census of fatal occupational injuries, oregon 1998 · 2000-08-30 · fatal injuries, oregon, cfoi,...

18July 2000

Census of FatalOccupational Injuries

Research & Analysis SectionOregon Department of Consumer& Business Services

Oregon 1998

19

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries,Fatal Work-Related Injuries, Oregon, 1998

Department of Consumer & Business ServicesDirector, Mary Neidig

Information Management DivisionAdministrator, Dan Adelman

Research & Analysis SectionManager, Ed Bissell

Assistant Manager, Kathy ThomasResearch Analyst, Stacey Barnhart

July 2000

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), this publicationis available in alternate formats by calling (503) 378-4100 V/TTY).

The information in this report is in the public domain and may be reprintedwithout permission. Visit the DCBS Web site at: http://www.cbs.state.or.us

Research & Analysis Section350 Winter St. NE, Room 300Salem, OR 97301-3880(503) 378-8254

http://www.cbs.state.or.us

20

Table of contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 1Findings in brief ............................................................................................................................................... 2Industries and occupations .............................................................................................................................. 3Fatal events ..................................................................................................................................................... 4Fatality rates ................................................................................................................................................... 9Appendix A: Definitions and methodology.................................................................................................... 12Appendix B: National and Oregon CFOI data, 1998 .................................................................................... 14Appendix C: Source documents .................................................................................................................... 15Appendix D: Listing of CFOI fatal injuries, Oregon, 1998............................................................................ 16

Text tables1. Fatal injuries by industry, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998 ........................................................................ 32. Fatal events, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998 ............................................................................................ 43. Sources of fatal injuries, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998 ......................................................................... 54. Fatal events by industry, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998.......................................................................... 65. Fatal events by occupation, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998 ..................................................................... 66. Activities at the time of injury, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998 ............................................................... 77. Locations where fatal injuries occurred, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998 ................................................. 78. Regions in which the events occurred, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998 ................................................... 89. Workers’ ages at the time of injury, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998 ........................................................ 8

10. Fatality rates by industry, Oregon, 1994-1998 ................................................................................. 10

Figures1. Fatal injuries, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998 .......................................................................................... 32. Fatal injuries by occupation, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998 ................................................................... 43. Employee status, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998 ..................................................................................... 54. Fatalities by county of injury, Oregon, CFOI, 1998........................................................................... 9

Appendix tablesB1. Fatal injuries by industry, CFOI, national and Oregon distributions, 1998 ..................................... 14B2. Fatal events, CFOI, national and Oregon distributions, 1998 .......................................................... 14C1. Source documents received, Oregon, CFOI, 1998 ........................................................................... 15C2. Distribution of source documents, Oregon, CFOI, 1998 ................................................................. 15D1. CFOI fatal injuries, Oregon, 1998.................................................................................................... 16

1

Introduction

In 1991, the Department of Consumer & BusinessServices, Information Management Division begangathering data on work-related fatalities for a newfederal/state cooperative program. The Census of FatalOccupational Injuries (CFOI) program was developedas a cooperative program between the U.S. Bureau ofLabor Statistics (BLS) and participating states. Thefatalities included in this report are those for which thedeath or incident occurred in the reference state, duringthe reference year, and are work-related.

The CFOI program was initiated because the existingcounting methods produced widely different figures. Thefatality counts reported by the states were usually limitedto those fatalities covered by workers’ compensation lawor reported on death certificates as having occurred atwork. Oregon has recorded compensable workers’compensation fatalities since 1943, and the compensablefatality count remains the count used in officialpublications.

Thirty-two states, including Oregon, and New York City,took part in the CFOI program in 1991. In 1992, afterseveral years of testing, the fatality census wasimplemented in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The program’s goals are to gather a complete census ofthe nation’s and states’ fatal work-related injuries and topresent relevant information about these deaths.

The information presented here is used for injurysurveillance and to establish workplace safety programs.The data are used to identify hazardous industries andoccupations; to identify industries and occupations wheresafety standards are needed; to direct government andbusiness funds for safety programs to needed areas; andto encourage employers and employees to promote safework environments.

As a national program, CFOI provides a uniformdefinition for work-related fatalities. The program alsocovers a larger population base than covered by workers’compensation; it includes nearly all workers who areengaged in legal work activities regardless of industryor regulatory coverage of an establishment. A fulldescription of the CFOI program is included in AppendixA, and national data are provided in Appendix B.

Because of the long lags between a fatal event and thereceipt of all the source documents, the data may beincomplete and may be updated at a later date.

2

Findings in Brief

• The Department of Consumer & Business Services,Information Management Division receivednotification of 72 fatalities in the CFOI program duringthe 1998 calendar year. This is a 14.3 percent decreasefrom the 84 recorded in 1997. For comparison, therewere an average of 78.8 fatalities per year for the five-year period 1994-1998.

• There were 17 fatalities in the manufacturing industryin 1998, compared to 15 in 1997. During the five years1994-1998, the manufacturing industry averaged 14.8fatalities per year.

• Seven of the 72 fatalities (9.7 percent) were in the re-tail industry, compared to 10 (11.9 percent) of the 84in 1997.

• Motor vehicle accidents were the leading event in 1998,claiming 28 lives.

• Two of the six assaults and violent acts committed in1998 were homicides, compared to eight homicides in1997.

• Five fatalities were caused by water vehicle accidentsin 1998, compared to one in 1997. There were sixfatalities to workers struck by vehicles compared tofive in 1997.

