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 NIOSH Publication No. 2004-146

Worker Health Chartbook 2004

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1chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 1-9 Numbers and rates of fatal occupational injuries, 1992-2002. The fatal occupational injury rate has varied from 5.3 per 100,000 workers in 1994 (6,632 fatal injuries) to 4.0 in 2002 (5,524 fatal injuries). Since 1993, the trend in rates reflects a steady decline. (Note: Charts using data for calendar year from the CFOI exclude deaths from the September 11 terrorist attacks.) (Source: BLS [2003a].)

 
2chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 1-10 Fatal occupational injury rates by State, 2002. Fatal occupational injury rates varied by State from 1.4 to 14.1 per 100,000 employed workers. (The U.S. rate was 4.0 per 100,000 employed workers in 2002.) Fatal occupational injuries exceeded 10 per 100,000 employed workers in Alaska, Wyoming, and Montana. (Sources: BLS [2003a]; BLS [2003b].)

 
3chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-15 Numbers and rates of traumatic occupational fatalities, 1980-2000. (All data for 1980-2000 exclude New York City.) The numbers of traumatic occupational fatalities decreased 33% during 1980-2000, from 7,343 fatalities in 1980 to 4,956 in 2000. During this period, the average annual rate for traumatic occupational fatalities decreased 50%-from 7.4 per 100,000 civilian workers in 1980 to 3.7 in 2000. (Source: NIOSH [2003].)

 
4chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-16 Numbers and rates of fatal occupational injuries, 1992-2002. A total of 5,524 fatal occupational injuries were recorded in 2002. During 1992-2002, fatality rates declined from 5.2 per 100,000 workers to 4.0. (Source: BLS [2003].)

 
5chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-17 Average annual rate of fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers by State of death, 1980-2000. (All data for 1980-2000 exclude New York City.) The States with the highest fatality rates for occupational injury during 1980-2000 include Alaska (20.9 per 100,000 workers), Wyoming (14.9), Montana (11.1), Idaho (9.7), Mississippi (9.6), and West Virginia (9.6). The greatest numbers of fatal occupational injuries occurred in California (12,221), Texas (11,635), Florida (7,252), Illinois (5,145), and Pennsylvania (4,420). (Source: NIOSH [2003].)

 
6chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-18 Number of fatal occupational injuries by State, 2002. BLS reported a low of 8 fatal occupational injuries in Rhode Island and a high of 478 in California for 2002. High fatality counts were also reported for Texas (417), Florida (354), New York (238), and Ohio (202). (Source: BLS [2003].)

 
7chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-19 Distribution of fatal occupational injuries by age of worker, 2002. In 2002, two-thirds of all fatally injured workers were aged 25-54. The highest percentage and number of fatalities (25.4% or 1,402 cases) were reported for workers aged 35-44. (Source: BLS [2003].)

 
8chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-20 Employment and fatality profiles by sex, 2002. Male workers held 53.7% of the estimated 137.7 million jobs for employed workers in 2002, and they incurred 92.0% of the 5,524 fatal occupational injuries. (Source: BLS [2003].)

 
9chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-21 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries by race, 2002. The 3,917 fatal injuries among white, non-Hispanic workers represented 71.0% of all fatal occupational injuries in 2002. Hispanic workers accounted for 840 cases or 15.2% of fatal occupational injuries in 2002. (Source: BLS [2003].)

 
10chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-22 Annual rates of fatal occupational injuries by race, 1980-2000. (All data for 1980-2000 exclude New York City.) In general, fatal occupational injury rates decreased for all races during 1980-2000. From 1991 through 1994, the rates for other races increased because of changes in methods for coding race information. Before 1998, black workers had slightly higher fatal occupational injury rates than white workers. But after 1998, the rates for white workers were slightly higher than those for black workers and for workers of all other races. (Source: NIOSH [2003].)

 
11chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-23 Annual rates of fatal occupational injuries by leading cause, 1980-1998. (All data for 1998 exclude New York State.) During 1980-1998, fatal occupational injury rates declined for the six leading causes of death, though not always consistently. During this period, deaths due to motor vehicle incidents had the highest rates. Deaths due to machines had the second highest rate until 1990, when they were surpassed by deaths due to homicides. For 1998, the rates of death for homicides and falls were second highest, followed closely by the rate for machine-related deaths. (Source: NIOSH [2001].)

