Safety

Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2020 Lower Overall

There were 4,764 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2020—a 10.7% decrease from 2019.
By Construction Executive
March 4, 2022
Topics
Safety

There were 4,764 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2020—a 10.7% decrease from 2019 and the lowest annual number since 2013, per “National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2020,” a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The fatal work injury rate also decreased, from 3.5 to 3.4 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.

Unfortunately, workers in transportation, materials moving occupations, construction and extraction occupations accounted for nearly half of all fatal occupational injuries—47.4%, or 2,258 fatalities.

Among all categories, women represented 8.1% of all fatalities but 16.3% of all workplace homicides. Workers between the ages of 45 and 54 suffered 954 fatalities, which is the lowest for this demographic since 1992. Hispanic or Latino workers saw a fatality rate of 4.5 deaths per 100,000 FTE workers in 2020, an increase from 4.2 in 2019, while Black or African American workers had a 14.7% decrease.

by Construction Executive

Construction Executive, an award-winning magazine published by Associated Builders and Contractors, is the leading source for news, market developments and business issues impacting the construction industry. CE helps its more than 50,000 print readers understand and manage risk, technology, economics, legal challenges and more to run more profitable and productive businesses.


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