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BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
03/23/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/24/2026 13:05
Fatal Work Injuries in West Virginia — 2024
News Release Information
26-568-PHI
Monday, March 23, 2026
Contacts Technical information:
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Fatal Work Injuries in West Virginia - 2024
Fatal work injuries totaled 40 in 2024 for West Virginia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the number of work-related fatalities in West Virginia was down 31.0 percent from 58 in 2023. (See chart 1.) The fatal work injury rate was 5.8 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers in 2024, a decrease from a rate of 8.3 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, West Virginia, 2015-24
| Year | Total | Wage and salary | Self-employed |
|
2015 |
35 | 31 | 4 |
|
2016 |
47 | 41 | 6 |
|
2017 |
51 | 43 | 8 |
|
2018 |
57 | 52 | 5 |
|
2019 |
46 | 42 | 4 |
|
2020 |
47 | 40 | 7 |
|
2021 |
36 | 31 | 5 |
|
2022 |
48 | 43 | 5 |
|
2023 |
58 | 53 | 5 |
|
2024 |
40 | 35 | 5 |
|
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
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Transportation incidents (16) were the most frequent type of fatal event in West Virginia, accounting for 40 percent of all fatal work injuries in the state. Nationally the share was 38 percent. Worker deaths from transportation incidents were down from 22 over the year (See chart 2 and table 1.)
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Contact incidents (9) accounted for 23 percent of West Virginia worker fatalities; nationally the share was 15 percent.
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West Virginia's decrease in fatal injuries in 2024 was largely driven by a 76 percent drop in fatalities due to exposure to harmful substances or environments (to 4 cases from 17).
View Chart Data
Chart 2. Percent distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and West Virginia, 2024
| Event | United States | West Virginia |
|
Transportation incidents |
38 | 40 |
|
Contact incidents |
15 | 23 |
|
Violent acts |
14 | 13 |
|
Falls, slips, trips |
17 | 10 |
|
All other |
16 | 15 |
|
Note: Percents may not add to total due to rounding. |
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The agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting sector tied for the highest number of fatalities with 7. (See table 2.) Contact incidents resulted in 5 of the 7 agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting sector fatalities. The forestry and logging subsector accounted for 5 of the sector's fatal workplace injuries.
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The administrative and support and waste management and remediation services sector also had 7 fatalities. (See table 2.) Within the sector, transportation incidents resulted in four fatal workplace injuries.
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Construction and extraction workers experienced the largest decrease (-6) in fatal work injuries over the year among the major occupational groups. (See table 3.)
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The farming, fishing, and forestry occupational group tied with building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations for the highest number of fatal workplace injuries, with 6 each. Contact incidents accounted for 5 of the fatalities among farming, fishing, and forestry workers.
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Wage and salary workers accounted for 88 percent of fatal workplace injuries in West Virginia. (See chart 1 and table 4.) Nationally, wage and salary workers comprised 82 percent of fatalities.
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Females accounted for 15 percent of the work-related fatalities in West Virginia; nationally the share was 8 percent. Fatal workplace injuries among male workers declined 34 percent over the year, from 53 in 2023 to 34 in 2024.
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White non-Hispanics accounted for 90 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 56 percent of work-related deaths.
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Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 65 percent of the state's work-related fatalities, compared to 55 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
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. Note that percentages may not sum to totals due to rounding.
Acknowledgments. BLS thanks WorkForce West Virginia 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, West Virginia, 2023-24| Event or Exposure (1) | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Number | Number | Percent (%) | |
|
All events and exposures |
58 | 40 | 100 |
|
Violent acts |
-- | 5 | 13 |
|
Transportation incidents |
22 | 16 | 40 |
|
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle |
16 | 8 | 20 |
|
Roadway noncollision incident |
6 | 4 | 10 |
|
Falls, slips, trips |
-- | 4 | 10 |
|
Exposure to harmful substances, environments |
17 | 4 | 10 |
|
Exposure to harmful substances |
11 | 4 | 10 |
|
Drug, alcohol overdose |
11 | 4 | 10 |
|
Contact incidents |
13 | 9 | 23 |
|
Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object |
9 | 6 | 15 |
|
Struck by falling object |
6 | 4 | 10 |
|
Footnotes: |
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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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| Industry | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Number | Number | Percent (%) | |
|
Total |
58 | 40 | 100 |
|
Private industry (1) |
55 | 36 | 90 |
|
Natural resources and mining |
8 | 13 | 33 |
|
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting |
3 | 7 | 18 |
|
Forestry and logging |
-- | 5 | 13 |
|
Logging |
-- | 4 | 10 |
|
Logging |
-- | 4 | 10 |
|
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction |
5 | 6 | 15 |
|
Mining (except oil and gas) |
-- | 3 | 8 |
|
Construction |
10 | 3 | 8 |
|
Construction |
10 | 3 | 8 |
|
Manufacturing |
-- | -- | -- |
|
Trade, transportation, and utilities |
-- | -- | -- |
|
Transportation and warehousing |
15 | 5 | 13 |
|
Truck transportation |
12 | 4 | 10 |
|
General freight trucking |
8 | 4 | 10 |
|
Support activities for transportation |
3 | 1 | 3 |
|
Support activities for road transportation |
-- | 1 | 3 |
|
Motor vehicle towing |
-- | 1 | 3 |
|
Information |
-- | -- | -- |
|
Financial activities |
-- | -- | -- |
|
Professional and business services |
-- | 7 | 18 |
|
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services |
7 | 7 | 18 |
|
Educational and health services |
3 | -- | -- |
|
Leisure and hospitality |
-- | -- | -- |
|
Other services (except public administration) |
-- | -- | -- |
|
Government (2) |
3 | 4 | 10 |
|
Federal government |
-- | -- | -- |
|
State government |
2 | -- | -- |
|
Local government |
1 | -- | -- |
|
Footnotes: |
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|
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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| Occupation (1) | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Number | Number | Percent (%) | |
|
All occupations |
58 | 40 | 100 |
|
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations |
-- | 6 | 15 |
|
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations |
3 | 6 | 15 |
|
Construction and extraction occupations |
11 | 5 | 13 |
|
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations |
5 | 3 | 8 |
|
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. |
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| Demographic | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Number | Number | Percent (%) | |
|
Total |
58 | 40 | 100 |
|
Employee status |
|||
|
Wage and salary workers (1) |
53 | 35 | 88 |
|
Self-employed (2) |
5 | 5 | 13 |
|
Sex |
|||
|
Male |
53 | 34 | 85 |
|
Female |
5 | 6 | 15 |
|
Age (3) |
|||
|
Under 16 years |
-- | -- | -- |
|
16 to 17 years |
-- | -- | -- |
|
18 to 19 years |
4 | -- | -- |
|
20 to 24 years |
3 | -- | -- |
|
25 to 34 years |
12 | 8 | 20 |
|
35 to 44 years |
12 | 10 | 25 |
|
45 to 54 years |
13 | 8 | 20 |
|
55 to 64 years |
7 | 8 | 20 |
|
65 years and over |
7 | 4 | 10 |
|
Race or ethnic origin (4) |
|||
|
White, non-Hispanic |
53 | 36 | 90 |
|
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic |
-- | -- | -- |
|
Hispanic or Latino |
-- | -- | -- |
|
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic |
-- | -- | -- |
|
Asian, non-Hispanic |
-- | -- | -- |
|
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic |
-- | -- | -- |
|
Person of multiple races, non-Hispanic |
-- | -- | -- |
|
Other or not reported, non-Hispanic |
-- | -- | -- |
|
Footnotes: |
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|
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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BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on March 23, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 24, 2026 at 19:05 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]