Descriptive summary of fatal work-related injuries, Western States, 2011–2017

Abstract

Work-related deaths are a persistent occupational health issue that can be prevented. However, prevention opportunities can be hampered by a lack of adequate public health resources. The Western States Occupational Network (WestON) is a network of federal, state, and local occupational health professionals that includes a 19-state region of the United States. To encourage public health collaboration, WestON partners examined work-related fatalities within the region. Fatality counts (numerators) were obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries restricted-access research files for all workers ages ≥15 years and fatally injured in WestON states from 2011 through 2017. Estimates of full-time equivalent hours worked (FTE) (denominators) were retrieved from the BLS Current Population Survey. Annual average fatality rates were calculated as number of fatalities per 100,000 FTE over the study period. Rates were stratified by state, select demographics, industry sector, and event/exposure types. Pearson chi-squared tests and rate ratios with 95% confidence probability limits were used to assess rate differences. All analyses were conducted using SAS v.9.4. From 2011 through 2017, the annual average overall occupational fatality rate for the WestON region was 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 FTE, comparable to the overall U.S. fatality rate. Male workers had a fatality rate almost 10 times higher than female workers in the region. Fatality rates increased with successive age groups. Alaska and New Mexico had significantly higher fatality rates for all racial/ethnic groups compared to respective regional rates. Wyoming, North Dakota, and Montana had the three highest occupational fatality rates among foreign-born workers. Agriculture/forestry/fishing, mining/oil/gas extraction, and transportation/warehousing/utilities were industry sector groups with the three highest fatality rates regionally. Transportation-related incidents were the most frequent event type associated with occupational fatalities for all 19 states. Work-related fatalities are a crosscutting occupational public health priority. This analysis can be an impetus for collaborative multistate initiatives among a dynamic and varied occupational public health network to better meet the needs of a rapidly changing workforce.

Keywords:

• Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI)
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• occupational fatalities
• occupational safety

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge Ryan Hill, Kara Perritt, and Amee Kerr of NIOSH; Hitendrasinh Thakor of the Texas Department of State Health Services, and James A. Burke of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services for their editorial contributions. This is an invited article.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are subject to third-party restrictions: Findings in this study were generated from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) confidential research data files. A limited data set was provided to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health under a memorandum of understanding that strictly prohibits sharing of the data set outside of designated points of contact. Thus, the primary CFOI research file data set cannot be shared beyond NIOSH researchers approved by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For more information on CFOI confidentiality policies, visit www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/data.htm. For more information about the CFOI data in general, visit: www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm.

Disclosure statement

There are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.

Disclaimer

The analysis of CFOI data was conducted with restricted-access BLS data sets that are provided to the NIOSH Division of Safety Research under a memorandum of understanding. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the BLS. Authors do not have any competing interests to declare. All authors contributed to project conception, data analysis, manuscript drafting, critical revisions of the draft manuscript, and approval of final content. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.