Heat-Related Fatalities in North Carolina 1999–2017

Details

• Personal Author:
  McClure ES ; Nocera M ; Ranapurwala SI ; Richardson DB
• Description:
  Objectives: Research shows the highest rates of occupational heat-related fatalities among farm laborers and among Black and Hispanic workers in North Carolina (NC). The Hispanic population and workforce in NC have grown substantially in the past 20 years. We describe the epidemiology of heat-related fatal injuries in the general population and among workers in NC. Methods: We reviewed North Carolina death records and records of the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to identify heat-related deaths (primary International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision diagnosis code: X30 or T67.0-T67.9) that occurred between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2017. Decedent age, sex, race, and ethnicity were extracted from both the death certificate and the medical examiner's report as well as determinations of whether the death occurred at work. Results: In NC between 1999 and 2017, there were 225 deaths from heat-related injuries, and 25 occurred at work. The rates of occupational heat-related deaths were highest among males, workers of Hispanic ethnicity, workers of Black, multiple, or unknown race, and in workers aged 55-64. The highest rate of occupational heat-related deaths occurred in the agricultural industry. Conclusions: Since the last report (2001), the number of heat-related fatalities has increased, but fewer were identified as workplace fatalities. Rates of occupational heat-related deaths are highest among Hispanic workers. NC residents identifying as Black are disproportionately burdened by heat-related fatalities in general, with a wider apparent disparity in occupational deaths. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Climate Change Epidemiology Hot Temperature Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Industry Author Keywords: Climate Change Climate Change Fatalities Health Disparities Heat Heat-related Fatalities Hot Environments Occupational Epidemiology Occupational Health Disparities
• 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:20069581
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2024 Jun; 67(6):551-555
• 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 27599, 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-512:9e2849996e6ea15b20e5369311f13f280d577314038ab41f7bc061abdac964c9bb7001ab5acbf7a9ddbf08c7d3e662da264fa8074496515db70bcb59cc37811e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207988/cdc_207988_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 349.92 KB ]