Occupational Injury Mortality Rates in the United States:
Changes from 1980 to 1989
To identify worker groups that have experienced the greatest reduction in risk of death on the job and those for which occupational injury prevention efforts are most needed, this study examines changes in occupational injury mortality rates over the 1980s by demographic characteristics, industry, and cause of death.
Rates for each characteristic by year are displayed in tables to facilitate assessment and interpretation of rate magnitude and differentials. Death certificates capture an average of 81% of fatal occupational injuries,9 so both the numbers and the rates of deaths presented here are conservative.
The National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities surveillance system, a nationwide, death certificate-based census of deaths resulting from injuries at work, was the source of data for this study. Case subjects in the surveillance system meet the following criteria: 16 years of age or older, an external cause of death, and the injury-at-work item on the certificate marked "yes." Methods and details of this surveillance system have been well described. Because no single source of employment data provides information on demographic, geographic, and employment characteristics of workers, occupational mortality rates were computed with several different sources of denominator data. Rates for demographic characteristics (sex, race, age) were calculated with annual average employment data published by the Bureau. of Labor Statistics from household surveys.Rates for Standard Industrial Classification industry sectors and cause-of-death groups were computed with data from County Business Pattems, supplemented with data from the Census of Agriculture for agricultural production and from the Bureau of Labor Statistics household survey for public administration. Military cases were excluded because comparable denominator data were lacking. All rates presented here are annual average rates per 100000 civilian workers ([annual number of deaths/annual number employed] x 100000). Percentage of change in rates from 1980 to 1989 are presented for demographic, employment, and cause-of-death groups.
Rates for each characteristic by year are displayed in tables to facilitate assessment and interpretation of rate magnitude and differentials. Death certificates capture an average of 81% of fatal occupational injuries, so both the numbers and the rates of deaths presented here are conservative.
Discussion
In nearly every demographic and employment sector of the US workforce,the rate at which workers were killed on the job decreased over the 1980s. Unfortunately, surveillance data cannot specify which of various factors contributed to this decline. Many changes have taken place in the workforce over the decade. In addition to changes in work practices and environments, including increased regulations and hazard awareness, other factors, such as new technology and mechanization, and changes in the economy, the industrial mix, and the distribution of the workforce, may also affect rates. For example, as employment shifts toward retail and service industries, which have inherently lower fatality rates, overall and demographic-specific fatality rates would be expected to decline. However, we also see declining industry-specific rates, which control for sectoral shifts, so it appears that workplaces are becoming safer, whether by design or by chance. Among the total US population, the rate of deaths from injury declined by 16% from 1980 to 1989,10 compared with a 37% decrease in the work-related injury death rate. We must continue to monitor these trends and design studies that identify correlates and causal factors contributing to them. This study provides data that are useful for the efficient targeting of prevention resources. Prevention of workplace injuries and deaths should capitalize on efforts both within and outside the occupational safety arena. For example, injury prevention measures that have been developed by public safety organizations are often applicable to, and have been implemented in, the workplace. Such measures include motor vehicle injury prevention efforts such as requiring seat belt use, providing vehicles with airbags and antilock brakes, and prohibiting alcohol or illicit drug use; educational campaigns designed to alert the public to safety hazards, such as efforts by power companies and other groups to warn the general population about the dangers of overhead power lines; and crime prevention efforts developed by the criminology community, which are applicable because the vast majority of workplace homicides are related to other crimes such as robbery. In fact, current studies of crime prevention through environmental design in retail settings show promise in the prevention of workplace homicide. In short, efficientand successful occupational injury prevention programs should take advantage of prevention strategies developed for public safety.