Fatal Work Injuries At 12-year High in 2019

Posted on 1/11/2021 by Lauren Scott

Last month, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) for 2019. The report documents the fatal injuries that occurred in 2019 while Americans were on the job. Keep in mind that this report documents fatalities that occurred primarily before the coronavirus pandemic.

Key Findings

There were 5,333 fatal work injuries recorded in 2019, a two-percent increase over the previous year and the most since 2007.
Every 99 minutes, a worker died from a work-related injury in 2019.
Fatalities among workers age 55 and older increased eight percent over the previous year to 2,005, the largest number ever recorded for this age group.
The private construction industry saw an increase in fatalities of 5 percent to 1,061.
Nearly one out of every 5 workers who suffered a fatality was employed as a driver/sales worker or truck driver.

Environmental Exposures

Fatal work injuries from slips, trips, and falls increased 11 percent in 2019 to 880.
Exposure to harmful substances or environments led to the deaths of 642 workers in 2019, the highest figure since this reporting category was intiated in 2011.
There were 99 worker fatalities due to fires and/or explosions in 2019, a 14 percent decrease over the previous year.

Background

CFOI is an annual count of all fatal work-related injuries in the US. CFOI is conducted as part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Safety and Health Statistics program. CFOI uses a comprehensive approach to identify, verify, and describe fatal occupational injuries by relying on State, Federal, and independent sources. For the 2019 data, over 25,100 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process.

10-Hour Online OSHA Safety Training

When there are shortcomings in workplace safety at multiple levels, there can be significant economic and human impacts. Lion’s 10-Hour OSHA General Industry online course can help ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to safety, even when your team is spread out in multiple locations.

Lion’s online OSHA courses are reinforced with:

Content and resources updated when regulations change.
Retention-boosting exercises and knowledge checks.
Relatable, real-world examples.
FAQs developed over 40 years of training experience.
A user-friendly, easy-to-use interface.

Tags: fatality, osha, safety, statistics, worker, worker fatalities, workplace, workplace safety

Find a Post

Search for:

Compliance Topics

Compliance Archives

Lion courses always set the bar for content, reference, and practical application. Membership and access to the experts is an added bonus.

John Brown, CSP

Director of Safety & Env Affairs

I used the IT support number available and my issue was resolved within a few minutes. I don't see anything that could have made it better.

Danny Province

EHS Professional

More thorough than a class I attended last year through another company.

Troy Yonkers

HSES Representative

Lion courses are the standard to which all other workshops should strive for!

Brody Saleen

Registered Environmental Health Specialist

I attended training from another provider and learned absolutely nothing. Lion is much better. Hands down.

Nicole Eby

Environmental Specialist

Lion provided an excellent introduction to environmental regulations, making the transition to a new career as an EHS specialist less daunting of a task. Drinking from a fire hose when the flow of water is lessened, is much more enjoyable!

Stephanie Weathers

SHE Specialist

Lion's online training is more comprehensive, has better slides, and is a superior training experience than what I would get from other trainers.

Robert Brenner

District Environmental Manager

The instructor was excellent. They knew all of the material without having to read from a notepad or computer.

Gary Hartzell

Warehouse Supervisor

We have a very busy work schedule and using Lion enables us to take the course at our own time. It makes it easy for me to schedule my employees' training.

Timothy Mertes

Hazmat Shipping Professional

I can't say enough how pleased I was with this course! Everything finally makes sense.

Kim Graham

Lab Manager

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Shipping papers are a crucial part of safely shipping hazardous materials. See the top 5 mistakes shippers make on shipping papers, and how to avoid them.

Download

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.