• Fifteen truck drivers were killed in 1998. There werealso fifteen truck drivers killed in 1997. There weresix logger fatalities in 1998, compared to three loggerskilled in 1997.

• Of the 72 people who died in work-related accidents in1998, 93.1 percent were men and 6.9 percent werewomen, compared to 92.9 percent men and 7.1 per-cent women in 1997.

• The youngest workers killed were two 19-year-olds.One was a farm worker who was in a motor vehicleaccident, and the other worker was a mechanic whocommitted suicide. The oldest worker was a 77-year-old truck driver who was in a motor vehicle accident.

• Eleven fatalities occurred in Multnomah County, andseven fatalities occurred in Lane County. MarionCounty had six fatalities in 1998, compared to one in1997.

3

Figure 1. Fatal injuries, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998

8073

85 84

72

0102030405060708090

100

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Year

Fat

al o

ccup

atio

nal i

njur

ies

Industries & Occupations

From 1994-1998, construction recorded 60 deaths.Transportation and public utilities recorded the highestnumber of fatalities, with 65 deaths, the majority (69.2

percent), occurring in motor freight transportation in thefive-year period.

Fifty-two of the 394 fatally injured workers during 1994-1998 were self-employed or members of familybusinesses. These included 20 workers in agriculture,forestry or fishing, 11 in the transportation and publicutilities industry, and eight in the services industry.

Figure 1 shows the fatal occupational injuries count forthe period 1994-1998 in Oregon. There were 72 fatalitiesin the CFOI program during 1998. The year 1998 marksthe lowest count since the survey began. There were anaverage of 78.8 fatalities per year for the five-year period1994-1998.

Figure 2 shows the occupations of the 394 fatally injuredworkers. Motor vehicle operators are included in the“operators, fabricators, laborers” category. Of the 87motor vehicle operators who died during the five-yearperiod, 75 were truck drivers. Forty-six of these workerswere employed in the transportation and public utilitiesindustry; 13 were in manufacturing. Thirty-one loggersand foresters also died; 22 were employed in the loggingindustry. Thirty-eight farmers and farm workers died injob-related incidents.

Table 1 shows the industries in which fatal injuriesoccurred in 1998, and for 1994 through 1998 combined.Nearly 19 percent of the fatalities for 1994 through 1998occurred in manufacturing industries; withinmanufacturing, the wood products industry recorded 47of the 74 (63.5 percent) manufacturing totals.

Table 1. Fatal injuries by industry, OregonCFOI, 1994-1998

1994-1998Industry 1998 Number Percent

Agric, forestry, fishing 17 57 14.5Agriculture 11 34Forestry 2 7Fishing 4 16

Mining 3 7 1.8Construction 5 60 15.2

Special trade contractors 3 27Manufacturing 17 74 18.8

Wood products 10 47Logging 8 34Sawmills & planing mills 0 4Other wood products 2 9

Other manufacturing 7 27Transport & public utilities 12 65 16.5

Motor freight transport 11 45Wholesale trade 2 15 3.8

Durable goods 0 10Retail trade 7 38 9.6Finance, ins & real est 0 7 1.8Services 6 46 11.7

Business services 2 10Private sector total 69 369Public sector1 3 25 6.3

TOTAL 72 394 100.0Notes: Industries are classified according to the Standard Indus-

trial Classification Manual, 1987 edition.

1“Public sector” includes all public sector employees,regardless of the SIC Code of their agency. Due to rounding,sum of percents may not equal 100.0.

4

Calendar years 1994-1998

Precisionproducts,carft, rep

occup54

Farming,forestry,fishing

85

Serviceoccupation

22

Tech, sales,admin

support35

Militaryoccupation

1

Managerial,professional

39

Operators,fabricators,

laborers158

Figure 2. Fatal injuries by occupation, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998

Calendar year 1998

Precisionproducts,craft, rep

occup10

Farming,forestry,fishing

25

Serviceoccupation

3

Tech, sales,admin support

3

Military0

Managerial,professional

3 Operators,fabricators,

laborers28

Fatal Events

Table 2 shows the distribution of the events whichresulted in the 394 work-related deaths recorded from1994 through 1998. Transportation accidents resulted in50.8 percent of the fatalities. One-hundred-eight of thesedeaths were the result of highway accidents. Twenty-nine workers were killed from being struck by a vehicle.This includes being run over on a roadway or run overby a vehicle that was backing up.

Contact with objects and equipment includes accidentsin which workers were struck by objects or caught in orby machinery. In the five-year period, 50 workers diedafter being struck by falling or swinging objects, most

often trees or logs. Twenty-five workers died after gettingcaught in running machinery.

The other common types of fatal events were falls,electrocutions, fires and explosions, and workplaceviolence. The number of fatal workplace assaultsdecreased by four in 1998, bringing the total for the fiveyears to 40. As shown in Appendix B, 11.8 percent ofthe workplace fatalities reported nationwide in 1998 werehomicides; in Oregon, 2.8 percent of the workplacefatalities in 1998 were homicides. Of the five womenkilled on the job in 1998, two died as a result of workplaceviolence.

In addition to the event, the CFOI data set includes theobject which was the direct cause of the fatal injury.Table 3 shows the primary source of injury to be motorvehicles for the 394 deaths during 1994-1998.