 
12chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-24 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries by occupation, 2002. In 2002, the majority of fatal injuries (55.2% or 2,999 cases) occurred among two occupational groups: operators, fabricators, and laborers (34.9% or 1,895 cases) and precision production, craft, and repair workers (20.3% or 1,104 cases). (Source: BLS [2003].)

 
13chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-25 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries by private industry sector, 2002. In 2002, two industry sectors accounted for more than 40% of fatal occupational injuries: construction (22.6% or 1,121 cases) and transportation and public utilities (18.3% or 910 cases). (Source: BLS [2003].)

 
14chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-26 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, 2002. Transportation-related incidents caused 43.1% of the fatal occupational injuries in 2002, including 1,372 highway fatalities (which accounted for 24.9% of all occupational fatalities). (Source: BLS [2003].)

 
15chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-27 Distribution of fatal occupational injuries by sex of worker and event or exposure, 2002. Fatal injuries to male and female workers were not distributed consistently by type of event or exposure in 2002 because of differences in the types of jobs held by men and women. Fatal injuries in female workers were most frequently associated with transportation incidents (46.7%) and assaults and violent acts (33.8%). Transportation incidents also accounted for the most fatalities in male workers (42.8%), and contact with objects and equipment accounted for an additional 16.7% of male fatalities. (Note: A dash in parentheses indicates that no data were reported or that data do not meet BLS publication criteria.) (Source: BLS [2003].)

 
16chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 2-28 Numbers of fatal occupational injuries associated with the three most frequent fatal occupational events, 1992-2002. In 2002, fatal occupational highway injuries declined slightly from 2001 (2.6% or 37 cases), accounting for 1,372 fatal injuries. Falls showed the greatest decline from 2001 (11.9% or 96 cases). Fatal occupational highway injuries and fatal falls increased 19% during 1992-2002. Job-related homicides decreased 42% during the same period. (Source: BLS [2003].)

 
17chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 3-6 Leading sources of fatal occupational injuries in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry, 1992-2001. (Fatality data exclude New York City.) Farm tractors accounted for 2,165 fatal occupational injuries during 1992-2001 and were the leading source of these deaths in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Trucks and fishing boats were also major sources of death in this industry and accounted for 795 and 434 fatal occupational injuries, respectively. (Sources: BLS [2002a]; Myers [2003].)

 
18chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 3-7 Leading causes of fatal occupational injuries in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry, 1992-1997. During 1992-1997, machinery caused 1,021 fatal occupational injuries and was the leading cause of these deaths in agriculture, forestry, and fishing as reported on death certificates. The next leading causes of these deaths were motor vehicles (624 fatalities) and falls (235 fatalities). (Sources: NIOSH [2001a]; Myers [2001a].)

 
19chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 3-8 Fatal occupational injuries in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry by State, 1992-2000. (Fatality data exclude New York City.) During 1992-2000, the highest numbers of fatal occupational injuries in agriculture, forestry, and fishing were reported by California (646), Texas (384), Florida (313), Kentucky (298), Pennsylvania (289), and Tennessee (271). (Sources: BLS [2001a]; Myers [2001b].)

 
20chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 3-9 Fatal occupational injury rates in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry by State, 1992-2000. (Fatality data exclude New York City.) During 1992-2000, the highest fatal occupational injury rates in agriculture, forestry, and fishing were reported by Alaska (175.9 per 10,000 workers), Kentucky (62.3), and Tennessee (44.3). (Sources: BLS [2001a,b]; Myers [2001b].)

 
21chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 3-10 Age distribution for unintentional on-farm deaths of youths under age 20, 1982-1996. Youths aged 15-19 accounted for the most unintentional on-farm deaths (742) during 1982-1996, and youths under age 5 accounted for the next highest number of these deaths (527). (Sources: NCHS [2002]; Adekoya and Pratt [2001].)

 
22chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 3-11 Unintentional on-farm deaths of youths under age 20 by cause of death, 1982-1996. During 1982-1996, unintentional on-farm deaths of youths under age 20 most frequently involved machinery (773 fatalities), drowning (585 fatalities), or firearms (237 fatalities). (Sources: NCHS [2002]; Adekoya and Pratt [2001].)

 
23chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 3-12 Unintentional on-farm deaths of youths under age 20 by State, 1982-1996. During 1982-1996, the highest numbers of unintentional on-farm deaths of youths under age 20 were reported by Texas (204), Pennsylvania (109), Iowa (107), Missouri (106), and Wisconsin (105). (Sources: NCHS [2002]; Adekoya and Pratt [2001].)

 
24chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-1 Fatal occupational injury rates by industry division, 2002. Fatal occupational injury rates in 2002 were highest in mining (23.5 per 100,000 workers), agriculture, forestry, and fishing (22.7), construction (12.2), and transportation and public utilities (11.3). The rate for all private industry was 4.2 per 100,000 workers. (Source: BLS [2003a].)

 
25chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-5 Number and average annual rate of fatal occupational injuries in coal and metal/nonmetal mining for each 5-year period during 1966-2000, including factors affecting reductions in these injuries. The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 was passed soon after 78 coal miners died in 1968 during an underground explosion in the Consol No. 9 Mine at Farmington, West Virginia. Numbers and rates of fatal injuries in coal mining declined steadily after passage of the 1969 Act. During the most recent 5-year period (1996-2000), the fatal injury rate for coal mining was at its lowest-33 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.

The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (which included metal/nonmetal mining) was passed a few years after 91 miners lost their lives in a 1972 underground mine fire at the Sunshine Silver Mine. The fatal occupational injury rate for metal/nonmetal mining declined to its lowest rate (25.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers) in 1991-1995. During 1996-2000, this rate increased to 27.1 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.

Safety and health legislation has been an important factor in reducing fatal occupational injury rates over the past three decades. However, other critical factors include improvements in mining technology such as roof bolting to prevent roof cave-ins, dust suppression and ventilation techniques, and use of noncombustible materials to prevent explosions and fires. Despite large declines in the numbers and rates of fatal injuries to miners, mining continues to be one of the most hazardous occupations. (Sources: MSHA [2002]; NIOSH [2003a].)

 
26chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-7 Number and distribution of fatal mining injuries by type of incident and work location, 1998-2002. During 1998-2002, most fatal injuries to miners working at surface mining locations (61.2%) were associated with the use of powered haulage (such as motors and rail cars, conveyors, bucket elevators, vertical manlifts, shuttle cars, haulage trucks, and front-end loaders) and machinery (for example, electric and air-powered tools and mining machinery such as drills, draglines, power shovels, and loading machines). Most fatal mining injuries underground (43.3%) were classified as fall of ground (that is, fall of roof or back). (Sources: MSHA [2003]; NIOSH [2003a].)

 
27chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-8 Number and rate of fatal mining injuries by employment size of mining operation (excluding independent contractor workers), 1998-2002. During 1998-2002, rates of fatal mining injuries generally decreased as the employment size of mining operations increased. The highest fatal injury rate occurred in mining operations employing fewer than 10 workers (40.0 fatal per 100,000 workers). Conversely, the lowest fatal injury rate (17.8 per 100,000 workers) occurred in mining operations employing 250 or more workers. (Sources: MSHA [2003]; NIOSH [2003a].)

 
28chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-19 Numbers of deaths, crude mortality rates, and age-adjusted mortality rates for U.S. residents aged 15 or older with coal workers' pneumoconiosis recorded as an underlying or contributing cause on the death certificate, 1968-1999. After passage of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, an increase occurred in the number and rate of deaths reported with coal workers' pneumoconiosis (black lung) recorded on the death certificate. The number and rate of these deaths were at their lowest in 1999, the last year for which data are currently available. The number decreased from 2,870 in 1972 to 1,003 in 1999. In 1972, the crude and age-adjusted mortality rates were 18.9 and 21.2 per million population, respectively. Both rates declined to 4.7 per million in 1999. (Note: Age-adjusted mortality rates are standardized to the year 2000 standard population.) (Sources: NCHS [2002]; NIOSH [2002].)

 
29chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-21 Distribution of fatal occupational injuries among construction workers by age, 1992 and 2001. The construction workforce has been growing older: In 2001, the average age for construction workers was 38.7 (1.5 years older than it was in 1992). In addition, the median age increased from 35 to 39 during this 10-year period. The aging of the construction workforce is reflected in the distribution of fatal occupational injuries in this group by age. From 1992 to 2001, the largest proportion of fatal occupational injuries shifted from construction workers aged 25-34 to those aged 35-44. For construction workers aged 25 or 34, the proportion with fatal injuries declined (from 27.8% to 21.7%), whereas it increased for workers aged 65 or older (from 3.9% to 5.9%). (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Dong et al. [2004].)

 
30chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-22 Fatal occupational injury rates among Hispanic and non-Hispanic workers in the construction industry, 1992-2001. Fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic construction workers increased from 108 in 1992 to 281 in 2001. Since 1992, Hispanic construction workers have had markedly higher fatal occupational injury rates than their non-Hispanic counterparts. In 2001 (the most recent year measured), the rate of work-related deaths from construction injuries for Hispanics was 19.5 per 100,000 full-time workers-62.5% higher than the rate of 12.0 for non-Hispanic construction workers. During 1990-2001, Hispanic employment in the U.S. construction industry increased greatly, from 649,800 in 1990 to 1.5 million (or 15.6% of the construction workforce) in 2001. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Dong et al. [2004].)

 
31chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-23 Fatal occupational injury rates by construction trade, 2001. Fatal occupational injury rates in the construction trades for 2001 ranged from 6.0 per 100,000 full-time workers for drywall installers to 75.6 for ironworkers-more than a 12-fold difference. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Chowdhury and Dong [2002].)

 
32chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-24 Distribution of construction workers and fatal occupational injuries by employment size of establishment, 2001. In 2001, more than 80% of construction establishments had fewer than 10 employees, and establishments with fewer than 20 employees employed only 38.2% of the wage-and-salary workforce. However, fatal occupational injuries among these smaller establishments accounted for more than 55.5% of fatal occupational injuries in 2001. (Note: The calculation excludes the self-employed workers and deaths reported without establishment-size information.) (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Census [2003]; Dong et al. [2004].)

 
33chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-25 Numbers and rates of fatal occupational injuries among construction workers by fatal event, 2001. In 2001, falls to lower level accounted for the greatest number of fatal occupational injuries among construction workers (410 fatalities or 4.3 per 100,000 full-time workers). Highway accidents accounted for 161 deaths, a fatal injury rate of 1.7 per 100,000 full-time workers. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Dong et al. [2004].)

 
34chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-26 Fatal occupational fall rates by selected construction trade, 2001. The 2001 rate for fatal occupational falls among ironworkers was 66.8 per 100,000 workers-15 times the average rate for all construction. For roofers, the fatal fall rate was 30.1, or 7 times the average rate for all construction. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Dong et al. [2004].)

 
35chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-29 Fatal occupational injury rates for brickmasons and all construction workers, 1992-2001. During 1992-2001, fatal occupational injury rates for brickmasons were generally lower than those for all construction workers. Rates for brickmasons showed an up-and-down decreasing pattern, varying from 6.3 per 100,000 full-time workers in 2001 to 15.2 in 1995. BLS reported 145 fatal occupational injuries among brickmasons during this 10-year period-an average of 14 fatalities per year. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Pollack and Chowdhury [2001]; Chowdhury and Dong [2003].)

 
36chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-31 Fatal occupational injury rates for carpenters and all construction workers, 1992-2001. During 1992-2001, fatal occupational injury rates for carpenters were parallel to and consistently lower than rates for all construction workers. Rates for carpenters varied within a narrow range, from 8.9 per 100,000 full-time workers in 1995 to 6.7 in 2000. BLS reported 848 fatal occupational injuries among carpenters during this 10-year period-an average of 85 fatalities per year. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Pollack and Chowdhury [2001]; Chowdhury and Dong [2003].)

 
37chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-33 Fatal occupational injury rates for drywall installers and all construction workers, 1992-2001. Fatal occupational injury rates for drywall installers were consistently lower than those for all construction workers during 1992-2001. Except for 1992, the rates for drywall installers varied within a narrow range, from 6.7 per 100,000 full-time workers in 1993 to 3.4 in 1998. BLS reported 80 fatal occupational injuries among drywall installers during this 10-year period-an average of 10 fatalities per year. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Pollack and Chowdhury [2001]; Chowdhury and Dong [2003].)

 
38chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-35 Fatal occupational injury rates for electricians and all construction workers, 1992-2001. Fatal occupational injury rates for electricians during 1992-2001 were comparable with those for all construction workers. Rates for electricians showed an up-and-down decreasing pattern, from 18.3 per 100,000 full-time workers in 1995 to 9.0 in 2000. BLS reported 671 fatal occupational injuries among electricians during this 10-year period-an average of 67 fatalities per year. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Pollack and Chowdhury [2001]; Chowdhury and Dong [2003].)

 
39chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-37 Fatal occupational injury rates for ironworkers and all construction workers, 1992-2001. Fatal occupational injury rates for ironworkers during 1992-2001 were substantially greater (4.8-10.5 times greater) than those for all construction workers. Rates for ironworkers showed a downward trend, from 147.6 per 100,000 full-time workers in 1992 to 60.0 in 2000. BLS reported 424 fatal occupational injuries among ironworkers during this 10-year period-an average of 42 fatalities per year. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Pollack and Chowdhury [2001]; Chowdhury and Dong [2003].)

 
40chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-39 Fatal occupational injury rates for construction laborers and all construction workers, 1992-2001. Fatal occupational injury rates for construction laborers during 1992-2001 were substantially greater (2.5-3.4 times greater) than those for all construction workers. Between 1992 and 1997, rates increased from 36.8 per 100,000 full-time workers to 47.3, then decreased to a low of 30.8 in 2000. BLS reported 2,873 fatal occupational injuries among construction laborers during this 10-year period-an average of 287 fatalities per year. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Pollack and Chowdhury [2001]; Chowdhury and Dong [2003].)

 
41chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-41 Fatal occupational injury rates for operating engineers and all construction workers, 1992-2001. Fatal occupational injury rates for operating engineers during 1992-2001 exceeded those for all construction workers except during 1995. Rates for operating engineers showed an increasing trend, varying between 12.2 per 100,000 full-time workers and 23.0 (compared with 12.4 and 14.8 per 100,000 full-time workers for all construction workers). BLS reported 342 fatal occupational injuries among operating engineers during this 10-year period-an average of 34 fatalities per year. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Pollack and Chowdhury [2001]; Chowdhury and Dong [2003].)

 
42chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-43 Fatal occupational injury rates for painters and all construction workers, 1992-2001. During 1992-2001, fatal occupational injury rates for painters were lower than those for all construction workers. Rates for painters showed an up-and-down decreasing pattern, varying from 12.2 per 100,000 full-time workers in 1996 to 7.9 in 1999. BLS reported 384 fatal occupational injuries among painters during this 10-year period-an average of 38 fatalities per year. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Pollack and Chowdhury [2001]; Chowdhury and Dong [2003].)

 
43chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-45 Fatal occupational injury rates for plumbers and all construction workers, 1992-2001. During 1992-2001, fatal occupational injury rates for plumbers were lower than those for all construction workers. Rates for plumbers showed a downward trend, from 9.7 per 100,000 full-time workers in 1994 to 5.1 in 1998. BLS reported 284 fatal occupational injuries among plumbers during this 10-year period-an average of 28 fatalities per year. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Pollack and Chowdhury [2001]; Chowdhury and Dong [2003].)

 
44chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-47 Fatal occupational injury rates for roofers and all construction workers, 1992-2001. Fatal occupational injury rates for roofers were 1.6-2.8 times greater than those for all construction workers during 1992-2001. Rates followed an up-and-down increasing pattern, with a high of 41.2 per 100,000 full-time workers in 2001 and a low of 22.3 in 1998. BLS reported 569 fatal occupational injuries among roofers during this 10-year period-an average of 57 fatalities per year. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Pollack and Chowdhury [2001]; Chowdhury and Dong [2003].)

 
45chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-49 Fatal occupational injury rates for truck drivers and all construction workers, 1992-2001. Fatal occupational injury rates for truck drivers were 1.3-2.9 times greater than those for all construction workers during 1992-2001. Rates for truck drivers showed a down-and-up pattern, with a low of 17.0 per 100,000 full-time workers in 1993 and a high of 39.2 in 1999. BLS reported 479 fatal occupational injuries among truck drivers during this 10-year period-an average of 48 fatalities per year. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Pollack and Chowdhury [2001]; Chowdhury and Dong [2003].)

