1.1 Overview

• A total of 633 workers suffered fatal injuries at work from 1991 through 1999, an average
  of 70 fatalities a year, more than one worker death each week (1.3 fatalities per week).
  
• The average annual occupational fatality rate for the nine-year period was 2.3 fatalities per
  100,000 civilian workers.
  
• The average age² at death was 42.4 years. These fatalities resulted in an average 33 years
  of potential life lost for each death (number of years before the victim reached age 75) and for
  a total of 20,724 years of potential life lost over the nine-year period.
  
• The number of work-related fatalities and fatality rates in Massachusetts fluctuated over time
  (Chart 1). Except for 1998, the annual number of fatalities ranged between 62 and 86 and the
  annual fatality rate between 2.0 and 3.0 fatalities per 100,000 workers. The lowest number of
  fatalities was observed in 1998 and the highest in 1993.

• The great majority (589 workers, 93%) of workers who died due to work-related injuries were men. Female workers accounted for the remaining 44 fatalities (7%).
• The fatal occupational injury rates for male workers were much higher than the rates for female workers for all the years under consideration (Chart 2). The average annual fatal occupational injury rate for the nine-year study period for men was 4.1 fatalities per 100,000 workers, more than thirteen times the rate for women (0.3 per 100,000). These findings are consistent with findings at the national level.
• The difference in fatality rates for men and women is likely in large part due to the fact that more men are employed in high-risk occupations. For example, in 1999, proportionately more men (18%) than women (3%) were employed in two occupation groups with high fatality rates: Farming, Forestry & Fishing occupations and Operators, Fabricators and Laborers. Conversely, 75% of female workers compared to 52% of male workers were employed in two occupation groups with low fatality rates: Managerial & Professional Specialty occupations and Technical, Sales and Administrative Support occupations.
• Fatal events varied by gender. Highway transportation incidents (16 fatalities, 36%) and homicide (12 fatalities, 27%) were the two leading events for female workers, accounting for 63% of all female fatalities. In contrast, fall to a lower level was the leading event among men (114 fatalities, 20%) followed by homicide (70 fatalities, 12%), and highway transportation incidents (68 fatalities, 12%).

• The average age at death for the nine-year period was 42.4 years, with a range of 9 to 85 years. Most workers (398 fatalities, 63%) who were fatally injured on the job were 45 years old or younger.
• Six workers (1%) were less than 18 years of age. These included: 3 newspaper carriers who were struck by vehicles while delivering papers; a teen worker who was fatally injured when a trench collapsed on him; a teen worker who was crushed by a street sweeper; and another teen worker who committed suicide while at work.
• Forty-nine victims (8%) were 65 years of age or older, and the risk of being fatally injured on the job increased markedly with age (Chart 3). A similar age trend is seen in the national data.³
• Fatality rates calculated using number of workers employed underestimate the risks faced by both older (greater than 64 years) and younger (less than 18 years) workers. Workers in both these age groups are more likely to be employed part-time; therefore their rates are higher when actual total work hours are taken into account.⁴
• Fatal events varied by age. Forty-nine percent of the workers 65 years or older (24 fatalities) died as a result of falls compared to 19% (109 fatalities) of workers less than 65 years old (Appendix 8).

• Based on data obtained from death certificates for fatally injured workers, 562 workers (89%) were white while 31 (5%) were black and 24 (4%) were of Asian or Pacific Islanders descent. Thirty-two workers (5%) were of Hispanic origin.⁵
• White workers had lower fatal occupational injury rates than other workers. The rate for black workers was 2.7 fatalities per 100,000 workers compared to a rate of 2.2 fatalities per 100,000 for white workers. Workers of Hispanic Origin had the highest rate of fatal injury (3.3 fatalities per 100,000 workers) (Chart 4). Findings are consistent with previous reports that minority workers are disproportionately employed in high-risk jobs.⁶
• Industry divisions in which high numbers of fatal injuries occurred varied by race. A high number of fatal occupational injuries among non-white workers occurred in the Trade industry whereas a high number of white workers lost their lives in the Construction industry.
• Leading fatal events also varied by race and ethnicity of victims. Falls were the leading event among white workers, while homicide was the leading event among black, Asian, Hispanic workers (Appendix 1).

