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03/19/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/19/2026 13:11

Fatal Work Injuries in Pennsylvania — 2024

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26-561-PHI
Thursday, March 19, 2026

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Fatal Work Injuries in Pennsylvania - 2024

Fatal work injuries totaled 185 in 2024 for Pennsylvania, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Pennsylvania was up 9.5 percent from 169 in 2023. (See chart 1.) The fatal work injury rate was 3.1 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers in 2024, an increase from a rate of 2.9 in 2023. Nationwide, a total of 5,070 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2024, a 4.0-percent decrease from 5,283 in 2023. These data are from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Number of fatal occupational injuries by employee status, Pennsylvania, 2015-24
Year Total Wage and salary Self-employed

2015

173 146 27

2016

163 130 33

2017

172 133 39

2018

177 138 39

2019

154 128 26

2020

148 107 41

2021

162 138 24

2022

183 147 36

2023

169 143 26

2024

185 147 38

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Fatal event or exposure
  • Transportation incidents (59) were the most frequent type of fatal event in Pennsylvania, accounting for 32 percent of all fatal work injuries in the state. Nationally the share was 38 percent. Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 50 over the year. (See chart 2 and table 1.)

  • Fatal falls, slips, and trips (48) accounted for 26 percent of Pennsylvania worker fatalities; nationally the share was 17 percent.

    View Chart Data
    Chart 2. Percent distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and Pennsylvania, 2024
    Event United States Pennsylvania

    Transportation incidents

    38 32

    Falls, slips, trips

    17 26

    Violent acts

    14 16

    Contact incidents

    15 14

    All other

    16 12

    Note: Percents may not add to total due to rounding.
    Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Private industry
  • The construction sector had the highest number of fatalities with 48, up from 30 the previous year. (See table 2.)

  • Fatal falls, slips, and trips were the most frequent type of fatal event in the construction sector, resulting in 24 of the 48 fatalities.

  • The specialty trade contractors subsector accounted for 21 of the sector's fatal workplace injuries.

Occupation
  • Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations workers experienced the largest increase (13) in fatal work injuries over the year among the major occupational groups. (See table 3.)

  • The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 45. Transportation incidents resulted in 29 fatalities among these workers. Motor vehicle operators accounted for 34 of the major group's 45 fatal workplace injuries.

Worker characteristics
  • Wage and salary workers accounted for 79 percent of fatal workplace injuries in Pennsylvania; the self-employed comprised the remaining 21 percent. (See chart 1 and table 4.) Nationally, wage and salary workers comprised 82 percent of fatalities.

  • Males accounted for 95 percent of the work-related fatalities in Pennsylvania and 92 percent nationally.

  • Fatal workplace injuries among female workers decreased from 17 to 10, with transportation incidents accounting for 40 percent of fatal events in 2024.

  • White non-Hispanics accounted for 78 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 56 percent of work-related deaths.


Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, is a count of all fatalities resulting from workplace injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. For technical information and definitions for the CFOI, see the national CFOI release Technical notes, the BLS Handbook of Methods, and the CFOI definitions.

Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the Pennsylvania Department of Health for their efforts in collecting accurate, comprehensive, and useful data on fatal work injuries. BLS also appreciates the efforts of all federal, state, local, and private sector entities that provided source documents used to identify fatal work injuries nationally. See the national CFOI release Technical Notes for details on cooperating entities.

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Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Pennsylvania, 2023-24
Event or Exposure (1) 2023 2024
Number Number Percent (%)

All events and exposures

169 185 100

Violent acts

24 29 16

Homicides (violent acts by other person)

11 14 8

Shooting by other person

9 12 6

Hitting, kicking, beating by other person

-- 2 1

Suicides (intentional self-harm)

13 15 8

Intentional self-harm-- shooting

8 9 5

Intentional self-harm-- hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation

5 4 2

Transportation incidents

50 59 32

Aircraft incidents

1 1 1

Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing

-- 1 1

Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing due to mechanical failure

-- 1 1

Pedestrian incidents involving motorized land vehicles

15 15 8

Pedestrian struck by vehicle in road work zone

-- 4 2

Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in road work zone

-- 4 2

Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway

-- 6 3

Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in roadway

-- 5 3

Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area

8 5 3

Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in nonroadway area

4 3 2

Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area

-- 1 1

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

28 30 16

Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)

12 14 8

Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-moving in same direction

1 2 1

Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-moving and standing vehicle

