CANCELLED - Fatal Work-Related Injuries — Southeastern United States, 2008–2011

BACKGROUND:   Each year, over 4,000 workers die from work-related injuries in the United States.¹ A report of work-related injury deaths for the year 2008 indicated the rate was 3.7 per 100,000 workers in the U.S. overall², but was higher in 12 southeastern states: 5.2 per 100,000 workers. The Southeastern States Occupational Health Network (SouthON) consists of occupational safety and health partners in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and state partners examined work-related fatalities in SouthON states for the period 2008 to 2011.

METHODS:   To describe work-related fatalities resulting from injuries, data were analyzed form the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). Median work-related fatality counts and rates were evaluated for each of the 12 SouthON states, the Southeast region as a whole, and the entire U.S. Finally, the percentage of work-related fatalities by cause is reported: transportation incidents, contact with objects and equipment, assaults and violent acts, falls, exposure to harmful substances or environments, as well as fires and explosions.

RESULTS:   During 2008 to 2011, the median annual fatality rate for work-related injuries from the 12 SouthON states was 4.8 per 100,000 workers while the rate for the entire U.S. was 3.5 per 100,000 workers. The SouthOn states with the highest rates included Arkansas (7.2), Louisiana (6.8), and West Virginia (6.6). An additional six SouthON states had a higher rate than the U.S.: Mississippi (6.3), Kentucky (5.7), Tennessee (4.8), Alabama (4.7), South Carolina (4.3), and North Carolina (3.7). In the SouthON states, the percentages of work-related injury fatalities by cause were similar to those in the U.S., ranging from 9.1% higher for exposure to harmful substances or environments, to 12.9% lower for falls.

CONCLUSIONS:   Because work-related deaths are preventable, SouthON is focused on developing common priorities and informing policies to enhance research and practice activities in the Southeastern region of the U.S. For example, North Carolina included an occupational health-related objective in their state’s version of Healthy People 2020, to make work-related motor vehicle crashes a focus area and emphasize seatbelt use. Additionally, Kentucky’s Injury Prevention and Research Center has published several epidemiological studies that identify risk factors associated with transportation incidents to facilitate implementation of prevention measures. SouthOn provides a mechanism for diverse partners in the southeastern region of the U.S. to make progress on this important occupational safety and health issue.