• Transportation related incidents (including land, water and air transport incidents) led all event categories. During the nine-year period, 221 workers (35% of fatalities) died from work-related transportation incidents. Within this category, highway motor vehicle incidents and water vehicle incidents were the most frequent, resulting in 84 and 51 fatalities respectively. Forty workers were struck by vehicles and 24 died in aircraft crashes (Table 4).
• Falls, the second leading event category, accounted for one-fifth (133 fatalities, 21%) of all fatal occupational injuries. Within this category, fall to lower levels was the single leading event; sixty percent (71 fatalities) of the falls to lower levels occurred in the construction industry division (See Special Topic: Falls to Lower Levels, page 27).
• Assaults and Violent Acts was the third leading event category, accounting for 115 fatalities (18%). Homicide, which is the major single event within this category and the third leading event overall, claimed a total of 82 workers’ lives, while suicides and animal attacks accounted for 33 fatalities. In more than two-thirds (68%) of the homicides, firearms were used as a means of assault. Robbery was the primary circumstance in workplace homicides for which information about circumstance was available; 25 out of 51 (49%) of the cases occurred during robbery. (See Special Topic: Work-related Homicide, page 32).
• Contact with objects accounted for the fatalities of 88 workers (14%). Twenty-four victims died after being struck by falling objects such as trees and electrical poles. Another 21 workers died when they were caught in running equipment or machinery. About 61% (54 fatalities) of the 88 fatalities due to contact with objects occurred in the Construction, Manufacturing and Agriculture industries, whereas only 35% of all fatalities occurred in these industries.
• Fifty workers (8%) died from Exposure to Harmful Substances and Environments at their workplaces. Half (25) of them were electrocuted, 15 died from inhaling harmful substances, and 8 died from oxygen deficiency.
• Fires and Explosion events fatally injured 25 workers (4%) during the nine-year period. Fire incidents claimed the lives of 17 workers while 7 workers died from explosions. Ten victims of fire incidents were fire fighters who died in the line of duty due to an injury;⁸six of them died in a single incident.

• The Service industry division, which includes Forestry and Fishing, lost the greatest number of workers (156 fatalities, 25%) to fatal occupational injuries (Chart 5). Within this division, Commercial Fishing had by far the largest number of fatalities (57), followed by Business Services and Health Services industries with 18 and 17 fatalities, respectively.
• The Agriculture industry division had the highest fatality rate during the nine-year period and had the second smallest number of fatalities. About two-thirds of these fatal injuries (23 fatalities) occurred in Landscaping and Horticultural Services and more than half (52%, 12 fatalities) of these 23 victims in the Landscaping and Horticultural services industry were either struck by falling trees or fell from trees.
• The Construction industry division had the second highest number of fatalities and the second highest fatal occupational injury rate. During the nine-year period, the construction industry division lost 136 workers (21%) to occupational injuries and the average annual fatality rate was 10.9 fatalities per 100,000 workers- more than four times the overall state rate. Nearly three-in-four construction workers fatally injured on the job (100 fatalities) were employed in the Special Trade Contractors sector which includes, among others, carpentry, roofing, masonry, and steel erection. More than one-half of the fatalities (53%, 71 fatalities) in this major industry group resulted from fatal falls.
• The Trade industry division, which employs about one-fifth of Massachusetts’ labor force, had 85 fatalities (13%) during the nine-year period. More than half (49) of the fatalities in this industry division were the result of workplace homicides and transportation incidents.
• Sixty-nine workers employed in the Government sector suffered fatal injuries. Approximately twothirds (67%, 46 fatalities) of those fatally injured were in Public Administration jobs such as fire protection, public safety, and security. The two leading events among government workers were highway motor vehicle incidents and homicide (Appendix 6).
• Leading fatal events varied by industry division (Table 3).

