Forty Years of Struggle in North Carolina: Workplace Segregation and Fatal Occupational Injury Rates

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cantrell J ; Marshall S ; Martin AT ; McClure ES ; Nocera M ; Ranapurwala SI ; Richardson DB
• Description:
  Objective: To assess workplace segregation in fatal occupational injury from 1992 to 2017 in North Carolina. Methods: We calculated occupational fatal injury rates within categories of occupation, industry, race, age, and sex; and estimated expected numbers of fatalities among Black and Hispanic male workers had they experienced the rates of White male workers. We also estimated the contribution of workforce segregation to disparities by estimating the expected number of fatalities among Black and Hispanic male workers had they experienced the industry and occupation patterns of White male workers. We assessed person-years of life-lost, using North Carolina life expectancy estimates. Results: Hispanic workers contributed 32% of their worker-years and experienced 58% of their fatalities in construction. Black workers were most overrepresented in the food manufacturing industry. Hispanic males experienced 2.11 (95% CI: 1.86-2.40) times the mortality rate of White males. The Black-White and Hispanic-White disparities were widest among workers aged 45 and older, and segregation into more dangerous industries and occupations played a substantial role in driving disparities. Hispanic workers who suffered occupational fatalities lost a median 47 life-years, compared to 37 among Black workers and 36 among White workers. Conclusions: If Hispanic and Black workers experienced the workplace safety of their White counterparts, fatal injury rates would be substantially reduced. Workforce segregation reflects structural racism, which also contributes to mortality disparities. Root causes must be addressed to eliminate disparities. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Epidemiology Mortality Occupational Health Race Factors Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Health Equity Fatalities Injuries Injury Mortality Mortality Rates Occupational Health Disparities Occupational Health Equity Racial Factors Workplace
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  67
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069544
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2024 Jun; 67(6):539-550
• Contact Point Address:
  Elizabeth S. McClure, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2101B McGavran-Greenberg, CB # 7435, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
• Email:
  emcclure@unc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:38a3354d6518047d451ea033945ccfaa4a53202f999c587843edc50ba307d1c14e18432ad7343db8f1492e75f387ed789ae7312a6df520c698be853dd9848e2e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207964/cdc_207964_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 843.81 KB ]