3 6 3

Roadway collision with object other than vehicle

11 16 9

Vehicle struck by falling or flying object(s) in roadway

-- 1 1

Collision with object or animal on side of roadway

11 15 8

Nonroadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles

6 13 7

Explosions and fires

-- 1 1

Explosions

-- 1 1

Intentionally set explosion

-- 1 1

Falls, slips, trips

43 48 26

Fall to lower level

28 42 23

Fall to lower level resulting from exposure or contact

-- 3 2

Fall to lower level resulting from exposure or contact- 6 to 30 feet

-- 3 2

Other fall to lower level

25 35 19

Other fall to lower level- 6 to 30 feet

10 13 7

Other fall to lower level- more than 30 feet

3 5 3

Slip, trip, stumble or fall on same level

12 3 2

Fall on same level

12 3 2

Exposure to harmful substances, environments

14 22 12

Exposure to harmful substances

12 16 9

Drug, alcohol overdose

-- 16 9

Contact incidents

29 26 14

Collapse, engulfment

1 2 1

Collapse, engulfment- loose materials or liquids

1 1 1

Collapse, engulfment- building or structure

-- 1 1

Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object

16 15 8

Struck by falling object

-- 14 8

Struck by object tipping over

-- 1 1

Struck by suspended or swinging object

-- 1 1

Struck, caught, or compressed by running powered equipment

10 6 3

Compressed between running equipment and other object(s)

-- 1 1

Struck by rolling powered vehicle or machinery

3 2 1

Contact with non-running objects or equipment

-- 2 1

Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects-non-running

-- 2 1

Footnotes:
(1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) version 3 implemented for 2023 data forward.

Note: The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (https://www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm) for a more detailed description of each data element. Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Pennsylvania, 2023-24
Industry 2023 2024
Number Number Percent (%)

Total

169 185 100

Private industry (1)

159 177 96

Natural resources and mining

13 19 10

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

10 16 9

Crop production

5 3 2

Other crop farming

-- 1 1

All other crop farming

-- 1 1

Animal production and aquaculture

3 4 2

Cattle ranching and farming

3 4 2

Forestry and logging

1 7 4

Logging

1 7 4

Logging

1 7 4

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

3 3 2

Mining (except oil and gas)

2 3 2

Construction

30 48 26

Construction

30 48 26

Construction of buildings

8 19 10

Residential building construction

5 12 6

Residential building construction

5 12 6

New single-family housing construction (except for-sale builders)

-- 2 1

Residential remodelers

3 4 2

Nonresidential building construction

3 7 4

Commercial and institutional building construction

1 5 3

Heavy and civil engineering construction

4 8 4

Utility system construction

-- 4 2

Highway, street, and bridge construction

-- 4 2

Highway, street, and bridge construction

-- 4 2

Specialty trade contractors

17 21 11

Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors

8 8 4

Framing contractors

-- 1 1

Masonry contractors

-- 3 2

Residential masonry contractors

-- 1 1

Roofing contractors

5 4 2

Building equipment contractors

5 5 3

Building finishing contractors

-- 4 2

Drywall and insulation contractors

-- 1 1

Other specialty trade contractors

-- 4 2

Manufacturing

29 21 11

Manufacturing

29 21 11

Food manufacturing

9 3 2

Wood product manufacturing

3 3 2

Paper manufacturing

-- 1 1

Converted paper product manufacturing

-- 1 1

Other converted paper product manufacturing

-- 1 1

Sanitary paper product manufacturing

-- 1 1

Petroleum and coal products manufacturing

-- 1 1

Petroleum and coal products manufacturing

-- 1 1

Asphalt paving, roofing, and saturated materials manufacturing

-- 1 1

Chemical manufacturing

-- 3 2

Fabricated metal product manufacturing

3 5 3

Forging and stamping

-- 1 1

Forging and stamping

-- 1 1

Other fabricated metal product manufacturing

-- 1 1

Miscellaneous manufacturing

3 1 1

Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing

-- 1 1

Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing

-- 1 1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

49 40 22

Wholesale trade

7 4 2

Retail trade

14 8 4

Motor vehicle and parts dealers

3 4 2

Transportation and warehousing

28 28 15

Truck transportation

22 19 10

General freight trucking

18 15 8

General freight trucking, local

4 4 2

General freight trucking, long-distance

14 10 5

General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload

9 5 3

General freight trucking, long-distance, less than truckload

1 1 1

Specialized freight trucking

4 4 2

Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local

-- 3 2

Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance

2 1 1

Support activities for transportation

-- 3 2

Support activities for air transportation

-- 1 1

Couriers and messengers

-- 3 2

Information

-- -- --

Financial activities

-- -- --

Professional and business services

13 23 12

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services

13 23 12

Administrative and support services

9 18 10

Waste management and remediation services

4 5 3

Educational and health services

6 9 5

Educational services

2 3 2

Educational services

2 3 2

Elementary and secondary schools

2 3 2

Elementary and secondary schools

2 3 2

Health care and social assistance

4 6 3

Nursing and residential care facilities

-- 1 1

Other residential care facilities

-- 1 1

Other residential care facilities

-- 1 1

Leisure and hospitality

11 -- --

Accommodation and food services

5 6 3

Accommodation

1 1 1

Traveler accommodation

1 1 1

Hotels (except casino hotels) and motels

-- 1 1

Food services and drinking places

4 5 3

Restaurants and other eating places

4 5 3

Restaurants and other eating places

4 5 3

Other services (except public administration)

8 7 4

Other services (except public administration)

8 7 4

Repair and maintenance

4 3 2

Automotive repair and maintenance

-- 3 2

Automotive mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance

-- 3 2

General automotive repair

-- 3 2

Government (2)

10 8 4

Federal government

-- -- --

State government

3 3 2

Local government

7 5 3

Footnotes:
(1) CFOI has used several versions of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) since 2003 to define industry. For complete information on the version of NAICS used in this year, see our concepts page at https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm#industry.
(2) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. Cases classified as foreign government and other government are included in all government counts, but not displayed separately.

