BLS Report Finds Increase in New Jersey Fatal Work Injuries

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported in March that fatal work injuries totaled 97 in New Jersey for the year 2015, a 10 percent increase from the previous year, according to Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli in the release.

This compares nationally to the 4,836 fatal work injuries recorded in 2015, up from 4,821 in 2014.

The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the BLS Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, keeps track of all fatal work injuries that occur in the U.S. throughout the year, the report stated.

The CFOI program uses state, federal, and independent data sources to verify fatal work injuries to ensure counts are as complete and accurate as possible. For this most recent 2015 data, more than 21,400 source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process, the report stated.

Throughout the years, fatal occupational injuries in New Jersey have ranged from a high of 145 in 1993 to a low of 81 in 2010, according to the report.

In 2015, New Jersey transportation incidents resulted in 37 fatal work injuries and falls, slips, or trips accounted for 24 fatalities, the report said. Together, these two categories accounted for 63 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state, it added.

Violence and other injuries by people or animals was found to be the third most frequent fatal work event in New Jersey in 2015 with 18 fatalities, an increase from 11 recorded in 2014.

The private construction industry sector had the largest number of fatalities in New Jersey with 22. Additionally, two occupational groups – transportation and material moving, and construction and extraction – accounted for the highest number of workplace fatalities. Among transportation and material moving occupations, the largest number of fatalities involved motor vehicle operators. The report found 15 motor vehicle operator fatalities recorded in 2015.

For this report, BLS looked to the New Jersey Department of Health’s efforts in collecting data on fatal work injuries, as well as the efforts of all federal, state, local and private sector entities that provided source documents used to identify fatal work injuries.

Source: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics