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1993.11.29 :  Work-Related Injuries

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Nov. 29, 1993

Contact: Public Health Service 
Terry Hammond (404) 639-3902

In the District of Columbia and five states--Alabama,
Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan and South Carolina--homicide was
the leading cause of workplace death for the decade 1980-1989,
according to a report released today by the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health.

Although data for New York are incomplete, NIOSH estimates
indicate that homicide may also be the leading cause of work-
related death in that state.

The report, "Fatal Injuries to Workers in the United States, 1980-
1989: A Decade of Surveillance," contains the most comprehensive
statistics to date on workplace fatalities in each state and
across the nation.

The study reveals that work-related injuries claimed the lives of
63,589 workers during the 10-year period, with homicide claiming
7,603 of these lives.  While the leading cause of death varies by
state, job-related motor vehicle crashes, machine-related
incidents and homicides emerged as the leading killers overall.

"Our job only begins with the identification of these problems. 
We must continue the fight for worker safety with new enthusiasm
and realize that this is truly something that affects us all,"
said HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala.

The states whose workers were at highest risk of dying on the job
were Alaska (34.8 deaths per 100,000 workers), Wyoming (29.0),
Montana (20.9), Idaho (16.7) and West Virginia (15.7). The states
with the lowest rates of fatal workplace injuries are Connecticut
(1.8), Massachusetts (2.3) and New York (2.6).

The mining industry had the highest average annual fatality rate
per 100,000 workers (31.9), followed by construction (25.6),
transportation/communication/public utilities (23.3) and
agriculture/forestry/fishing (18.3). Black workers had the highest
fatality rate (6.5), while the largest number of deaths was among
white workers.  Eighty percent of occupational death victims were
white, 11 percent were black, 6 percent were Hispanic, 2 percent
were Asian and Pacific Islanders, less than 1 percent were
American Indians/Alaska Natives and 1 percent of the cases were of
other or unknown race/ethnicity.

"NIOSH urges each state to examine the hazards threatening its
workers and act now to prevent future tragedies," said the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention Director David Satcher, M.D.
NIOSH is an arm of the CDC within the U.S. Public Health