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News Release Information

17-449-SAN
Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

Fatal Work Injuries in Arizona – 2015

Fatal work injuries totaled 69 in 2015 for Arizona, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Arizona was down from 88 in the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 118 in 2000 to a low of 55 in 1993. (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.

  Chart 1. Total fatal occupational injuries, Arizona, 2006-2015
Type of incident

In Arizona, transportation incidents resulted in 29 fatal work injuries and violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 15 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 64 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents fell by four over the year and worker fatalities due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals were little changed.

Falls, slips, or trips was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 10 fatalities, down from 14 in the prior year. Contact with objects and equipment resulted in eight work-related deaths, similar to the count in 2014.

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).

  Chart 2. Fatal occupational injuries by selected event, United States and Arizona, 2015
Industry

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in Arizona with 22, up from 16 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event in the transportation and warehousing sector with 15 worker deaths, followed by violence and other injuries by persons or animals with 6 fatalities. More than half of those fatally injured in this sector worked in truck transportation.

The private construction sector had 12 workplace fatalities, down from 17 in the previous year. Specialty trade contracters accounted for nine, or 75 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations and construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 25 and 10, respectively. (See table 3.) The majority of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving group were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (14). Construction trades workers accounted for 8 of the 10 fatalities among construction and extraction workers.

Additional highlights:
  • Men accounted for 91 percent of the work-related fatalities in Arizona, similar to the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 40 percent of the fatalities for men in Arizona.
  • White non-Hispanics accounted for 57 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 65 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2015, compared to 57 percent nationally.
  • Of the 69 fatally-injured workers in Arizona, 87 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents, while violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the most frequent for self-employed workers.
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 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, Arizona, 2014–15
Event or exposure (1) 2014 2015
Number Number Percent

Total

88 69 100

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals

16 15 22

Intentional injury by person

13 15 22

Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)

11 8 12

Shooting by other person--intentional

10 6 9

Hitting, kicking, beating, shoving

-- 1 1

Suicides (Self-inflicted injury--intentional)

-- 7 10

Shooting--intentional self-harm

-- 4 6

Transportation incidents

33 29 42

Aircraft incidents

6 4 6

Other in-flight crash

-- 3 4

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

-- 3 4

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

20 23 33

Roadway collision with other vehicle

9 10 14

Roadway collision--moving in same direction

-- 4 6

Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming

5 3 4

Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly

-- 3 4

Roadway collision with object other than vehicle

5 7 10

Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway

5 6 9

Roadway noncollision incident

6 5 7

Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway

5 5 7

Fires and explosions

-- 1 1

Explosions

-- 1 1

Falls, slips, trips

14 10 14

Falls to lower level

11 9 13

Other fall to lower level

8 9 13

Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet

-- 3 4

Exposure to harmful substances or environments

14 6 9

Contact with objects and equipment

9 8 12

Struck by object or equipment

8 5 7

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

-- 3 4

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, Arizona, 2014–15
Industry (1) 2014 2015
Number Number Percent

Total

88 69 100

Private industry

74 63 91

Natural resources and mining

5 4 6

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

5 4 6

Crop production

-- 3 4

Fruit and tree nut farming

-- 1 1

Noncitrus fruit and tree nut farming

-- 1 1

Tree nut farming

-- 1 1

Support activities for agriculture and forestry

3 1 1

Support activities for crop production

-- 1 1

Support activities for crop production

-- 1 1

Farm management services

-- 1 1

Construction

17 12 17

Construction

17 12 17

Construction of buildings

3 3 4

Nonresidential building construction

-- 3 4

Specialty trade contractors

11 9 13

Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors

3 4 6

Building finishing contractors

4 3 4

Manufacturing

3 4 6

Manufacturing

3 4 6

Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing

-- 3 4

Trade, transportation, and utilities

24 30 43

Wholesale trade

5 3 4

Merchant wholesalers, durable goods

4 2 3

Metal and mineral (except petroleum) merchant wholesalers

-- 1 1

Metal service centers and other metal merchant wholesalers

-- 1 1

Miscellaneous durable goods merchant wholesalers

-- 1 1

Recyclable material merchant wholesalers

-- 1 1

Retail trade

3 5 7

Gasoline stations

1 3 4

Gasoline stations

1 3 4

Gasoline stations with convenience stores

1 3 4

Transportation and warehousing

16 22 32

Air transportation

2 1 1

Scheduled air transportation

-- 1 1

Scheduled air transportation

-- 1 1

Scheduled passenger air transportation

-- 1 1

Truck transportation

11 13 19

General freight trucking

10 11 16

General freight trucking, long-distance

8 9 13

General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload

4 5 7

Transit and ground passenger transportation

-- 5 7

Taxi and limousine service

-- 5 7

Taxi service

-- 1 1

Limousine service

-- 4 6

Support activities for transportation

-- 3 4

Financial activities

3 -- --

Professional and business services

7 5 7

Administrative and waste services

6 5 7

Administrative and support services

6 5 7

Services to buildings and dwellings

4 3 4

Landscaping services

4 3 4

Educational and health services

4 5 7

Health care and social assistance

3 4 6

Ambulatory health care services

-- 4 6

Leisure and hospitality

5 -- --

Other services, except public administration

4 -- --

Government (2)

14 6 9

Federal government

4 3 4

State government

-- -- --

Local government

9 1 1

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, Arizona, 2014–15
Occupation (1) 2014 2015
Number Number Percent

Total

88 69 100

Management occupations

-- 3 4

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

-- 1 1

Health technologists and technicians

-- 1 1

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics

-- 1 1

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics

-- 1 1

Protective service occupations

10 4 6

Law enforcement workers

8 1 1

Police officers

8 1 1

Police and sheriff's patrol officers

8 1 1

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

6 3 4

Grounds maintenance workers

6 3 4

Grounds maintenance workers

6 3 4

Sales and related occupations

5 4 6

Retail sales workers

3 3 4

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

-- 4 6

Agricultural workers

-- 4 6

Miscellaneous agricultural workers

-- 4 6

Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse

-- 2 3

Construction and extraction occupations

15 10 14

Construction trades workers

12 8 12

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

7 3 4

Production occupations

-- 4 6

Welding, soldering, and brazing workers

-- 1 1

Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

-- 1 1

Transportation and material moving occupations

31 25 36

Air transportation workers

4 1 1

Aircraft pilots and flight engineers

4 1 1

Commercial pilots

4 1 1

Motor vehicle operators

20 22 32

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

17 15 22

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

14 14 20

Taxi drivers and chauffeurs

-- 4 6

Taxi drivers and chauffeurs

-- 4 6

Miscellaneous motor vehicle operators

-- 3 4

Material moving workers

7 1 1

Laborers and material movers, hand

4 1 1

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

3 1 1

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, Arizona, 2014–15
Worker characteristics 2014 2015
Number Number Percent

Total

88 69 100

Employee status

 

Wage and salary workers (1)

82 60 87

Self-employed (2)

6 9 13

Gender

 

Men

83 63 91

Women

5 6 9

Age (3)

 

20 to 24 years

5 5 7

25 to 34 years

15 9 13

35 to 44 years

14 12 17

45 to 54 years

22 24 35

55 to 64 years

19 11 16

65 years and over

12 8 12

Race or ethnic origin (4)

 

White, non-Hispanic

49 39 57

Black or African-American, non-Hispanic

-- 3 4

Hispanic or Latino

31 18 26

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: Tuesday, April 18, 2017