Hispanic work-related deaths outnumber other workers
Jun 26, 2008 10:21 AM
During 1992-2006, a total of 11,303 Hispanic workers died from work-related injuries, a rate that was consistently higher than the rate for all US workers, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP).
Because Hispanics are among the fastest-growing segments of the US workforce--an estimated 19.6 million workers in the United States in 2006 were Hispanic, 56 percent of whom were foreign born. To characterize work-related injury deaths among the workers the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and certain state agencies analyzed the data gathered from 1992--2006. The death rate for Hispanic workers decreased during this period, but the proportion of deaths among foreign-born Hispanic workers increased over time.
Hispanics who died from work-related injuries were construction (34 percent), administrative and waste services (11 percent), agriculture/forestry/fishing/hunting (10 percent), and transportation/warehousing (10 percent).
Additional efforts are needed to reduce the risk for death among Hispanic workers because of projected increases in their employment, involvement in work with high risk for injury, susceptibility to miscommunication caused by language differences, and other potential risks associated with culture and economic status, CDCP reported.
Approximately 95 percent of Hispanic decedents were male.
During 1992--1996, work-related homicide was the most common fatal event among Hispanic workers, but during 1997--2006, highway incidents were the most common fatal event, with the exception of 2000 and 2006, when falls to a lower level were most common.
