NIOSH Program Portfolio

Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities

Inputs: Occupational Safety and Health Risks

More than 7 million workers in transportation, warehousing, and utilities industries are at risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries. Occupations within these industries account for 5% of U.S. workers and 15% of workplace fatalities. Workers employed in truck transportation account for 58% of the fatalities in transportation, warehousing, and utilities industries. In addition to being at risk of fatal injuries, workers in these industries are at risk of injury or illness from transportation incidents, overexertion, electrocution, vehicle emissions, and falls.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes detailed information about occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities for all industry sectors.

Fatalities

Economic factors played a major role in the fatal work injury decrease in 2009. Total hours worked fell by 6 percent in 2009 following a 1 percent decline in 2008, and some industries that have historically accounted for a significant share of fatal work injuries experience even larger declines in employment or hours worked. Transportation incidents, which accounted for nearly two-fifths of all the fatal work injuries in 2009, fell 16 percent to 1,795 from the 2,130 fatal work injuries reported in 2008. Fatal work injuries in the transportation and warehousing sector accounted for 666 fatalities, a 20 percent decrease. Truck transportation, the largest subsector within transportation and warehousing, had a 22 percent decrease in fatalities in 2009. Workers employed in truck transportation accounted for 58 percent of the fatalities in transportation, warehousing, and utilities. Workers on other transportation subsectors including air, rail, and water transportation all incurred fewer fatal work injuries in 2009. Within aviation aircraft incidents were down 18 percent.

Fatal occupational injuries* by private industry (2)† and selected event or exposure, 2009
Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities	Fatalities		Selected event or exposure
	Number	Rate per 100,000 workers	Contact with objects and equipment	Falls	Exposure to harmful substances or environments	Transportation incidents	Assaults and violent acts
Transportation and warehousing	666	11.1	49	37	24	480	66
Air transportation	28	5.2	-	-	-	27 (27 - Air incidents)	-
Rail transportation	13	4.9	-	-	-	13 (9 - Worker struck by vehicle, mobile equipment)	-
Water transportation	27	20.2	-	-	-	10	3
Truck transportation	389	22.5	29	17	15	303	18
Transit and ground passenger transportation	68	8.5	3	3	-	33 (24 - Highway incidents)	29
Support activities for transportation	87	11.7	11	6	-	54	10
Postal service	14	1.8	-	-	-	9	-
Couriers and messengers	29	4.4	3	-	-	22 (20 – Highway incidents)	3
Warehousing and storage	17	5.2	3	5	-	6	-
Utilities	25	2.0	-	5	10	6	4

* Totals include data for industries not shown separately.
† Based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2002.

Source: BLS Fatal occupational injuries by industry and event or exposure, 2009

NONFATAL INJURIES AND ILLNESSES AND DAYS AWAY FROM WORK

Transportation and Warehousing

The 2010 injury and illness incidence rate in the Transportation and Warehousing sub-sector remained the same as 2009 at 5.2 cases per 100 full-time workers and represented the highest rate across all industry sectors. The number of reportable cases decreased slightly from 2009. Half of the injury and illness cases in this sub sector were the result of overexertion or contact with objects or equipment resulting in incident rates of 63.2 and 49.9 days per 10,000 workers respectively requiring days away from work. The truck transportation industry represented 35% of the cases (31,360) in transportation and warehousing sector. The air transportation industry continued to have the highest days away from work rate at 461.9 per 10,000 workers.

In 2010 injuries and illnesses within the transportation and material moving workers occupation decreased 5 percent for nonfatal injuries and illnesses with days away from work. Several occupations within this occupational group reported high injury and illness numbers. Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer reported 23,560 days away from work, the primary causes being overexertion (23%), contact with object or equipment (19%). Truck drivers, light or delivery services occupations also reported 9,690 days away from work with the primary causes being overexertion (28%), and contact with object or equipment (20%).

Utilities

The injury and illness rate for the Utilities sector decreased from 3.3 to 3.1 cases per 100 full-time workers in 2010. In 2010 among the three 4-digit NAICS industries in this sector all the sub-sectors either saw decreases in injuries and illnesses rates or the rate remained the same, most significant was the natural gas distribution industry with a decrease of 4.2 to 3.7 per 100 full time workers.

In 2008 BLS began reporting injuries and illness among government workers in the utilities sector. In 2010 local government workers reported 4,770 injuries and illnesses in comparison to the 5,650 reported for utilities in private industry, which is 46 percent of the injuries and illnesses within the utilities sector. Local government only occupies 23 percent of the employment in the entire utilities sector.

Occupational injuries and illnesses* requiring days away from work by private industry† and selected event in 2010
Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities	Injuries		Injury and illness rates by selected event or exposure
	Number	Rate per 10,000 workers	Contact with objects or equipment	Fall to lower level	Fall on same level	Overexertion	Transportation accidents
Transportation and warehousing	89,450	232	49.9	17.2	28.6	63.2	22.3
Air transportation	16,870	461.9	101	20.8	51.2	189.9	16.8
Rail transportation	3,370	127.7	19.2	19.6	2.2	15.6	17.2
Water transportation	1,010	133.5	31.3	9.3	11.5	29.2	14.7
Truck transportation	31,360	239.3	52.6	27.6	33.1	55.2	23.8
Transit and ground passenger transportation	7,670	250.9	37.5	9.9	38.8	37.7	73.8
Pipeline transportation	370	91.6	38.2	9.7	-	21.5	-
Scenic and sightseeing transportation	290	164.7	18.9	9.3	19.2	22.4	-
Support activities for transportation	8,140	158.7	41	8.7	16	29.6	16.8
Couriers and messengers	10,070	263.7	49.7	12.3	36	86.9	14
Warehousing and storage	10,390	177.5	44.7	6.7	21.2	58.9	10.6
Utilities	5,650	103.3	17.4	6.5	14.1	22.2	5.7

- Not reportable
* Totals include data for industries not shown separately
† Based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2002

Sources:
BLS, Nonfatal injuries and illnesses in State and local government workplaces in 2008
BLS Databases & Tools, Workplace injuries http://www.bls.gov/data/#injuries

NIOSH Program:

Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities

• Program Description

• Inputs
  • Sector Description
  • Economic Factors
  • Occupational Risks
  • National Research Agenda (NORA)
  • NIOSH Strategic Goals
  • Emerging Issues
  • Partners
  • NIOSH Contacts

• Activities

• Outputs

• Outcomes