From 2011 to 2018, 1,030 workers died from occupational injuries involving a confined space. The annual figures range from a low of 88 in 2012 to a high of 166 in 2017. These data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). Here is the breakdown of the data…
| Year | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fatal work injuries |
120 | 88 | 112 | 116 | 136 | 144 | 166 | 148 |
Types of confined spaces
Many different types of confined spaces are involved in occupational deaths. The following table shows the most common types of confined spaces for the 643 cases where those data are available1 as well as the most frequent event that led to the fatal injury.
| Type of confined space | Fatalities | Most frequent event[1] |
|---|---|---|
|
Tank, bin, vat interiors |
205 | Engulfment in other collapsing material (86) |
|
Silo, grain bin interiors |
107 | Engulfment in other collapsing material (72) |
|
Septic tank or water tank interiors |
19 | Falls to lower level (7) |
|
Hopper interiors |
10 | Engulfment in other collapsing material (7) |
|
Oil storage tank interiors |
7 | Inhalation of a harmful substance (4) |
|
Grain elevator interiors |
6 | Engulfment in other collapsing material (3) |
|
Trash bin or dumpster interiors |
3 | No publishable data |
|
Ditches, channels, trenches, excavations |
203 | Trench collapse (166) |
|
Underground mines, caves, tunnels |
129 | Inhalation of a harmful substance (29) |
|
Sewers, manholes, storm drains |
61 | Inhalation of a harmful substance (27) |
|
Underground mines, mine tunnels |
58 | Struck by falling object or equipment (21) |
|
Confined spaces on vehicles |
45 | Inhalation of a harmful substance (20) |
|
Tanker truck interiors |
20 | Inhalation of a harmful substance (16) |
|
Manure pits |
18 | Inhalation of a harmful substance (7) |
|
Crawl spaces |
13 | Direct exposure to electricity, 220 volts or less (5), Exposure to environmental heat (5) |
|
Wells, cisterns |
10 | Falls to lower level (6) |
|
[1] Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward. More on OIICS can be found at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshoiics.htm. |
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Incident details
Certain types of events are linked closely to confined spaces.
Trench collapses led to the deaths of 168 workers from 2011 to 2018. 135 of these workers were employed in the private construction industry.
Falls to a lower level accounted for 156 of the 1,030 confined spaces deaths during this period. The most common coded confined spaces in falls are silo, grain bin interiors (17); sewers, manholes, storm drains (16); and ditches, channels, trenches, excavations (15).
There were 126 cases of inhalation of a harmful substance in a single episode in a confined space over the 8-year period. The most common types of inhaled gases were hydrogen sulfide (38 cases), carbon monoxide (23), methane (10), sewer gas (6), and solvents and degreasers (5). In addition to these inhalation cases, there were 39 cases of depletion of oxygen and 21 cases of drowning.
Ninety-eight workers were killed in incidents involving confined spaces due to engulfment in other collapsing materials. In total, 66 of these decedents were engulfed in cash grain crops or field crops.
Fires and explosions accounted for 58 cases with explosions being the majority (46).
A total of 56 cases were attributable to being caught in running machinery. In 21 of these cases, the decedent was caught in a powered conveyor, most commonly a conveyor – screw, auger (15).
Occupation
Many different occupations work in and around confined spaces. The following table shows the 10 occupations with the largest number of fatal workplace injuries involving confined spaces from 2011-18.
| Occupation[1] | Fatalities |
|---|---|
|
Construction laborers |
173 |
|
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers |
79 |
|
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers |
63 |
|
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
46 |
|
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse |
40 |
|
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand |
32 |
|
Cleaners of vehicle and equipment |
28 |
|
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers |
27 |
|
Maintenance and repair workers, general |
26 |
|
Pipelayers |
26 |
|
[1] CFOI has used the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) 2010 system since 2011 to define occupation. For more information on SOC, see our definitions page at http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. |
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