• Farming, Forestry & Fishing occupation group had the highest fatal occupational injury rate with 30.6 fatalities per 100,000 workers, more than thirteen times the overall state rate for all occupations (2.3 fatalities per 100,000 workers) (Chart 6). Most of the workers in this group (57 of 95) were fishers; fishing claimed more lives than any other single occupation (Table 4) (See Special Topic: Commercial Fishing, page 36).
• Operators, Fabricators, and Laborers had the highest number of occupational fatalities and the third highest fatality rate over the nine-year period (Chart 6). One-fourth (160 fatalities) of all workers fatally injured on the job were employed in this occupation group, which had a fatality rate of 5.3 fatalities per 100,000 workers.
• The Precision, Production, Craft, and Repair occupation group had the second highest fatality rate (5.4 per 100,000 workers) and more fatal falls and electrocution injuries than any other occupation group. About two-thirds (68%) of all fatal falls to lower levels and 60% (15 of 25) of all fatal electrocutions involved workers in this occupation group.
• Leading events varied by occupation group (Table 4). Water Vehicle incidents were the leading event in the Farming, Forestry and Fishing occupation group. Homicide was the leading event in three occupation groups: Service, Managerial & Professional Specialty, and Technical, Sales & Administrative Support occupation groups. Falls to Lower Levels was the leading event in Precision Production, Craft & Repair occupation group.

• As shown in Table 5, seven occupations with the highest number of fatalities accounted for nearly one-third (30%) of all occupational fatalities in Massachusetts during the nine-year period.

• A total of 69 (11% of total work-related fatalities) government employees died on the job. Public sector workers raise special concerns because they are not protected under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act in Massachusetts.
• The two leading events in the sector were highway motor vehicular incidents (14 fatalities, 20% of public sector total) and homicide (14 fatalities, 20%) (Appendix 6). Nine workers were fatally injured after being struck by vehicles at their workplaces. Suicide, electrocution, fire, and other events accounted for the remaining fatalities.
• The age of victims at time of death ranged from 16 to 70 years. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of these workers were between the ages of 35 and 54 years and 99% (68 victims) were younger than 65 years. Government workers fatally injured on the job in Massachusetts were, on average, younger than all workers who suffered fatal occupational injuries in the state.
• Government workers who died from work-related injuries were employed in a wide range of industries. The majority (32 victims, 46%) of these workers were employed in the Justice, Public Order and Safety industry. Twelve (17%) fatalities occurred in the Transportation and Public Utilities division and 7 (10%) occurred in the Service industry division. Four victims were federal government employees involved in National Security and Internal Affairs Activities.
• Almost half (48%, 33 workers) of the workers were employed in service occupations which include detectives, police officers, supervisors, and firefighters. Fifteen victims were law enforcement workers and 10 were firefighters. Six of the 10 firefighters were fatally injured in a single fire.

• Of the 633 workers who were fatally injured from 1991 to 1999, 111(18%) were self-employed.
• The average annual fatality rate for self-employed workers (4.4 fatalities per 100,000 workers) was more than twice the average annual fatality rate for wage and salary workers (2.0 fatalities per 100,000 workers).
• Most fatal injuries to self-employed workers occurred in high-risk industries and occupations. For example, 57% of fatalities (63 fatalities) among self-employed workers occurred in two industry divisions: Construction and Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing. Similarly, 59% (65 fatalities) of the fatalities among self-employed workers were to fishers, construction workers, sales workers, cabdrivers, and truck drivers.