 
46chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 4-51 Fatal occupational injury rates for welders and cutters and all construction workers, 1992-2001. Fatal occupational injury rates for welders and cutters were 1.7-3.3 times greater than those for all construction workers during 1992-2001. Rates for welders and cutters showed an increasing trend, from 23.7 per 100,000 full-time workers in 1992 to 45.4 in 1997. The 2001 fatal injury rate of 39.9 per 100,000 full-time workers was 3 times the rate for all construction workers and represented a 68% increase from 1992. BLS reported 257 fatal occupational injuries among welders and cutters during this 10-year period-an average of 26 fatalities per year. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Pollack and Chowdhury [2001]; Chowdhury and Dong [2003].)

 
47chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-1 Number and rate of fatal occupational injuries by age of worker, 2002. Workers aged 25-54 accounted for 3,672 or 66.5% of the 5,524 fatal occupational injuries in 2002. Fatality rates ranged from 1.1 per 100,000 among workers aged 16-17 to 11.5 per 100,000 among workers aged 65 and older. Fatalities among workers aged 65 and older accounted for 9% (494 fatalities) of all fatal occupational injuries. (Note: Labor force data are unavailable for youths aged 15 and younger. This precludes estimating rates for these workers.) (Source: BLS [2003a].)

 
48chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-5 Numbers and rates of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 16-17 and 18-19, 1993-2002. Fatal occupational injury rates declined during this 10-year period from 2 to 1.1 per 100,000 employed workers aged 16-17 and from 3 to 2.2 per 100,000 employed workers aged 18-19. Fatal injury rates were higher each year for workers aged 18-19 compared with workers aged 16-17. The number of fatal injuries ranged from 32 in 1998 to 46 in 1999 for workers aged 16-17, and from 92 in 2002 to 137 in 1998 for workers aged 18-19. (Note: BLS rounded rates to whole numbers for 1993-1995.) (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
49chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-6 Number and distribution of fatal occupational injuries by age among young workers, 1992-2002. Fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 16 and 17 accounted for 158 and 270 fatalities, respectively, or 60.5% of all fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 17 and younger for the period 1992-2002. A significant number of deaths (94 or 13.3% of the total) occurred among youths aged 12 and younger. (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
50chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-7 Number of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 17 and younger by sex of worker, 1992-2002. For this period, the total number of fatal occupational injuries for workers aged 17 and younger ranged from 41 in 2002 to 73 in 2000. Deaths among male workers predominated, accounting for 89% of the worker deaths reported in this age group during 1992-2002. (Note: Dash in parentheses indicates that no data were reported or that data do not meet BLS publication criteria.) (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
51chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-8 Number and distribution of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 17 and younger by race/ethnicity, 1992-2002. White, non-Hispanic youths accounted for 520 or 73.6% of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 17 and younger during 1992-2002. In contrast, 39 fatal occupational injuries (5.5%) were reported for black, non-Hispanic youths, and 114 (16.1%) were reported for Hispanic youths during the 11-year period. (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
52chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-10 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 17 and younger by industry, 1992-2002. During 1992-2002, young workers in agriculture, forestry, and fishing accounted for 287 or 43.3% of all fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 17 or younger. Workers in retail trade and construction had the next largest numbers of fatal injuries among young workers (127 fatal injuries [or 19.2%] and 107 fatal injuries [or 16.1%], respectively). (Note: Dash in parentheses indicates that no data were reported or that data do not meet BLS publication criteria.) (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
53chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-11 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 17 and younger by event or exposure, 1992-2002. Transportation incidents accounted for 45.4% (320) of fatal occupational injuries among youths. These incidents are further described by the smaller pie chart, which shows incidents on highways, farms, and industrial premises accounting for more than 74% of all transportation incidents among youths. Overall, assaults and violent acts accounted for 126 or 17.8% of all fatal occupational injuries among youths. (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
54chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-22 Numbers and rates of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 55-64 and older, 1992-2002. Rates of fatal occupational injuries among older workers declined during 1992-2002. For workers aged 55-64, rates varied from 8 per 100,000 workers in 1994 to 5 in 2002. The number of fatal occupational injuries ranged from 767 in 1992 to 875 in 1997. For workers aged 65 and older, rates declined from 15 per 100,000 workers in 1993 to 11.5 in 2002. The number of fatal occupational injuries in this group ranged from 467 in 1992 to 565 in 1999. (Note: BLS rounded rates to whole numbers for 1992-1995.) (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
55chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-23 Number of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 55 and older by sex, 1992-2002. Male workers accounted for most fatal occupational injuries among older workers (94% during the 11-year period). From year to year, small differences occur in the number of fatal injuries among women, ranging from 67 in 1992 to 101 in 1995. (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
56chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-24 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 55 and older by race/ethnicity, 1992-2002. White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 12,075 or 82.1% of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 55 and older. Black, non-Hispanic workers in this age group accounted for 1,237 fatal occupational injuries or 8.4% of the total. Hispanic workers suffered 854 fatal occupational injuries or 5.8%. (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
57chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-25 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 55 and older by occupation, 1992-2002. Two groups accounted for slightly more than half of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 55 and older: operators, fabricators, and laborers (4,075 or 28.0%) and farming, forestry, and fishing (3,880 or 26.7%). Three occupations each accounted for approximately 13% of the fatal injuries: managerial and professional specialty; technical, sales, and administrative support; and precision production, craft, and repair. (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
58chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-27 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries among workers aged 55 and older by event or exposure, 1992-2002. Transportation incidents (6,737 or 45.8%), contacts with objects and equipment (2,508 or 17.0%), and assaults and violent acts (2,270 or 15.4%) were major types of fatal occupational injuries during this 11-year period. Among the transportation incidents, highway (3,200), nonhighway (farm and industrial) (1,701), and being struck by a vehicle or mobile equipment (1,074) were principal sources of fatal occupational injuries. (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
59chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-32 Number and distribution of fatal occupational injuries by race/ethnicity among Hispanic and non-Hispanic workers, 2002. The 840 fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic workers (15.2% of the total) represented a 5.7% decrease from the 891 fatal occupational injuries reported in 2001. The 3,917 fatal injuries among white, non-Hispanic workers represented 70.9% of all fatal occupational injuries in 2002. (Source: BLS [2003a].)

