There were 5,703 fatal work injuries in the United States in 2006,
down slightly from the revised total of 5,734 fatalities in 2005,
according to data released recently by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS). The rate of fatal work injuries in 2006 was 3.9 per 100,000
workers, down from a rate of 4.0 per 100,000 in 2005.
Key findings of the 2006 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries include:
- The overall fatal work injury rate for the U.S. in 2006 was
lower than the rate for any year since the fatality census was first
conducted in 1992.
- Coal mining industry fatalities more than doubled in 2006.
- The number of workplace homicides in 2006 was a series low.
- Fatalities among workers under 25 years of age fell 9 percent.
- The 937 fatal work injuries involving Hispanic or Latino workers in 2006 was a series high.
- Fatalities among self-employed workers declined 11 percent and reached a series low in 2006.
- Aircraft-related fatalities were up 44 percent.
Read more
For more information (pdf), visit www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf
