Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation™ (FACE) Program

Purpose

  • Each day about 15 U.S. workers die on the job from traumatic injury. Some incidents may be preventable through improved practices.
  • The NIOSH Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program aims to prevent job-related injuries and deaths through investigations, identifying hazards and sharing findings.
Two silhouettes looking away from each other. The background has a circle on the left and a rectangle on the right. The text reads, "Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program."

Overview

NIOSH FACE began in 1982 and is a national research program that aims to prevent job-related injuries and deaths by:

  • Investigating selected fatalities
  • Identifying hazards
  • Sharing findings with employers, safety professionals, and workers to prevent similar fatalities

Investigators do not enforce compliance with State or Federal occupational safety and health standards. They also do not determine fault or blame.

Why it matters

Each day about 15 U.S. workers die on the job from traumatic injury. Some incidents may be preventable through improved practices.

Worker safety matters because every worker deserves safe and healthy working conditions.

Program priorities

FACE determines priority categories according to national and state priorities and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data. FACE periodically reviews and updates these priorities to remain responsive to national and state needs. The current priority categories are:

  • Robot-related
  • Tree care/arborist
  • Powered industrial trucks/warehousing
  • Tow truck drivers
  • Waste collection/sanitation

How the program works‎

Federal funding allows state health and labor departments to participate with the FACE Program.
State FACE Program

What we've accomplished

Some of the deaths that NIOSH and State FACE Programs have investigated are related to:

  • Automation
  • Law enforcement motor vehicle incidents
  • Tree care
  • Powered industrial trucks
  • Warehousing
  • Tow trucks
  • Waste collection/sanitation

FACE Investigations

47 States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as of 2024

Contacts

NIOSH FACE: nioshface@cdc.gov

Press inquiries: nioshmedia@cdc.gov

Resources

NIOSH FACE Reports and State FACE Reports‎

Review NIOSH FACE reports and State FACE reports for recommendations to prevent similar deaths. Filter reports with keywords in the search bar.
Reports
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Content Source:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health