuries in New Jersey totaled 83 in 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that the number of work-related fatalities in New Jersey increased by 14 from the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 145 in 1993 to a low of 69 in 2017. (See chart 1.)
Nationwide, a total of 5,250 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2018, up from the 5,147 fatal injuries in 2017, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.
Type of incidentIn New Jersey, transportation incidents resulted in 32 fatal work injuries and falls, slips, and trips accounted for 16 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 58 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents increased by 7 over the year, and worker fatalities due to falls, slips, and trips increased by 4.
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 13 fatalities, followed by exposure to harmful substances or environments, which resulted in 12 work-related deaths. In 2017, each of these categories accounted for 10 occupational fatalities in New Jersey.
Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2018, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most common fatal event (16 percent), followed by falls, slips, and trips (15 percent) and contact with objects and equipment (15 percent).
IndustryThe private construction industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in New Jersey with 23, up from 14 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Falls to a lower level were the most frequent fatal event in the construction sector with 10 worker deaths, followed by transportation incidents with 8 fatalities. Almost half (48 percent) of those fatally injured in this sector worked in specialty trade contracting.
The private transportation and warehousing sector had 14 workplace fatalities, up from 11 in the previous year. Two industries—long-distance general freight trucking along with warehousing and storage—each accounted for 4 worker deaths in the sector.
OccupationTransportation and material moving occupations and construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 31 and 23, respectively. (See table 3.) The majority of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group involved motor vehicle operators (17). Construction trades workers accounted for 16 of the 23 fatalities among construction and extraction workers.
Contracted WorkersA contractor 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 2018, New Jersey had 14 fatally-injured workers identified as fitting the contractor criteria.
Additional highlights- Men accounted for 93 percent of the work-related fatalities in New Jersey, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 39 percent of the fatalities for men in the state.
- White non-Hispanics accounted for 52 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 65 percent of work-related deaths.
- Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 55 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2018, compared to 58 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
- Of the 83 fatal work injuries in New Jersey, 82 percent involved wage and salary workers; the remainder of the decedents were self-employed.
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 fatal work 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 2018 data, over 24,800 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 on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.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 New Jersey Department of 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 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, New Jersey, 2017–18| Event or exposure | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|
| Number | Number | Percent |
|---|
Total | 69 | 83 | 100 |
|---|
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals | 10 | 13 | 16 |
|---|
Intentional injury by person | 10 | 13 | 16 |
|---|
Intentional injury by other person | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|
Shooting by other person--intentional | 4 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Self-inflicted injury--intentional | 5 | 7 | 8 |
|---|
Hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation--intentional self-harm | -- | 4 | 5 |
|---|
Transportation incidents | 25 | 32 | 39 |
|---|
Aircraft incidents | 5 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing | 3 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing--due to mechanical failure | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing--into structure, object, or ground | 3 | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Pedestrian vehicular incident | 7 | 7 | 8 |
|---|
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway | 1 | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in roadway | 1 | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road | 1 | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle on side of road | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up on side of road | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area | 4 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in nonroadway area | 3 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Water vehicle incidents | 3 | -- | -- |
|---|
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle | 10 | 21 | 25 |
|---|
Roadway collision with other vehicle | 6 | 10 | 12 |
|---|
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming | 1 | 4 | 5 |
|---|
Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle on side of roadway | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle | 4 | 11 | 13 |
|---|
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway | 4 | 11 | 13 |
|---|
Fires and explosions | 3 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Fires | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Collapsing building, structure, or structural element during fire | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Falls, slips, trips | 12 | 16 | 19 |
|---|
Falls to lower level | 11 | 14 | 17 |
|---|
Fall through surface or existing opening | -- | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Other fall to lower level | 8 | 9 | 11 |
|---|
Other fall to lower level 21 to 25 feet | -- | 4 | 5 |
|---|
Exposure to harmful substances or environments | 10 | 12 | 14 |
|---|
Exposure to electricity | 3 | -- | -- |
|---|
Exposure to other harmful substances | 7 | 11 | 13 |
|---|
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose | 5 | 9 | 11 |
