Bureau of Labor Statistics Releases Revised 2006 Census of Work Fatalities
May 21, 2008 • The Bureau of Labor Statistics last month released its revised 2006 statistics on workplace fatalities in the
The final numbers reflect updates to the 2006 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) file made after the release of preliminary results in August 2007. Revisions and additions result from the identification of new cases and the revision of existing cases based on information received after the release of preliminary results.
While the preliminary results released in August 2007 showed a decline in the number of cases, the revised fatality total for 2006 represents a 2-percent increase over the final 2005 total. The higher fatality rate resulting from the revision indicates that the fatal work injury rate in 2006 was unchanged from the 2005 fatality rate.
Fatal work injuries incurred by Hispanic or Latino workers rose by 53 cases from the preliminary figure, bringing the total number for that worker group to 990 fatal work injuries, pushing the rate of fatal injury for that worker group to 5 per 100,000 employed workers. In 2005, 923 Hispanic workers were fatally injured on the job and the rate of fatal injury among Hispanic workers in 2005 was 4.9 per 100,000 employed workers.
The largest revision in fatalities was in transportation and material moving occupations (up by 38 fatalities), followed by construction and extraction occupations (15 fatalities). The construction industry accounted for 13 more fatalities after the updates were reported. Preliminary 2006 results for fatal occupational injuries involving cranes show that 72 fatalities occurred, down from 85 deaths in 2005. Click here for crane fatalities by year.
“We must not forget that these are not just numbers • we're talking about real people, and for every workplace death in this country, there is a family somewhere that is grieving,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “The fact that things are going in the wrong direction is deeply disturbing. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Department of Labor need to do a better job of enforcing our nation's health and safety laws. There is no substitute for strong enforcement of the law, especially if we want to protect those workers who perform the most dangerous jobs and those workers who are the most vulnerable to exploitation.”
The House Education and Labor Committee announced that it will hold a hearing on workplace injury, illness and fatality numbers later this spring.
Preliminary data for the 2007 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries will be released in August 2008.