 
60chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-33 Number and rate of fatal occupational injuries among employed Hispanic workers, 1992-2002. During the 11-year period 1992-2002, the number of fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic workers ranged from 533 in 1992 to 895 in 2001. The fatal occupational injury rates varied from 5 to 6.0 per 100,000 employed workers during this 11-year period. (Note: BLS rounded rates to whole numbers for 1992-1995.) (Sources: BLS [2003a,d].)

 
61chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-34 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic workers by age, 1992-2002. During 1992-2002, workers aged 25-34 had the most fatal occupational injuries (2,310 or 30.1%), followed by workers aged 35-44 (1,929 or 25.1%). (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
62chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-35 Number of fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic workers by sex, 1992-2002. In 2002, male workers accounted for about 94% of all fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic workers. During this period, fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic female workers ranged from 21 in 1992 to 54 in 2001. (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
63chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-36 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic workers by occupation, 1992-2002. During this period, three occupational groups accounted for nearly 77% of all fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic workers: operators, fabricators, and laborers (41.4% or 3,128 cases), precision production, craft, and repair occupations (19.9% or 1,504 cases), and farming, forestry, and fishing (16.2% or 1,225 cases). (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
64chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-37 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic workers by industry, 1992-2002. During this period, the largest proportion of fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic workers was in construction, which accounted for 27.7% of the total, or 1,994 cases. (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
65chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Figure 5-38 Distribution and number of fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic workers by event or exposure, 1992-2002. Transportation incidents accounted for 33.7% of fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic workers during 1992-2002. Other events or exposures that accounted for substantial proportions of fatal injuries included assaults and violent acts (20.6%), contact with objects and equipment (16.7%), and falls (15.0%). The 2,593 transportation fatalities were primarily associated with incidents on highways (1,427 cases) or on farm or industrial premises (368 cases), or with incidents in which workers were struck by a vehicle or mobile equipment (562 cases). (Source: BLS [2003d].)

 
66chart thumbnail - click on image for larger view.Table 4-1 Number and 5-year average rate of fatal mining injuries by type of employer and commodity at various work locations, 1998-2002. Underground mines posed the greatest risk of fatal injury to mine workers during 1998-2002. At these mines, the highest fatal injury rates were among metal mine operator workers and all independent contractor workers. At surface locations, the highest fatal injury rate was at the dredge. All 11 fatalities at the dredge occurred at sand and gravel mines. Within each commodity, fatal injury rates were highest for independent contractor workers at two metal/nonmetal surface locations: strip/open pit/quarry and mills. (Sources: MSHA [2003]; NIOSH [2003].)

 

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