The Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported today that the number of occupational fatalities in Wyoming fell from 35 in 2020 to 27 in 2021 (a decrease of 8 deaths, or 22.9%). Variations in fatalities from year to year are, to some extent, the result of the random nature of work-related accidents. Furthermore, there is not always a direct relationship between workplace fatalities and workplace safety. For example, suicides and homicides that occur in the workplace are included as occupational fatalities. Workplace fatalities are counted in the state where the injury occurred, not necessarily the state of residence or the state of death.
In 2021, 10 deaths occurred in natural resources & mining (or 37.0% of all deaths). Of those 10, five deaths (18.5%) were reported in agriculture, forestry, fishing, & hunting, and five deaths (18.5%) occurred in mining, quarrying, & oil & gas extraction. Seven deaths were reported in transportation & warehousing (25.9%) and three deaths (11.1%) occurred in Wyoming’s construction sector.
Across all industries, more than one-third of 2021 workplace deaths (37.0%) were the result of transportation incidents. Transportation incidents include highway crashes, pedestrian vehicular incidents, aircraft incidents, and water vehicle incidents.
The fatality counts featured in this release are compiled by the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program (a joint effort of Research & Planning and the Bureau of Labor Statistics) and may not match those from other programs, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) because of differences in scope and methodology. In addition to regular wage and salary employees, CFOI counts include volunteer workers and self-employed individuals. The CFOI program utilizes a wide variety of data sources, such as OSHA reports, workers’ compensation, vital records, coroner’s reports, media reports, and police reports of vehicle crashes. Additionally, similar data sources from other states are routinely used to identify workplace fatalities. For example, a worker fatally injured in a highway incident in Wyoming may be covered by workers’ compensation in another state. That information is made available to R&P as part of data sharing agreements between the states and federal government (BLS).
For official definitions used in the CFOI program, please visit https://www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fataloccupational-injuries-definitions.htm.