Elevated Occupational Transportation Fatalities Among Older Workers in Oregon: An Empirical Investigation

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cain D ; Douglas JP ; Karr J ; Olson, Ryan ; Walters JK ; Zoller E
• Description:
  Older workers have an elevated risk of being killed on the job, and transportation incidents involving vehicles or mobile machinery are especially deadly for this group. The present study was designed to address the research gap in understanding contributing factors to these incidents and recommend evidence-based guidelines for interventions. We gathered and analyzed data from several sources, including the Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program, the Oregon Workers' Compensation system, the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and peer reviewed research literatures. Rates and rate ratios (RR) were used to evaluate excess risk among groups. The results of this study show that older workers in Oregon have an elevated risk of fatality both in all events (RR = 3.0, 95% CI 2.2-4.0) and transportation events (RR = 3.6, 95% CI 2.4-5.4). Additional analyses and extant literature supports our hypotheses that multiple risk factors contribute to the phenomenon, including (a) hazard exposure, (b) organization of work, (c) physical fragility, and (d) normative cognitive, sensory, and psychomotor changes that occur with age. The evidence-based framework proposed may provide valuable guidance for developing safety interventions that protect older workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Automobiles Mortality Occupational Health Occupational Injuries Safety Transportation
• Keywords:
  Age Factors Author Keywords: Occupational Fatalities Data Analysis Fatalities Injuries Injury Prevention Intervention Machinery Mortality Data Occupational Accidents Transportation Workers Vehicle Safety Work Organization

  More +
• ISSN:
  0001-4575
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Oregon ; OSHA Region 10
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  28-38
• Volume:
  53
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061589
• Citation:
  Accid Anal Prev 2013 Apr; 53:28-38
• Contact Point Address:
  Jaime K. Walters, Multnomah County Health Department, 426 SW Stark Street, 3rd floor, Portland, OR 97204, United States
• Email:
  jaime.walters@multco.us
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  Public Health Services, Portland, Oregon
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Accident Analysis and Prevention
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ae241a70e5a6e8473dbd2cfe56f5705046df5c7327796f541c7c21dbe5a8f6f1285617c8581478bb6d6f0afb770cf03a29733a356bab94c77ea02ddc6ac93037
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225089/cdc_225089_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 481.96 KB ]