NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Labor officials say workplace deaths dropped in Virginia and nationwide last year.

According to a preliminary report released by the U.S. Department of Labor, Virginia saw workplace fatalities decline 15 percent to 126 in 2013.

The Virginian-Pilot reports (http://bit.ly/1qMWDuS) that 43 percent of the fatalities in Virginia were classified as “transportation accidents,” which could occur on roads or railroad tracks, in the air or in water.

Nationally, the number of workplace deaths fell 5 percent to 4,405 last year.

___

Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.