Table 2. Fatal events, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998

1994-1998

Event 1998 Number Percent

Transportation accidents 39 200 50.8Highway accidents 20 108Non-highway accidents 8 27Workers struck by vehicles 6 29Water craft accidents 5 21Aircraft accidents 0 14Railway accidents 0 1

Contact with objects & equipment 17 80 20.3Struck against object 0 1Struck by objects 6 50Caught in or compressed by equip 9 25Caught in/crushed by collapsing mat’l 2 3

Falls 5 42 10.7Assaults & violent acts 6 40 10.2

Homicides 2 24Self-inflicted injuries 4 16

Exposure to harmful substance & envir 5 22 5.6Electrocutions 2 6Exposure to caustic, noxious or 3 7 allergenic substancesOxygen deficiency 0 7Contact with temperature extremes 0 2

Fires & explosions 0 6 1.5Other events1 0 4 1.0

TOTAL 72 394 100.0

Notes: Events are classified according to the 1992 BLS OccupationalInjury and Illness Classification Structures. Due to rounding,sum of percents may not equal 100.0.

Not all totals in the subcategories will equal the total in themajor categories.1Other events include “Bodily reaction and overexertion,” and“Unknown” event.

5

Calendar years 1994-1998

Self-employed,

familybusiness

52

Armed forces1

Volunteers2

Unknown2

Wageemployees

337

Figure 3. Employee status, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998

Calendar year 1998

Wageemployees

60

Self-employed,family business

12

Table 3. Sources of fatal injuries, Oregon,CFOI, 1994-1998

1994-1998Source 1998 Number Percent

Vehicles 35 196 49.7

Highway vehicles 25 136Industrial vehicles & tractors 4 21Aircraft vehicle 0 14

Structures & surfaces 5 43 10.9Floors, ground 4 35

Machinery 12 44 11.2Construction & logging machines 7 30Material handling machinery 2 5

Persons, plants & animals 5 28 7.1Trees, logs 3 20

Other sources1 4 44 11.2Ammunition 4 30Atmosphere & environment 0 8Water, liquids 0 6

Parts & materials 5 21 5.3Electric parts 2 6

Other categories2 6 18 4.6

TOTAL 72 394 100.0

Notes: Sources are classified according to the 1992 BLS Occupa-tional Injury and Illness Classification Manual. Due torounding, sum of percents may not equal 100.0.

1 “Other sources” is a defined category consisting ofmiscellaneous sources of injury. “Atmosphere &environment” includes several sources, chiefly fire andsmoke.2 Other categories include “Chemicals and chemicalproducts,” “Containers,” “Furniture and fixtures,” “Tools,instruments, and equipment,” and “Unknown” source.

Surfaces were the primary sources of injuries in mostfalls. Machinery was the source in 44 fatalities; 40 per-cent of the workers were struck by or caught inconstruction and logging machinery.

Figure 3 shows the distribution of fatal injuries for threegroups of workers: wage employees, self-employed andfamily business workers, and volunteers. For all threegroups, transportation accidents were the leading causeof death during the five-year period.

Contact with objects was the second leading cause ofdeath for wage employees and self-employed and familybusiness workers.

Because the fatal events are an understandable way ofdiscussing the CFOI data, they are included in Tables 4through 9. These tables provide additional data on in-

dustries and occupations, and information on the events,locations, the workers’ activities, and ages. In each ofthese tables, the first column shows the distribution for1998 and the next two columns contain the distributionfor the 394 fatalities that occurred in the five-year span,1994 through 1998.

Table 4 shows the most common fatal events in each ofthe industrial sectors. Workers in the agriculture, for-estry, and fishing industries suffered from a variety offatal events. Included among the transportation accidentswere 15 water vehicle accidents and 17 motor vehicleaccidents. Ten workers died due to contact with objects,five workers were fatally injured by exposure to harm-ful substances, six workers died from falls, and twoworkers died from assaults and violent acts.

In the construction industry, transportation accidents werethe leading cause of death, accounting for 26 of the 60deaths in the five-year period. In six of the 26transportation accidents, workers were struck by avehicle. Falls and contact with objects were the nextleading causes of death with 13 fatalities each.

6

Table 4. Fatal events by industry, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998

1994-1998 Transp Contact Violent Expo- Fires & OtherIndustry 1998 Number Percent accidents w/objects Falls acts sure explosions events

Agriculture, forestry, fishing 17 57 14.5 34 10 6 2 5 0 0Mining 3 7 1.8 4 2 0 0 0 1 0Construction 5 60 15.2 26 13 13 2 4 1 1Manufacturing 17 74 18.8 24 33 4 3 6 2 2

Logging 8 34 8.6 12 19 1 0 1 0 1Sawmills & other wood products 2 13 3.3 2 7 0 0 2 1 1Other manufacturing 7 27 6.9 10 7 3 3 3 1 0

Transportation & public utilities 12 65 16.5 56 2 4 3 0 0 0Wholesale & retail trade 9 53 13.5 21 5 8 17 2 0 0Finance, insurance & real estate 0 7 1.8 2 1 2 2 0 0 0Services 6 46 11.7 19 11 4 7 3 1 1Public sector 3 25 6.3 14 3 1 4 2 1 0

TOTAL 72 394 100.0 200 80 42 40 22 6 4

Notes: Industries are classified according to the Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 edition. “Public sector” includes allpublic sector employees, regardless of the SIC code of their agency. Due to rounding, the sum of percents may not equal 100.0.