|---|
Contact with objects and equipment | 9 | 9 | 11 |
|---|
Struck by object or equipment | 7 | 6 | 7 |
|---|
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport | 3 | -- | -- |
|---|
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle | -- | 5 | 6 |
|---|
Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery--other than vehicle part | -- | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Overexertion and bodily reaction | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
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, New Jersey, 2017–18| Industry | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|
| Number | Number | Percent |
|---|
Total | 69 | 83 | 100 |
|---|
Private industry | 62 | 74 | 89 |
|---|
Goods producing | 24 | 28 | 34 |
|---|
Natural resources and mining | 5 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 5 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Crop production | 4 | -- | -- |
|---|
Construction | 14 | 23 | 28 |
|---|
Construction | 14 | 23 | 28 |
|---|
Construction of buildings | -- | 9 | 11 |
|---|
Residential building construction | -- | 8 | 10 |
|---|
Residential building construction | -- | 8 | 10 |
|---|
Residential remodelers | -- | 5 | 6 |
|---|
Heavy and civil engineering construction | 3 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Highway, street, and bridge construction | 2 | -- | -- |
|---|
Specialty trade contractors | 10 | 11 | 13 |
|---|
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors | 5 | 4 | 5 |
|---|
Siding contractors | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Other foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Building equipment contractors | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Other building equipment contractors | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Building finishing contractors | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|
Manufacturing | 5 | -- | -- |
|---|
Manufacturing | 5 | -- | -- |
|---|
Food manufacturing | 2 | -- | -- |
|---|
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Service providing | 38 | 46 | 55 |
|---|
Trade, transportation, and utilities | 17 | 21 | 25 |
|---|
Utilities | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Wholesale trade | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Retail trade | 3 | 7 | 8 |
|---|
Food and beverage stores | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Grocery stores | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Convenience stores | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Gasoline stations | 1 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Gasoline stations | 1 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Gasoline stations with convenience stores | -- | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Transportation and warehousing | 11 | 14 | 17 |
|---|
Air transportation | 2 | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Nonscheduled air transportation | 2 | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Nonscheduled air transportation | 2 | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Nonscheduled chartered passenger air transportation | 1 | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Truck transportation | 8 | 5 | 6 |
|---|
General freight trucking | 6 | 5 | 6 |
|---|
General freight trucking, long-distance | 6 | 4 | 5 |
|---|
Specialized freight trucking | 2 | -- | -- |
|---|
Transit and ground passenger transportation | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Taxi and limousine service | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Support activities for transportation | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Support activities for road transportation | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Motor vehicle towing | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Warehousing and storage | -- | 4 | 5 |
|---|
Warehousing and storage | -- | 4 | 5 |
|---|
General warehousing and storage | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Information | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Financial activities | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Professional and business services | 12 | 13 | 16 |
|---|
Professional and technical services | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Administrative and waste services | 11 | 12 | 14 |
|---|
Administrative and support services | 9 | 7 | 8 |
|---|
Investigation and security services | 3 | -- | -- |
|---|
Services to buildings and dwellings | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|
Landscaping services | 3 | 6 | 7 |
|---|
Waste management and remediation services | -- | 5 | 6 |
|---|
Waste collection | -- | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Waste collection | -- | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Waste treatment and disposal | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Waste treatment and disposal | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Educational and health services | -- | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Health care and social assistance | -- | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Ambulatory health care services | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Other ambulatory health care services | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Leisure and hospitality | 5 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 2 | -- | -- |
|---|
Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Accommodation and food services | 3 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Food services and drinking places | 3 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Restaurants and other eating places | 3 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Restaurants and other eating places | 3 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Limited-service restaurants | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Other services, except public administration | -- | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Other services, except public administration | -- | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Business, professional, labor, political, and similar organizations | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Government | 7 | 9 | 11 |
|---|
Federal government | 2 | -- | -- |
|---|
State government | 1 | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Local government | 4 | 7 | 8 |
|---|
