August 17, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Rate of fatal work injuries rises with age

Workers age 65 and over had the highest workplace fatality rate of any age group in 1997. There were 13.8 fatalities per 100,000 workers among those who were 65 years old and over, compared to an overall rate of 4.7 fatalities.

[Chart data—TXT]

The occupational fatality rate rose with each age group. The youngest workers shown in the chart, age 16 to 17, had the lowest rate, at 1.5 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers. For the next group, 18 and 19 year olds, the rate was nearly twice as high (2.8). With each successive group the rate increased, with the biggest change occurring between 55-to-64 year olds and those 65 and over. Differences in industries and occupations accounted for some of the variation in risk among age groups.

These data are a product of the BLS Safety and Health Statistics Program. Additional information is available from "Fatal Workplace Injuries in 1997: A Collection of Data and Analysis," BLS Report 934.