Occupational Fatality Surveillance in Alaska

Details

• Personal Author:
  Conway, George A. ; Kennedy RD ; Klatt, Michael L. ; Lincoln, Jennifer E. ; Manwaring, Jan C.
• Description:
  Objectives: To describe the occupational fatality surveillance system currently used in Alaska. Methods: All known occupational fatalities occurring in Alaska or Alaskan waters are recorded by the Alaska Activity. Fatality detection is either by phone notification from one of the federal, state, or local jurisdictional agencies or from daily examination of newspapers. Fatal events that require a more in-depth investigation are followed up using guidelines under the FACE protocol. Occupation- and injury-specific data collection instruments are used, often in collaboration with investigators from other agencies. Results: From August 1991 through July 1992, 49 traumatic occupational fatality events occurred in Alaska, resulting in 75 fatalities. Fatalities took place primarily in three high-risk industries: commercial fishing, air transport, and logging. A total of 10 on-site investigations were conducted over the 12-month period. Of these 10, 6 were unique to the high-risk industries: 3 logging, 2 air transport, and 1 commercial fishing. Photographs, witness statements, employer interviews, and close scrutiny of the fatality site were recorded, primarily by predetermined questionnaires. Medical and laboratory reports were usually obtained within 45 days. Narrative reports were written describing in detail the circumstances of the fatal event, followed by a list of recommendations. Seven such narrative reports have been finalized and have been or will be disseminated to health promoters and educators, industry representatives, and safety and health specialists. Conclusions: Effective occupational injury and fatality surveillance systems should contain not only mechanisms to obtain the most accurate facsimile of an event, but also a strategy to generate and disseminate recommendations on how to improve and ensure worker safety and safe industry conditions. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Forestry Hunting Mortality Occupational Health Occupational Injuries Safety Transportation
• Keywords:
  Fatalities Fishing Industry Logging Industry Mortality Data Occupational Accidents Surveillance Transportation Industry
• Publisher:
  Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Alaska ; Georgia ; Illinois ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  59-60
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059834
• Citation:
  Second World Conference on Injury Control, May 20-23, 1993, Atlanta, Georgia. Des Plaines, IL: Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, 1993 May; :59-60
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1993
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Second World Conference on Injury Control, May 20-23, 1993, Atlanta, Georgia
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:30551891e1b58183c32fa73a240ca41698515aa5b464721dd9972a13d5e335ab8e3779497f9a2180676bfc9b9a31eba335949a47a4c941cc94a91718cf5fb748
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223901/cdc_223901_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.46 MB ]