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, New Jersey, 2017–18| Occupation | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|
| Number | Number | Percent |
|---|
Total | 69 | 83 | 100 |
|---|
Management occupations | 6 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Other management occupations | 6 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | 4 | -- | -- |
|---|
Miscellaneous managers | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Business and financial operations occupations | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Computer and mathematical occupations | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Architecture and engineering occupations | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Life, physical, and social science occupations | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Community and social services occupations | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Social workers | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Child, family, and school social workers | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Legal occupations | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Education, training, and library occupations | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Healthcare support occupations | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Protective service occupations | 5 | 5 | 6 |
|---|
Supervisors of protective service workers | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
First-line supervisors of law enforcement workers | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
First-line supervisors of police and detectives | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Law enforcement workers | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Detectives and criminal investigators | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Police officers | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Police and sheriff's patrol officers | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Other protective service workers | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Security guards and gaming surveillance officers | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Food preparation and serving related occupations | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Cooks and food preparation workers | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Food preparation workers | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers | 4 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers | 4 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Grounds maintenance workers | -- | 5 | 6 |
|---|
Grounds maintenance workers | -- | 5 | 6 |
|---|
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | -- | 4 | 5 |
|---|
Personal care and service occupations | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Sales and related occupations | 2 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Supervisors of sales workers | 2 | -- | -- |
|---|
Retail sales workers | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Cashiers | -- | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Office and administrative support occupations | -- | -- | -- |
|---|
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Fishing and hunting workers | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Construction and extraction occupations | 14 | 23 | 28 |
|---|
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers | -- | 5 | 6 |
|---|
Construction trades workers | 11 | 16 | 19 |
|---|
Carpenters | -- | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Construction laborers | -- | 9 | 11 |
|---|
Construction equipment operators | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Roofers | -- | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 8 | 5 | 6 |
|---|
Supervisors of installation, maintenance, and repair workers | 2 | -- | -- |
|---|
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 3 | -- | -- |
|---|
Line installers and repairers | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Maintenance and repair workers, general | 2 | -- | -- |
|---|
Production occupations | 3 | -- | -- |
|---|
Transportation and material moving occupations | 21 | 31 | 37 |
|---|
Supervisors, transportation and material moving workers | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Air transportation workers | 3 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers | 3 | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers | 2 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Commercial pilots | 1 | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Motor vehicle operators | 11 | 17 | 20 |
|---|
Bus drivers | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Bus drivers, transit and intercity | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers | 9 | 14 | 17 |
|---|
Driver/sales workers | -- | 3 | 4 |
|---|
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | 8 | 11 | 13 |
|---|
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Other transportation workers | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Automotive and watercraft service attendants | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
Material moving workers | 4 | 8 | 10 |
|---|
Laborers and material movers, hand | -- | 5 | 6 |
|---|
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | -- | 5 | 6 |
|---|
Military specific occupations | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. |
Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, New Jersey, 2017–18| Worker characteristics | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|
| Number | Number | Percent |
|---|
Total | 69 | 83 | 100 |
|---|
Employee status | |
|---|
Wage and salary workers | 50 | 68 | 82 |
|---|
Self-employed | 19 | 15 | 18 |
|---|
Gender | |
|---|
Men | 68 | 77 | 93 |
|---|
Women | -- | 6 | 7 |
|---|
Age | |
|---|
16 to 17 years | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
18 to 19 years | 1 | -- | -- |
|---|
20 to 24 years | 1 | 7 | 8 |
|---|
25 to 34 years | 10 | 10 | 12 |
|---|
35 to 44 years | 14 | 16 | 19 |
|---|
45 to 54 years | 17 | 20 | 24 |
|---|
55 to 64 years | 15 | 19 | 23 |
|---|
65 years and over | 9 | 11 | 13 |
|---|
Race or ethnic origin | |
|---|
White, non-Hispanic | 48 | 43 | 52 |
|---|
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic | 8 | 11 | 13 |
|---|
Hispanic or Latino | 11 | 22 | 27 |
|---|
Asian, non-Hispanic | -- | 4 | 5 |
|---|
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. |
United States Department of Labor