Table 5. Fatal events by occupation, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998

1994-1998 Transp Contact Violent Expo- Fires & Other

Occupation 1998 Number Percent accidents w/objects Falls acts sure explosions events

Managerial & professional 3 39 9.9 18 6 5 7 2 0 1

Technical, sales & admin support 3 35 8.9 18 1 4 10 2 0 0Service occupations 3 22 5.6 10 3 1 5 2 1 0Farming, forestry & fishing 25 85 21.6 38 29 9 2 7 0 0

Farmers & farm workers 13 38 9.6 16 11 6 2 3 0 0Loggers & foresters 8 31 7.9 7 18 3 0 3 0 0Fishers 4 16 4.1 15 0 0 0 1 0 0

Precision prod, craft & repair 10 54 13.7 13 17 12 4 6 2 0Operators, fabricators & laborers 28 158 40.1 102 24 11 12 3 3 3Military occupation 0 1 0.3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTAL 72 394 100.0 200 80 42 40 22 6 4

Notes: Occupations are classified according to the 1990 Census of Occupational Classification System. Due to rounding, the sum ofpercents may not equal 100.0.

In logging, the majority of deaths occurred when workerswere struck by objects, often falling trees. In other woodproduct industries, the deaths were usually caused whenworkers were struck by objects or caught in machinery.

In the wholesale and retail trades, transportationaccidents and violent acts were the most common fatalevents, with 21 transportation accidents, and 17 violentacts during the five-year period. All of the 17 fatalitiesfrom violent acts were in the retail industry.

Transportation accidents were the most common causeof death in the public sector. The second leading cause

of death was from violent acts with four of the 25 publicsector fatalities.

The most common fatal events for the differentoccupational groups are presented in Table 5.Transportation accidents were the leading cause of deathin service occupations, accounting for 10 of the 22 deathsin the five-year period. Loggers and foresters were mostoften struck by objects, usually trees or logs.

7

Table 6 shows the activities which were being performedat the time the fatal event occurred. In the five-yearperiod, 52.3 percent of the workers were engaged intransportation activities. Most of the accidents in whichworkers were struck by or caught in objects occurredwhile they were engaged in using tools or machinery(the category which includes logging activities),construction or maintenance, material handling, andtransportation activities.

Table 7 shows the locations at which the fatal injuriesoccurred. During 1994-1998, 33.2 percent of the fatalities

occurred on streets or highways. Nearly all of these weretraffic accidents. More than 19 percent of the fatalitiesoccurred on industrial premises. The largest share ofthese occurred when workers were struck by objects orwere caught in machinery. Over 23 percent of the workerswere killed in areas coded as “other places.” Thiscategory includes forests, rivers, and the ocean. Themajor events were loggers killed by falling trees, non-highway accidents, aircraft accidents in the mountains,and drownings.

Table 6. Activities at the time of injury, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998

1994-1998 Transp Contact Violent Expo- Fires & OtherActivity 1998 Number Percent accidents w/objects Falls acts sure explosions events

Vehicular & transportation activities 37 206 52.3 188 10 2 3 2 1 0

Using tools or machinery 12 49 12.4 1 35 7 1 5 0 0

Constructing, repairing & cleaning 9 44 11.2 1 14 19 1 6 3 0

Protective services 1 5 1.3 0 0 0 3 1 1 0

Materials handling 1 14 3.6 1 9 0 0 2 1 1

Physical activities 5 30 7.6 7 9 10 1 3 0 0

Other activities 3 26 6.6 1 1 2 21 1 0 0

Unspecified activities 4 20 5.1 1 2 2 10 2 0 3

TOTAL 72 394 100.0 200 80 42 40 22 6 4

Note: “Other activities” includes tending a retail establishment, office work, health care and social services activities, animal care andtending, legal service activities, teaching, travel nec., and activity nec. Due to rounding, the sum of percents may not equal 100.0.

Table 7. Locations where fatal injuries occurred, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998

1994-1998 Transp Contact Violent Expo- Fires & Other

Location 1998 Number Percent accidents w/objects Falls acts sure explosions events

Home 3 17 4.3 1 3 5 5 2 1 0

Farms 8 33 8.4 18 8 2 1 3 0 1

Mine and quarry 2 6 1.5 4 2 0 0 0 0 0

Industrial premises 17 77 19.5 15 28 17 5 7 4 1

Recreational places 1 5 1.3 0 3 1 1 0 0 0

Streets & highway 22 131 33.2 120 7 1 2 1 0 0

Public building 0 30 7.6 1 4 5 20 0 0 0

Residential institution 0 1 0.3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Other places 19 94 23.9 41 25 11 6 8 1 2

TOTAL 72 394 100.0 200 80 42 40 22 6 4

Notes: “Other places” is a specific code which includes forests, mountains, oceans, rivers, parking lots, and public places not otherwiseclassified. Most of the Oregon fatalities included in this category occurred in forests or at sea. The CFOI program also includesresidential institutions, which includes prisons, jails, detention homes, retirement homes, and nursing homes. There was only oneresidential institution fatality during the 94-98 period. Due to rounding, the sum of percents may not equal 100.0.

8

Table 8. Regions in which the events occurred, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998

1994-1998 Transp Contact Violent Expo- Fires & OtherRegion 1998 Number Percent accidents w/objects Falls acts sure explosions events

Portland Metro 21 105 26.6 37 20 20 21 3 3 1

Western Oregon 37 180 45.7 93 40 15 14 16 1 1

Eastern Oregon 14 100 25.4 65 20 6 4 3 1 1

Unknown 0 9 2.3 5 0 1 1 0 1 1

TOTAL 72 394 100.0 200 80 42 40 22 6 4

Notes: Portland Metro consists of Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties. Due to rounding, the sum ofpercents may not equal 100.0.

