Trends and Disparities in Fatal Occupational Injury in North Carolina

Details

• Personal Author:
  Richardson DB
• Description:
  The general overarching objective of this work was to strengthen our understanding of trends in fatal occupational injury rates in North Carolina. Building upon a highly successful parent study, we were generate a 40-year times series of fatal occupational injuries in North Carolina, to complete three Goals (Specific Aims): Aim 1: Injury trends and their economic determinants. Describe the distribution and frequency of fatal occupational injuries. Identify emergent patterns in occupational injuries for the state as a whole and in terms of injury trends among the leading industries in North Carolina, with attention to industries that expanded as well as those that downsized over the study period. Conduct sub-analyses of trends in deaths due to specific causes, e.g: unintentional trauma; homicide; and environmental conditions. Aim 2: Disparities in injury rates by race and ethnicity. Describe the distribution and frequency of fatal occupational injury by race and Hispanic ethnicity. Examine persistent disparities in injury rates by race and ethnicity and the role of segregation in employment. Aim 3: Deaths among older workers. Describe the distribution and frequency of fatal injuries among older workers, considered differences by race and ethnicity, identifying the leading industries and the leading means of death for older workers. Outcomes: A comprehensive 4-decade series of fatal occupational deaths were generated through data abstraction from the files of the NC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, using a standardized and consistent case definition. Rates were computed using census denominations and analyzed using Poisson models. Results were published in peer-reviewed journals, and disseminated to a stakeholder meeting though in-person presentations. The project provided training and career developments opportunities for 5 professionals in training. This study was able to include trends fatal suicides and fatal homicides at work. Rates of fatal suicide in the workplace have increased over time. Taxi drivers and some retail workers have persistently high rates of on the job homicide. In general, the results of study describe declining rates overall, however, economic hardships have strengthened and reinforced disparities in fatal occupational rates, with the benefits of falling rates being greatest among those workers who already had the lowest rates (white race, managerial professions). As a result, disparities have increased, despite falling rates. Additionally, there is a pressing need to improve procedures for assessment of race and ethnicity in fatal workplace injuries. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Economics Epidemiology Mortality Occupational Health Safety Suicide Violence Workplace
• Keywords:
  Age Groups Fatalities Homicides Mortality Data Traumatic Injuries Workplace Violence
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; North Carolina
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-26
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070841
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R01-OH-011256, 2024 Dec; :1-26
• Email:
  dbricha1@uci.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20180901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20220831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0704a55fe73c7911d3225afc63514b2d1c11623f5d9a7922e5e523f8a985516f7ce43d527525b0abe626aa842b1f30d19d355f176d397419aeffe32b51d72229
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219289/cdc_219289_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 330.15 KB ]