By Phoebe Guan, Research Analyst Senior

In 2020, the overall workplace fatal injury rate in Idaho was 4.1% – a representation of the number of fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. This rate remains unchanged from 2019.

In 2020, there were 32 work-related fatalities recorded across Idaho, four fatalities less than a year ago and the lowest since 2017. Among all injuries, 23 were employees who worked for wage and salary, while fatalities for self-employed increased from 8 to 9 from 2019.

The two leading causes for a majority 28 work-related deaths in 2020 were 18 fatalities for transportation incidents and 10 for contact with objects and equipment. Sixteen of the transportation incidents were related to roadway collisions. Half of the cases involving contact with equipment were those struck by equipment. There were no cases caused by violence nor any cases due to falls, slips or trips in 2020. From Table 2, transportation incidents still accounted for the largest portion of the total fatalities in both 2019 and 2020.

By gender, three out of the 32 fatalities were women. Consistently male workers account for most fatalities in the workplace. By age, workers older than 50 made up about 50% of all fatalities, from which 15.6% deaths were among those 65 and older. For two years in a row there were no fatal injuries reported for Black or African American workers. For white non-Hispanic and Hispanic deaths for which there is enough demographic information, the fatality rate goes in tandem with the composition racial participation in the state. However, the fatalities affecting Hispanic workers showed a large decline from 2019 when Hispanics reported 35.3% occupational deaths to 11.1% in 2020.