Table 9. Workers’ ages at the time of injury, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998

1994-1998 Transp Contact Violent Expo- Fires & OtherAge 1998 Number Percent accidents w/objects Falls acts sure explosions events

19 & under 2 8 2.0 3 0 2 2 0 1 0

20-24 5 25 6.3 11 10 1 1 1 0 1

25-34 10 86 21.8 41 17 9 15 4 0 0

35-44 21 100 25.4 51 19 10 9 9 2 0

45-54 15 96 24.4 54 19 10 7 3 2 1

55-64 10 56 14.2 28 11 6 5 4 1 1

65 & older 9 22 5.6 11 4 4 1 1 0 1

Unknown 0 1 0.3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTAL 72 394 100.0 200 80 42 40 22 6 4

Note: Due to rounding, the sum of percents may not equal 100.0.

Table 8 shows the most common type of fatalities inthe three regions of Oregon. Transportation accidentswere the most frequent type of accident in all threeregions, but they made up a larger proportion of theaccidents in western Oregon (51.7 percent) than inthe Portland area (35.2 percent). Accidents in the“Contact with objects” category, which occur whenworkers are struck by objects or caught in machin-ery, accounted for 22.2 percent of the deaths in westernOregon, but accounted for only 19.0 percent in thePortland metropolitan area. Violent acts in the Port-land metro area accounted for 20.0 percent of the

deaths. Figure 4 provides data on fatalities by county of in-jury.

Table 9 lists the age of fatally injured workers at the time ofinjury. About 72 percent of the workers killed in the five-year period ranged in age from 25 to 54. There are fewdifferences in the events which caused the deaths of theseworkers. In 1998, the youngest workers killed were two 19-year-olds. One was a farm worker who was in a motor vehicleaccident and the other worker was a mechanic who commit-ted suicide. The oldest worker was a 77-year-old truck driverwho died from a motor vehicle accident.

9

Fatality Rates

The rates are estimates of the fatality rates per year per100,000 workers. The highest rates are in agriculture,forestry, and fishing; construction; and the transportationand public utility sectors. While these rates give anindication of the relative dangers of these industries, therecan be considerable differences in risk among theindustries within an industrial sector. For example, theestimated fatality rate in manufacturing is 6.0 per yearper 100,000 workers. In the logging industry, however,one estimate of the fatality rate for 1981-1995 wasapproximately 140 per year per 100,000 workers (fromLogging: Disabling Claims and Inspections, CalendarYears, 1991-1995).

The computation of fatality rates has always presentedtwo problems. First, fatalities are relatively rare events,so rates calculated over short periods of time can fluctu-ate widely from period to period. Second, the populationestimates are usually from a different source than thefatality figures and usually cover a somewhat differentset of workers.

Table 10 provides estimates of fatality rates of wageemployees by industry. To create rates based on a longertime period, the average of the 1994-1998 employmentand fatality data are used. The data excludes self-employed workers, unpaid family workers, domestics,and volunteers. These rates are developmental and donot reflect the length of their work week or work year, orthe effect of multiple jobholders.

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Table 10. Fatality rates by industry, Oregon, CFOI, 1994-1998

1994-1998 avg Average deaths RateIndustry employees 1994-1998 (per 100,000)

Agriculture, forestry & fishing 69,800 8 11.5

Construction 74,100 11 14.8

Manufacturing 235,200 14 6.0

Transportation & public utilities 73,000 11 15.1

Wholesale & retail trade 365,600 9 2.5

Finance, insurance & real estate 91,200 1 1.1

Services 380,700 8 2.1

Government 245,300 5 2.0

Notes: Private sector industries are classified according to the Standard IndustrialClassification Manual, 1987 edition.

Employment data represent total payroll employment (including agriculture,forestry & fishing) from the Oregon Employment Department. Payroll employ-ment excludes self-employed, unpaid family workers, domestics, and volunteers.

Fatality figures are the average number of deaths in Oregon in 1994-1998.Fatalities of self-employed, unpaid family workers, domestics, and volunteers areexcluded from this table to be comparable to payroll employment data.

The average number of employees in the mining industry is slightly less than2,000 and is not included.

Government includes federal, state, and local employees.

11

Appendices

12

After conducting pilot projects in Texas and Colorado,the Bureau of Labor Statistics proceeded with the Censusof Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program in 1991.Thirty-two states and New York City collected data inthe first year, and 3,822 fatalities were recorded. Since1992, all states and the District of Columbia havecollected data. 1998 marked the seventh year ofparticipation by all states, and 6,026 fatalities wererecorded. Due to the long periods of time it takes toreceive some source documents, the data may beincomplete and counts will be revised in futurepublications.

In-scope fatal injury. An occupational injury is any un-intentional or intentional wound or damage to the bodyresulting from acute exposure to thermal, mechanical,electrical, chemical, or other form of energy or from theabsence of such essentials as heat or oxygen caused by aspecific event, incident, or series of events within a singleworkday or shift. To be included in this report, the inci-dent must have occurred in Oregon and the death musthave occurred during the period 1994 through 1998. Theevent must satisfy one of two conditions:

• The event occurred on the employer’s premises andthe person was there to work; or

• The event occurred off the employer’s premises andthe person was there to work, or the event or expo-sure was related to the person’s work or status as anemployee.

