Fatal work injuries totaled 37 in 2017 for Idaho, 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 Idaho was higher than the 30 fatalities in the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 62 in 1996 to a low of 19 in 2012. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a total of 5,147 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2017, down slightly from the 5,190 fatal injuries in 2016, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program.

Type of incident

In Idaho, transportation incidents resulted in 17 fatal work injuries, and contact with objects and equipment accounted for 10 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 73 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) The number of worker deaths from transportation incidents was little changed over the year and fatalities from contact with objects and equipment rose by three.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2017, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, or trips was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent), followed by violence and other injuries by persons or animals (16 percent).

Industry

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Idaho with 15, compared to 9 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event in the sector with seven worker deaths. Eight of those fatally injured in this sector worked in crop production.

The private transportation and warehousing sector had nine workplace fatalities in 2017. Truck transportation accounted for eight of the fatalities in this industry.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 14. (See table 3.) Thirteen of these fatalities were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.

Additional highlights:

• Men accounted for 97 percent of the work-related fatalities in Idaho, compared to the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 44 percent of the fatalities for men in Idaho.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 73 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 41 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2017, compared to 55 percent nationwide.
• Of the 37 fatally-injured workers in Idaho, 76 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents.

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 2016 national data, over 23,300 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 website at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm.

Federal/State agency coverage. The CFOI includes data for all fatal work injuries, even those that may be outside the scope of other agencies or 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. More on the scope of CFOI can be found at www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm.

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, Idaho, 2016–17

Event or exposure (1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	30	37	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	--	4	11
Intentional injury by person	--	4	11
Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)	--	3	8
Transportation incidents	18	17	46
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	11	12	32
Roadway collision with other vehicle	5	4	11
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	--	3	8
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	3	5	14
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	3	5	14
Roadway noncollision incident	3	3	8
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	--	3	8
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	3	3	8
Falls, slips, trips	4	4	11
Falls to lower level	4	4	11
Other fall to lower level	4	4	11
Contact with objects and equipment	7	10	27
Struck by object or equipment	3	5	14
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	--	3	8
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, Idaho, 2016–17

Industry (1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	30	37	100
Private industry	28	37	100
Natural resources and mining	10	15	41
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	9	15	41
Construction	6	5	14
Construction	6	5	14
Trade, transportation, and utilities	7	9	24
Transportation and warehousing	5	9	24
Truck transportation	5	8	22
General freight trucking	4	4	11
General freight trucking, long-distance	4	3	8
Other services, except public administration	--	5	14
Other services, except public administration	--	5	14
Repair and maintenance	--	4	11
Automotive repair and maintenance	--	--	--
Automotive mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance	--	1	3
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012.
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, Idaho, 2016–17

Occupation (1)	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	30	37	100
Management occupations	5	6	16
Other management occupations	5	6	16
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	3	5	14
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	3	5	14
Construction and extraction occupations	8	3	8
Construction trades workers	6	3	8
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	--	5	14
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	--	4	11
Transportation and material moving occupations	9	14	38
Motor vehicle operators	7	14	38
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	6	13	35
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	6	13	35
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 selected demographic characteristics, Idaho, 2016–17

Worker characteristics	2016	2017
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	30	37	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	22	28	76
Self-employed (2)	8	9	24
Gender
Men	27	36	97
Women	3	--	--
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	--	3	8
25 to 54 years	5	4	11
35 to 44 years	7	4	11
45 to 54 years	3	7	19
55 to 64 years	9	10	27
65 years and over	5	8	22
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White (non-Hispanic)	24	27	73
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic)	--	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	6	8	22
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.