© Copyright 2003 by the Wyoming Department of Employment, Research & Planning

Wyoming Work-Related Fatalities Decline in 2002

by: Sara Saulcy, Economist

Wyoming work-related fatalities in 2002 were at their lowest level since 1999, down from 40 the previous year to 32 fatalities in 2002. From 2001 to 2002, declines were seen in transportation incidents (-5), contact with objects and equipment (-3), and exposure to harmful substances or environments (-1). The number of fatalities due to falls increased by one (see Table 1). 

Despite declines from 2001 to 2002, transportation incidents continue to represent the largest share of work-related fatalities in Wyoming, accounting for 53.1 percent of all 2002 work-related fatalities (17). This is somewhat higher than the national average of 43 percent. For a more in-depth discussion of work-related transportation incidents, see “For the Health of It: Reducing Work-Related Traffic Injuries and Fatalities”.

By industry, the most fatalities in 2002 (8) occurred in Transportation, Communications, & Public Utilities (TCPU), the greatest number in the industry since 1998 (see Table 2). Fatalities increased in Construction (+2), TCPU (+1), and Government (+3).

The remaining industries either saw declines or no change in the number of work-related fatalities. Agriculture and Mining saw the largest declines between 2001 and 2002 (-4 fatalities each). The fatality level in Mining was the industry's lowest since 1998. Fatalities in Manufacturing dropped from three in 2001 to zero in 2002. No reportable work-related fatalities occurred in 2001 or 2002 in Retail Trade; Wholesale Trade; or Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate (FIRE).

From 1993 to 2002,¹ work-related fatalities in Wyoming ranged from a low of 28 in 1996 to a high of 40 in 2001 (see the Figure).² Fatal work injuries have remained relatively constant for the past decade. It remains to be seen whether or not 2002 will ultimately be the start of a downward trend in total work-related fatalities in Wyoming.



¹Recordkeeping for all occupational fatalities in Wyoming began in 1992. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), n.d., http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshfat1.htm (October 6, 2003).

²U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Fatal Work Injury Counts, Wyoming, 1993-2002, All Ownerships, September 2003.

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