Homicides and suicides which meet the two conditionsabove are included. Deaths resulting from recreationalactivities are not included unless the activities were re-quired by the employer. Deaths occurring duringcommutes to and from work are not included, but fatali-ties during other travel for work purposes are counted.

Population of workers. People who are engaged in le-gal work activities in Oregon for money, goods, servicesor profit are included, with a couple of exceptions. Vol-unteers other than volunteer police, firefighters, andemergency medical service personnel were excluded in1991 and 1992. From 1994 to 1998, all volunteer work-ers who are exposed to the same work hazards andperform the same duties or functions as paid employeeswere included. Institutionalized persons who are injuredon the premises of their institutions are excluded.

In-scope fatal illness. An occupational illness is definedas a condition produced in the work environment over aperiod longer than one workday or shift. It results fromsystemic infection, repeated stress or strain, exposure totoxins, poisons or fumes, or other continuing conditions.

Fatal heart attacks and strokes are counted, if they oc-curred on or off the employer’s premises and the personwas there to work. They are considered illnesses unlesscaused by a traumatic work injury. Nearly all of the ill-ness cases were heart attacks or strokes. They occurredbecause of the workers’ physical condition and not be-cause of their work activities, and so do not fit the usualdefinition of a work-caused illness. BLS and the statesare still testing definitions of work-related illnesses anddeveloping methods of collecting illness cases. There-fore, the illness data are not considered complete and arenot included in this report.

Industry. The nature of an employer’s business is clas-sified according to the Standard IndustrialClassification (SIC) Manual, 1987 edition. The indus-trial groupings used in this report are:

Industry Two-digit SIC

Agriculture, forestry & fishing 01-09Agriculture (01-07)Forestry (08)Fishing (09)

Mining 10-14Construction 15-17

Special trade contractors (17)Manufacturing 20-39

Wood products (24)Logging (241)Sawmills & planing mills (242)Other wood products (243-249)

Other manufacturing (20-23, 25-39)Transportation & public utilities 40-49

Motor freight transportation (42)Wholesale trade 50-51

Durable goods (50)Retail trade 52-59Finance, insurance & real estate 60-67Services 70-89

Business services (73)Public administration 91-97

APPENDIX A

Definitions and Methodology

All government employees are included in the publicsector categories, regardless of the SIC of their employer.

13

APPENDIX A (cont.)

Occupation Codes

Managerial & Professional 003-199

Technical, sales & administrative support 203-389Service occupations 403-469

Protective services (413-427)Farmers, foresters & fishers 473-499

Farmers & farm workers (473-489)Foresters & loggers (494-489)Fishers (497-498)

Precision production, craft & repair 503-699Mechanics & repairers (503-549)Construction trades (553-599)

Operators, fabricators & laborers 703-889Motor vehicle operators (803-814)Material moving equip operators (843-859)Laborers, ex farmers (864-889)

Source One-digit Group

Chemicals & chemical products 0

Containers 1Furniture & fixtures 2Machinery 3

Const, logging & mining machinery (32)Material handling machinery (34)

Parts & materials 4Building materials (41)Machine, tool & electric parts (44)

Persons, plants, animals & minerals 5Plants, trees & vegetation (58)

Structures & surfaces 6Floors, walkways & ground surfaces (62)

Tools, instruments & equipment 7Vehicles 8

Highway vehicles (82)Industrial powered vehicles & tractors (85)

Other sources 9Ammunition (91)Atmospheric & environmental cond (93)

Steam, vapor and liquids (96)

Event One-digit Group

Contact with objects & equipment 0

Struck against object (01)Struck by object (02)

Struck by falling object (021)Struck by swinging or slipping object (023)

Caught in or compressed by equipmentor objects (03)

Caught in running machinery (031)Caught in or crushed in collapsing materials (04)

Falls (includes jumps) 1Bodily reaction and exertion 2Exposure to harmful substance or environments 3

Contact with electric current (31)Contact with temperature extremes (32)Exposure to air pressure changes (33)Exposure to caustic, noxious or allergenicsubstances (34)Oxygen deficiency (38)

Drowning (381)Transportation accidents 4

Highway accidents (41)Highway collisions (411-413)Highway non-collisions (414)

Non-highway accidents, except rail, airor water (42)Worker struck by vehicle (43)Railway accidents (44)Water vehicle accidents (45)Aircraft accidents (46)

Fires & explosions 5Assaults and violent acts 6

Assaults by other persons (61)Self-inflicted injuries (62)Assaults by animals (63)

Other events 9

Sources. Sources are coded according to the BLS Oc-cupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual,issued in December of 1992.

Events. Events are coded according to the BLS Occu-pational Injury and Illness Classification Manual, issuedin December of 1992.

All data were prepared in cooperation with the Bureauof Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.

