Fatalities Involving People of Color Reach Record High

The share of Black or African American workers fatally injured on the job reached an all-time high in 2021, increasing from 11.4% to 12.6% of total fatalities in 2021. Deaths climbed to 653 in 2021 from 541 in 2020, a 20.7% increase. The fatality rate increased from 3.5 in 2020 to 4.0 per 100,000 FTE workers in 2021.

Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino workers had fatality rates (4.0 and 4.5 per 100,000 FTE workers, respectively) in 2021, which were higher than the all-worker rate of 3.6. Transportation incidents were the highest cause of fatalities within both of these groups (267 for Black or African American workers and 383 for Hispanic or Latino workers).

The second highest cause of fatalities to Black or African American workers were injuries due to violence and other injuries by people or animals (155). Almost a quarter of Black or African American workplace fatalities (23.7%) resulted from violence and other injuries by persons or animals, as opposed to 14.7% for all workers. The second highest cause of fatalities for Hispanic or Latino workers was falls, slips, or trips (272).

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