August 25, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Fatal on-the-job injuries by age in 2003

Workers between the ages of 35 and 54 accounted for close to half of all fatal workplace injuries in 2003.

[Chart data—TXT]

Those 55 and over accounted for just under a quarter of the fatalities, and those under 35 accounted for somewhat less than a third.

The number of fatal injuries rose for workers under 25 years of age and for workers 45 years of age and older in 2003. Workers from 25 through 44 years of age recorded fewer fatalities in 2003 than in 2002. 

While only accounting for 9 percent of fatal workplace injuries, workers 65 years of age and older continued to record the highest fatality rate of any age group in 2003. The rate of 11.3 fatal work injuries per 100,000 workers for workers 65 and older was more than three times the rate of 3.3 fatalities per 100,000 workers for those 25 to 34 years of age.

These data come from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the BLS Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program. Additional information is available from "National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2003" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 04-1830. 

 

Related TED article:

• Fatal occupational injuries by industry, 2003
• Fatal work injuries in 2003