Notes

The numerator and denominator refer to the Fatal Occupational Incidence Rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Individuals under 16 years of age are included in the counts, but are excluded from the incidence rates since the Current Population Survey hours of exposure data exclude them: [http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshnotice10.htm].   This is Healthy New Jersey 2020 Objective OSH-1b.

Data Source

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Definition

Number and incidence rate of fatal occupational injuries, when the injury occurred while the individual was working for pay, or volunteering in the same capacity as other paid workers, at the time of the event, and engaged in a legal work activity either on or off of the employer's premises.

Numerator

Number of fatal occupational injuries during a specified time interval, excluding workers under the age of 16, volunteers, or resident military.

Denominator

Estimated number of employed persons age 16 years and older during a specified time interval. Fatal injury rates exclude workers under the age of 16 years, volunteers, and resident military.

Healthy People Objective: Reduce deaths from work-related injuries

U.S. Target: All industries: 3.6 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers[[br]] Construction: 9.7 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers

Other Objectives

'''Healthy New Jersey 2020 Objective OSH-1a''': Reduce deaths from work-related injuries (unintentional and homicide) in all industries to 1.7 per 100,000 employed persons. '''Revised Healthy New Jersey 2020 Objective OSH-1b''': Reduce deaths from work-related injuries (unintentional and homicide) in construction to 6.7 per 100,000 construction workers. ''Original target: 8.8.''

How Are We Doing?

New Jersey annual rates from 2008 to 2020, for all injuries, ranged from 1.6-2.6 fatalities / 100,000 employed persons in comparison to the U.S. rates of 3.7-3.4 fatalities / 100,000 employed persons. During 2020, fatal occupational injuries in New Jersey were predominantly male (93%) and 27% ranged in age from 55-64 years. Fifty-two percent of the decedents were White, non-Hispanic; 11% were Black, non-Hispanic; and 24% were Hispanic. The most common types of fatal occupational injury events were transportation-related deaths (29%); exposure to harmful substances or environments (23%); and falls, slips, trips (22%). Annual rates from 2008-2020 for construction industry ranged from 5.6-12.7 fatalities / 100,000 equivalent full-time workers. In 2020, of the 82 workers who died from work-related injuries, 16 (20%) of these deaths occurred in the construction industry.

Available Services

Additional information on surveillance activities related to the prevention of fatal workplace injuries can be obtained from the NJ Department of Health's Occupational Health Surveillance Unit [http://nj.gov/health/workplacehealthandsafety/occupational-health-surveillance/].

Health Program Information

The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) collects data on fatal occupational injuries from various federal, state, and local source documents, including death certificates, workers' compensation reports, medical examiner reports, media reports, and police reports. To be included in CFOI, the decedent must have been employed at the time of the event, or volunteering in the same capacity as other paid workers, been engaged in legal work activity or been present at a site as a job requirement. Public- and private-sector noninstitutionalized workers (e.g., wage and salary, self-employed, and volunteer) are included. CFOI excludes deaths that occurred during a workers' normal commute to and from work and deaths related to occupational illnesses (e.g., lung disease or cancer). Summary reports of fatal occupational injuries in New Jersey are available at: [http://nj.gov/health/workplacehealthandsafety/occupational-health-surveillance/fatal-injuries/]