Note: The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (https://www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm) for a more detailed description of each data element. Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Pennsylvania, 2023-24
Occupation (1) 2023 2024
Number Number Percent (%)

All occupations

169 185 100

Management occupations

11 4 2

Community and social service occupations

-- 2 1

Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists

-- 2 1

Social workers

-- 2 1

Child, family, and school social workers

-- 2 1

Protective service occupations

12 12 6

Other protective service workers

5 4 2

Security guards and gambling surveillance officers

-- 3 2

Security guards

-- 3 2

Miscellaneous protective service workers

-- 1 1

Crossing guards and flaggers

-- 1 1

Food preparation and serving related occupations

4 6 3

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

7 19 10

Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers

-- 5 3

First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers

-- 5 3

Building cleaning and pest control workers

-- 2 1

Building cleaning workers

-- 2 1

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

-- 1 1

Maids and housekeeping cleaners

-- 1 1

Grounds maintenance workers

-- 12 6

Grounds maintenance workers

-- 12 6

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

-- 7 4

Tree trimmers and pruners

-- 5 3

Office and administrative support occupations

6 1 1

Secretaries and administrative assistants

-- 1 1

Secretaries and administrative assistants

-- 1 1

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

4 11 6

Supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers

-- 4 2

First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers

-- 4 2

First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers

-- 4 2

Agricultural workers

-- 1 1

Miscellaneous agricultural workers

-- 1 1

Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse

-- 1 1

Forest, conservation, and logging workers

1 6 3

Logging workers

1 6 3

Fallers

1 6 3

Construction and extraction occupations

32 42 23

Supervisors of construction and extraction workers

6 8 4

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

6 8 4

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

6 8 4

Construction trades workers

22 31 17

Construction laborers

9 14 8

Construction laborers

9 14 8

Construction equipment operators

-- 6 3

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

-- 6 3

Insulation workers

-- 1 1

Roofers

4 4 2

Roofers

4 4 2

Extraction workers

2 1 1

Underground mining machine operators

-- 1 1

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

12 25 14

Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers

4 4 2

Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

4 18 10

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

-- 3 2

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

-- 3 2

Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers

-- 4 2

Industrial machinery mechanics

-- 1 1

Maintenance workers, machinery

-- 3 2

Maintenance and repair workers, general

2 7 4

Maintenance and repair workers, general

2 7 4

Production occupations

17 12 6

Metal workers and plastic workers

3 3 2

Welding, soldering, and brazing workers

-- 1 1

Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers

-- 2 1

Laundry and dry-cleaning workers

-- 2 1

Laundry and dry-cleaning workers

-- 2 1

Transportation and material moving occupations

46 45 24

Supervisors of transportation and material moving workers

-- 4 2

First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers

-- 4 2

Motor vehicle operators

32 34 18

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers

-- 33 18

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

-- 29 16

Passenger vehicle drivers

-- 1 1

Material moving workers

11 7 4

Laborers and material movers

6 4 2

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

5 4 2

Refuse and recyclable material collectors

-- 1 1

Refuse and recyclable material collectors

-- 1 1

Footnotes: (1) CFOI has used several versions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system since 2003 to define occupation. For complete information on the version of SOC used in these years, see the CFOI definitions page (https://www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm). Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.

Note: The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (https://www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm) for a more detailed description of each data element. Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Pennsylvania, 2023-24
Demographic 2023 2024
Number Number Percent (%)

Total

169 185 100

Employee status

Wage and salary workers (1)

143 147 79

Self-employed (2)

26 38 21

Sex

Male

150 175 95

Female

17 10 5

Age (3)

Under 16 years

-- -- --

16 to 17 years

-- -- --

18 to 19 years

3 -- --

20 to 24 years

7 6 3

25 to 34 years

26 35 19

35 to 44 years

33 33 18

45 to 54 years

27 30 16

55 to 64 years

42 39 21

65 years and over

29 38 21

Race or ethnic origin (4)

White, non-Hispanic

120 145 78

Black or African-American, non-Hispanic

14 14 8

Hispanic or Latino

25 18 10

American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic

-- -- --

Asian, non-Hispanic

5 4 2

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic

-- -- --

Person of multiple races, non-Hispanic

-- -- --

Other or not reported, non-Hispanic

-- -- --

Footnotes:
(1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. Cases where employment status is unknown are included in the counts of wage and salary workers.
(2) Includes self-employed workers, owners of unincorporated businesses and farms, paid and unpaid family workers, and may include some owners of incorporated businesses or members of partnerships.
(3) Information may not be available for all age groups.
(4) Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude data for Hispanics and Latinos. Cases where ethnicity is unknown are included in counts of non-Hispanic workers.

Note: The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (https://www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm) for a more detailed description of each data element. Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

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