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• Worksites urged to focus on safety as state’s fatal work-injuries rise

Worksites urged to focus on safety as state’s fatal work-injuries rise

February 19, 2026

Minnesota's recent fatal-injury rate rises, but remains below national average

A total of 84 fatal work-injuries were recorded in Minnesota in 2024 during the annual Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), up 14 from the 70 fatal work-injuries in 2023. This is the highest number of fatalities since 2017 when there were 101 fatalities. Minnesota's 2024 fatal-injury rate is 2.9 fatalities per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers, which increased from the 2023 rate of 2.5. These and other workplace fatality statistics come from the CFOI, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor.

Nationally, there were 5,070 fatally injured workers in 2024, down 4.0% from the 2023 count of 5,283 workers. The fatal work-injury rate was 3.3 fatalities per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers, down from 3.5 in 2023.

The CFOI also provided the following statistics for Minnesota's workplace fatalities during 2024.

Industries and sectors

• The private agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry sector recorded the highest number of worker fatalities, with 19 cases in 2024. This is an increase from 16 fatalities in 2023. Within this industry sector, fatalities include seven in corn farming, three in dairy cattle and milk production, and one in hog and pig farming.
• The private construction industry sector had the second-highest number of worker fatalities, with 18 cases, up from 13 fatalities in 2023. Fatalities in this sector included eight in roofing contractors and one in residential site preparation contractors.
• Private leisure and hospitality had the third-highest number of worker fatalities, with 10. This includes one in amusement parks and arcades, two in golf courses and country clubs, and six in accommodation and food services.
• Also of note are 12 fatalities to workers employed by public-sector entities. This encompasses all public-sector entities, regardless of industry, and includes one in federal government and seven in local government. There were three worker fatalities in public-sector entities in 2023.

Occupations

• The management occupational group had the highest number of fatalities in 2024 with 20, up from seven in 2023. Eighteen of the 20 fatalities were farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers.
• The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries, with 18. This was up from 12 fatalities in 2023. This group included four first-line supervisors, three operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, and six roofers.
• Transportation and material moving occupations had the third-highest number of fatal workplace injuries, with 11, down from 19 fatalities in 2023. Driver/sales workers and truck drivers accounted for eight fatalities, and laborers and material movers accounted for three fatalities.

Types of incidents

• Transportation incidents accounted for 25 fatalities, the most for any incident type. This is the same number of transportation fatalities as in 2023. Seventeen fatalities occurred during roadway incidents involving one or more motorized land vehicles and four occurred during non-roadway incidents. There were also three pedestrians struck by vehicles in non-roadway incidents.
• Falls, slips and trips were the second most-frequent fatal work-related injury event in 2024, with 20 fatalities, up from 12 fatalities the previous year. This includes 14 falls to a lower level and six slip, trip, stumble or fall on the same level.
• There were also 15 fatalities due to violent incidents in 2024, an increase from 12 incidents in 2023. This includes nine shootings by another person and six incidents of intentional self-harm.

Worker characteristics

• Men accounted for 76 of the 84 fatally injured workers in 2024 and women accounted for the remaining eight fatalities (up from three in 2023). For both men and women, transportation incidents accounted for the highest number of fatalities.
• Approximately 48% of fatalities were among workers age 55 and older (40 fatalities in 2024). Transportation incidents were the leading cause of fatalities for this age group (14 fatalities).
• White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 78 of the 84 work-related fatalities in 2024.
• Fatal work-related injuries among wage-and-salary workers increased slightly from 52 in 2023 to 59 in 2024; self-employed workers accounted for 25 fatalities in 2024, compared with 18 in 2023.

Minnesota OSHA fatality investigations

Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) workplace fatality investigation statistics differ from the CFOI. MNOSHA Compliance investigates all employee deaths under its jurisdiction that result from an accident or illness caused by or related to a workplace hazard. In federal-fiscal-year 2024 (October 2023 through September 2024), MNOSHA Compliance investigated 30 workplace fatalities (see dli.mn.gov/business/workplace-safety-and-health/mnosha-compliance-fatalities-investigated). The CFOI numbers include Minnesota workplace fatalities caused by traffic incidents, airplane crashes, mining accidents and farm accidents, and incidents involving the self-employed, federal workers and railroad workers, none of which are covered by MNOSHA Compliance enforcement.

Private- and public-sector worksite assistance

MNOSHA Workplace Safety Consultation (WSC) works with employers and employees to solve safety and health problems before they occur. It offers free on-site consultation services, upon request, to help employers improve their safety and health record and lower accident costs. Contact MNOSHA WSC at osha.consultation@state.mn.us, 651-284-5060 or 800-657-3776.

CFOI program

The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ occupational safety and health statistics program, provides the most complete count of fatal work-injuries available. Fatal occupational illnesses are out of scope for the CFOI unless precipitated by an acute injury.

The program uses diverse data sources to identify, verify and profile fatal work-injuries. Information about each workplace fatality (occupation and other worker characteristics, equipment being used and circumstances of the event) is obtained by cross-referencing source documents, such as death certificates, workers' compensation records, and reports to federal and state agencies. This method assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) collects the information about Minnesota's workplace fatalities for the CFOI.

Minnesota 2024 CFOI tables are available at dli.mn.gov/our-areas-service/research-and-statistics/census-fatal-occupational-injuries-cfoi. Additional data may be available by calling DLI Research and Data Analytics at 651-284-5428. National data from the CFOI program is available at bls.gov/iif/fatal-injuries-tables.htm.