Occupation. The worker’s occupation is classifiedaccording to the BLS “Occupational Coding Manual,”which was derived from the 1990 Alphabetical Index ofOccupations. The occupational groups used in this reportare:

14

Table B2. Fatal events, CFOI, nationaland Oregon distributions, 1998

National OregonEvent percent percent

Transportation accidents 43.6 54.2Highway accidents 23.7 27.8Non-highway accidents 6.4 11.1Aircraft accidents 3.7 0.0Workers struck by vehicles 6.8 8.3Water vehicle accidents 1.9 6.9Railway accidents 1.0 0.0

Assaults & violent acts 15.9 8.3Homicides 11.8 2.8Self-inflicted injuries 3.7 5.6

Contact with objects & equipment 15.6 23.6Struck by objects 8.6 8.3Caught in equipment or objects 4.4 12.5Caught in collapsing materials 2.3 2.8

Falls 11.6 6.9Exposure to harmful substances 9.5 6.9& environments

Electrocutions 5.5 2.8Exposure to caustic, noxious 1.7 4.2 or allergenic substancesOxygen deficiency 1.4 0.0

Fires & explosions 3.4 0.0Other events 0.3 0.0Total 100.0 100.0

Notes: Events are classified according to the 1992 BLSOccupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual.National data have been supplied by the Bureau ofLabor Statistics.

Due to rounding, the sum of percents may not equal100.0.

APPENDIX B

National & Oregon CFOI Data, 1998

1998 was the seventh year that all states participated inthe CFOI program. The two tables below provide nationaldata by industry and fatal event. The national data includedata from the 50 states and the District of Columbia.Nationwide, 6,026 work-related deaths were recorded in1998. This compares to 6,238 deaths recorded in 1997,and 6,202 recorded in 1996. Because of the long periodsof time between fatal events and the receipt of alldocumentation, national data may be incomplete.Revisions will be published in later publications.

Oregon differs from the rest of the nation primarily inthe relative importance of Oregon’s wood products

industry. Of the fatalities recorded in Oregon during 1998,13.9 percent occurred in the wood products industry. Incontrast, only 2.8 percent of the deaths in the nationoccurred in this industry. Oregon agriculture accountedfor 15.3 percent of deaths, compared to 11.9 percent forthe nation. Because of this difference, comparativelymore accidents in Oregon occurred as a result of beingstruck by objects, most often trees or logs. Oregon alsohad more transportation accidents, but a lower proportionof deaths resulting from workplace violence in 1998 thanthe nation as a whole.

Table B1. Fatal injuries by industry, CFOI,national and Oregon distributions, 1998

National OregonIndustry percent percent

Agriculture, forestry, fishing 13.8 23.6

Agriculture 11.9 15.3

Mining 2.4 4.2

Construction 19.4 6.9

Manufacturing 11.5 23.6

Wood products 2.8 13.9

Transportation & public utilities 15.1 16.7

Wholesale trade 3.8 2.8

Retail trade 9.4 9.7

Finance, insurance & real estate 1.5 0.0

Services 12.6 8.3

Public sector 9.9 4.2

Unclassified 0.5 0.0

Total 100.0 100.0

Total number of fatalities 6,026 72Notes: There was insufficient information to classify the

industry of some fatally injured workers. These areincluded in the “Unclassified” category.

Industries are classified according to the StandardIndustrial Classification Manual, 1987 edition. “Publicsector” includes all public sector employees,regardless of the SIC code of their agency. Nationaldata were supplied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Due to rounding, the sum of percents may not equal100.0.

15

APPENDIX C

Source Documents

The Oregon CFOI program collects source documentsfrom a variety of agencies. The Oregon Health Divisionprovides death certificates. Oregon OSHA (OR-OSHA)and the Workers’ Compensation Division (WCD), bothdivisions within the Department of Consumer & BusinessServices (DCBS), supply OSHA reports and workers’compensation forms. Death certificates are also oftenavailable from workers’ compensation files. Newspaperarticles are received from a clipping service; additionalarticles are found in newspapers kept in the Oregon StateLibrary. Motor vehicle accident reports are supplied bythe Public Utilities Commission. Also, the state andfederal CFOI offices exchange information, andemployers may be sent questionnaires when the existinginformation is incomplete or contradictory.

In all, 369 source documents were received for the 72fatal injuries which occurred in 1998. This is an averageof 5.1 per fatality. The documents are listed in Table C1.

Table C2 shows the distribution of source documentsreceived for 1998. The CFOI offices attempt to get atleast two source documents for each fatality. As the tablebelow shows, at least two or more source documents werereceived for the 72 fatalities.

The goal of the CFOI program is to get a complete censusof fatal work-related injuries. The receipt of sourcedocuments is important in ensuring a complete count,and it is useful to consider who may be missed by thiscensus. Workers most likely to be missed are the self-employed. Their deaths seldom create any workers’compensation or OR-OSHA paperwork. The death of aself-employed construction worker or logger who dieson an industrial site or while working with others isusually reported to OR-OSHA, but those who work aloneare more likely to be missed. The two principal groupswhich fit these characteristics are farmers and fishermen.To learn of these deaths, we are dependent on newspaperarticles and death certificates.

