2011 Fatal Work Injury Statistics Down: Report

An estimated 4,609 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2011, down from the 4,690 fatal work injuries in 2010, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The rate of fatal work injury for U.S. workers in 2011 was 3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, compared to a final rate of 3.6 per 100,000 for 2010.

In the past three years, increases in the counts based on additional information have averaged 166 fatalities per year, or about 3 percent of the revised total. Final 2011 data from the CFOI program will be released in Spring 2013.

Fatal work injuries in the private construction sector declined to 721 in 2011 from 774 in 2010, the fifth consecutive year of lower fatality counts. Fatal construction injuries are down nearly 42 percent since 2006.

Fatal work injuries in private truck transportation rose 14 percent in 2011 — the second consecutive year that counts have risen after a series low in 2009.