June 10 -- The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor, invites comments by August 9, 2022 regarding its proposed renewal of the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was delegated responsibility by the Secretary of Labor for implementing Section 24(a) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. This section states that “the Secretary shall compile accurate statistics on work injuries and illnesses which shall include all disabling, serious, or significant injuries and illnesses . . .”
Prior to the implementation of the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), the BLS generated estimates of occupational fatalities for private sector employers from a sample survey of about 280,000 establishments. Studies showed that occupational fatalities were underreported in those estimates as well as in those compiled by regulatory, vital statistics, and workers' compensation systems. Estimates prior to the CFOI varied widely, ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 fatal work injuries annually. In addition, information needed to develop prevention strategies were often missing from these earlier programs.
In the late 1980s, the National Academy of Sciences study, Counting Injuries and Illnesses in the Workplace, and another report, Keystone National Policy Dialogue on Work-Related Illness and Injury Recordkeeping, emphasized the need for the BLS to compile a complete roster of work-related fatalities because of concern over the accuracy of using a sample survey to estimate the incidence of occupational fatalities. These studies also recommended the use of all available data sources to compile detailed information for fatality prevention efforts.
The BLS tested the feasibility of collecting fatality data in this manner in 1989 and 1990. The resulting CFOI was implemented in 32 states in 1991. National data covering all 50 states, New York City, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. Territories have been compiled and published annually since 1992.
The CFOI compiles comprehensive, accurate, and timely information on work-injury fatalities needed to develop effective prevention strategies. The system collects information concerning the incident, demographic information of the deceased, and characteristics of the employer.
Using multiple data sources and follow-back techniques, the CFOI:
Compiles the most complete count of work-related fatal injuries in the United States
Substantiates work relationship using a consistent definition
Includes fatal occupational injuries to workers of all ages
Identifies the industry, occupation, demographic information (such as race, ethnicity, and gender), and circumstances related to the fatal injury
Provides detailed information about these fatal incidents on a timely basis to assist with developing and implementing prevention strategies
Allows policymakers, researchers, and other users to conduct research using a single database, which assists in identifying relationships in serious workplace hazards that may not have otherwise been recognized.
Data are used to:
Develop employee safety training programs.
Develop and assess the effectiveness of safety standards.
Conduct research for developing prevention strategies.
In addition, state partners use the data to publish state reports, to identify state-specific hazards, to allocate resources for promoting safety in the workplace, and to evaluate the quality of work life in the state.
In 2019 and 2020, 5,333 (pre-pandemic) and 4,764 (pandemic) workers, respectively, lost their lives because of fatal work injuries. This official systematic, verifiable count mutes controversy over the various counts from different sources. The CFOI count has been adopted by the National Safety Council and other organizations as the sole source of a comprehensive count of fatal work injuries for the U.S. If this information were not collected, confusion over the number and patterns in fatal occupational injuries would hamper prevention efforts. By providing timely occupational fatality data, the CFOI provides safety and health managers the information necessary to respond to emerging workplace hazards.
BLS is currently evaluating potential changes to some CFOI data elements, to methods, and to outputs for which a later request for a nonsubstantive change will be submitted. Potential changes being considered include:
Discontinuing elements for which data are significantly missing or unknown, including Time Workday Began, Impairment Code, Union Status, Time in Position.
Aligning CFOI data elements with the Current Population Survey (CPS), including replacing the concept of ownership currently used by CFOI with Class of Worker used in the CPS and replacing CFOI Employee Status with Pay Status used in the CPS.
Aligning Race and Hispanic origin with CPS concepts and publishing race and Hispanic origin separately in CFOI.
Aligning research variables, including alcohol/drug, contingent worker, and contractor, with CPS and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Editing existing variables, including gender, nature, part, source, event, location, worker activity, industry, race, Hispanic origin, and foreign birthplace to include an unknown category to capture data more accurately. Also being considered is expanding gender to include non-binary.
Evaluating changes to the variable Medical Complication to combine AIDS with Hepatitis, to split reactions into allergic and overdose, and to add suicide and PTSD.
Evaluating methods for secondary disclosure protections to determine ways to provide additional high value data to users.
Evaluating methods for improving the calculation of CFOI fatality rates.
Evaluating how best to distinguish and publish information on latent fatality cases.
Tailoring outputs to provide selected levels of aggregation, display taxonomy labels for published data, and publish zeros.
CFOI website:
https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm
Draft CFOI materials, including data collection instruments and technical documentation:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fm4yvpbmg5lmp93/AACSQ7F2PidL4TO9YXnDKLuoa?dl=0
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-12506