Table C1. Source documents received,Oregon, CFOI, 1998

PercentSource document Number of cases

Death certificate 66 91.7

Medical examiners report 66 91.7

Newspaper 55 76.4

OSHA 36(s) report 41 56.9

State Workers' compensation form 38 52.8

Toxicology report 37 51.4

Autopsy report 29 40.3

Motor vehicle accident report 20 27.8

Other documents 8 11.1

Employer questionnaire 7 9.7

OSHA 170 investigations report 2 2.8

TOTAL 369

Table C2. Distribution of sourcedocuments, Oregon, CFOI, 1998

# of documents Number Percent

Two 6 8.3

Three 9 12.5

Four 9 12.5

Five 14 19.4

Six 19 26.4

Seven 10 13.9

Eight 5 6.9

TOTAL 72

16

APPENDIX D

Table D1. CFOI fatal injuries, Oregon, 1998

Event Description Occupation Age Sex

Agriculture, forestry, & fishing

Struck by Struck by a cut portion of tree Farm worker 27 M

Caught in or crushed by collapsing material Cave-in from loose soil Farm worker 22 M

Caught in or crushed by equipment Crushed by a brush beater machine Manager, farm 68 M

Contact w/electric current Electrocuted - contact w/ 7,200 volt powerline Forestry worker 38 M

HMV accident Ran stop sign & was struck by oncoming truck Farm worker 66 M

HMV accident Truck rolled down an embankment Farm worker 24 M

HMV accident Truck overturned Farm worker 19 M

HMV accident Fell from back of moving truck Farm worker 51 M

Industrial vehicle accident Fell in cultivator while operating tractor Farm worker 20 M

Industrial vehicle accident Tractor overturned Forestry worker 35 M

Pedestrian Run over by truck Manager, farm 61 F

Pedestrian Run over by log skidder Groundskeeper 49 M

Pedestrian Run over by truck Supervisor, farm 52 M

Water vehicle accident Fishing boat capsized Fisher 37 M



Water vehicle accident Caught in wrench on fishing boat Fisher 57 M

Mining

Struck by Struck by dislodged piece of sledge hammer Crushing/grinding mach. op. 40 M

Industrial vehicle accident Bulldozer overturned Bulldozer operator 67 M

Water vehicle accident Fell off barge into river Deckhand 48 M

Construction

Caught in or crushed by equipment or object Crushed between truck and lift gate of truck Supervisor 31 M

Fall Fell down steep embankment Laborer 33 M

Exposure to caustic, noxious, or substances Overdose - not a suicide Supervisor 49 M

Industrial vehicle accident Bulldozer overturned Bulldozer operator 51 M

Pedestrian Run over by grader Manager 58 M

Manufacturing

Struck by Struck by falling tree Logger 71 M

Struck by Struck by falling branch Logger 43 M

Struck by Struck by snapped cable Logger 22 M

Struck by Struck by a part of lathe machine Lathe machine operator 44 M

Caught in or compressed by equip or object Caught in bark-scraping machine Wood working mach. oper. 28 M

Caught in or compressed by equip or object Pinned beneath tree Logger 45 M

Caught in or compressed by equip or object Crushed between trailer and truck Truck driver 59 M

Caught in or compressed by equip or object Crushed between large glass and a machine Machine operator 39 M

Fall Fell from ladder Truck driver 58 M

Fall Fell 35 ft from deck of a barge Boilermaker 43 M

Fall Fell 15-20 ft from rigging Logger 39 M

Contact w/electric current Electrocuted - contact with hot terminal Electrician 64 M

Exposure to caustic, noxious, or substances Carbon dioxide poisoning Filtering machine operator 41 M

Exposure to caustic, noxious, or substances Sprayed with ammonia from leak Industrial machine repairer 31 M

HMV accident Truck crashed through guardrail and rolled Truck driver 50 M

Industrial vehicle accident Tractor slid off a 100 ft embankment Logger 41 M

Industrial vehicle accident Jumped from overturned skidder, was crushed Industrial truck equip. oper. 43 M

(cont.)

17

APPENDIX D

Table D1. CFOI fatal injuries, Oregon, 1998 (cont.)

Event Description Occupation Age Sex

Transportation & public utilities

Fall Fell 10 ft from pressurized vat Truck driver 45 M

HMV accident Truck struck another truck & lost control Truck driver 48 M

HMV accident Truck struck a parked car Truck driver 68 M

HMV accident Truck struck a parked truck Truck driver 61 M

HMV accident Truck went over embankment Truck driver 47 M

HMV accident Truck crashed into trees Truck driver 51 F

HMV accident Truck overturned Truck driver 66 M



Industrial vehicle accident Medical complications from forklift accident Industrial truck equip. oper. 31 M

Assaults/violent acts Homicide - shot to death by robber Taxicab driver 36 F

Assaults/violent acts Suicide - hung self Mechanic 36 M

Wholesale

Caught in or compressed by equip or object Crushed in haying bale stacker Farm worker 38 M

HMV accident Collided with truck that ran a stop sign Inspector, agriculture 41 M

Retail

HMV accident Lost control of car and drove over bridge Motor transportation occ. 70 M

HMV accident Car slid on water and crashed into a tree Sales coordinator 22 M


HMV accident Truck went off road and landed in river Supervisor, sales 51 M

HMV accident Truck crashed into loading dock Truck driver 41 M

Pedestrian Run over by front-end loader Heavy equipment mechanic 40 M

Assaults/violent acts Suicide - shot self Automobile mechanic 19 M

Services

Caught in or compressed by equip or object Crushed between freight car & loading dock Guard, exc public service 55 M

Caught in or compressed by equip or object Crushed under movable crane Boilermaker 52 M

Caught in or crushed by collapsing material Crushed by a collapsed metal shelving unit Stationary engine mechanic 32 M

HMV accident Head-on collision with truck Civil engineer 61 M


Assaults/violent acts Suicide - hung self Manager 31 M

Public

Pedestrian Run over by truck Administrative support occ. 29 F

Assaults/violent acts Homicide - shot to death Police officer 44 F

Assaults/violent acts Suicide - shot self Law enforcement officer 43 M