• One out of every 6 workers (110 fatalities) who died due to occupational injuries in Massachusetts was foreign–born (Table 6). An equal proportion (17%) of Massachusetts’s labor force is comprised of immigrant workers.⁹
• Of the 99 foreign-born workers for whom race information was available, two-thirds (66) were white, 17 were black and 16 were Asian. Fifteen (15 %) of the foreign-born workers were of Hispanic origin.
• Foreign-born workers accounted for high proportion of work-related fatal injuries among Asian, black and Hispanic workers. About 89% (16 out of 18) of the fatalities among Asian workers, 55% (17 out of 31) of fatalities among black workers, and 53% (17 out of 32) of fatalities among Hispanic workers involved workers born outside the United States. In contrast, only 12% of fatalities among white workers occurred to workers born in other countries.
• Foreign-born workers who died on the job were somewhat more likely than native born to be selfemployed (23% vs 18%). Nearly half of the fatalities among foreign-born workers occurred among fishers, taxi drivers, construction trade occupations, and sales occupations.
• The leading event categories among foreign-born and native workers were the same: Transportation Incidents (including water vehicle incidents), Assaults and Violent Acts, and Falls. However, these three event categories accounted for 72% of the fatalities among the foreignborn compared to 44% of the victims born in the U.S.

• Foreign-born workers also accounted for a disproportionate share of the victims of workplace homicide. About one-third (28 workers) of workplace homicide victims were foreign-born whereas only 10% of the fatalities among native-born workers were due to workplace homicides.

• Out of 518 fatal injuries for which employers’ establishment size information was available, more than one-half (299 fatalities) occurred in small establishments with 19 or fewer employees (Chart 7). One-third (102 fatalities) of these occurred in the Construction industry division, followed by the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing (69 fatalities) and the Service (43 fatalities) industry divisions.
• Small establishments also suffered the highest fatality rate (3.5 fatalities per 100,000 workers), more than one and half times the average rate for all establishments (2.3 fatalities per 100,000 workers).
• Forty-nine percent (256 fatalities) of fatalities for which establishment size information was available occurred in establishments with 10 or fewer employees. About one-third (35%, 89 fatalities) of these occurred in the Construction industry division while 25% (64 fatalities) occurred in the Agriculture, Fishing & Forestry industry division, and 14% (37 fatalities) occurred in the Services industry division.
• Self-employed workers accounted for 32% (81 fatalities) of fatal injuries in small establishments (with 10 or fewer employees) while they accounted for 17% of all fatal occupational injuries.
• Occupational fatalities in establishments with more than 50 employees were concentrated in two industry divisions: Manufacturing and Service industry divisions. These two industry divisions accounted for more than half (54%, 56 fatalities) of fatalities in these establishments while they only accounted for about 24% of all fatal occupational injuries.

• Number of fatal occupational injuries varied by county ranging from 3 fatalities in Nantucket County to 100 in Middlesex County (Table 7).
• Four counties, namely, Middlesex, Suffolk, Worcester, and Bristol accounted for over half (55%, 337 fatalities) of the total occupational fatalities (for which county was determined) in the state during the 9-year period.

NOTE: County was undetermined for 22 fatalities.

1.12 Fatal Occupational Injuries Inspected by OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducts inspections of workplace fatalities to determine if safety standards have been violated. However, fatalities in some industries and circumstances fall outside OSHA jurisdiction. These include fatalities among fishing workers at sea, public sector workers in many states, including Massachusetts, and the self-employed. Also, certain other types of fatalities (such as homicides and highway motor vehicle incidents) are not routinely inspected by OSHA. In addition, since 1994, OSHA did not conduct fatality investigations when the fatalities occur more than 30 days after the injury events.

Out of the total 633 fatal occupational injuries, OSHA inspected 215 (34%) fatalities (Chart 8). The remaining 418 fatalities were not inspected because; a) they did not fall under OSHA’s jurisdiction; b) they resulted from events that are not routinely inspected by the agency; or c) the fatalities occurred more than 30 days after the injury. These included 203 occupational fatalities that occurred among self-employed workers, commercial fishers and among government workers. They also included 193 occupational fatalities due to homicide, suicide, motor vehicle related incidents, and air transportation incidents. Twenty-two fatalities were not inspected by OSHA because fatalities occurred more than 30 days after the occurrence of the injuries. Eleven of these 22 fatalities occurred within the same year (but more than thirty days after the injury) while the other 11 fatalities occurred more than a year after the workers were injured.


SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, Region I Office.

In addition to OSHA’s enforcement inspections, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health conducted research-oriented investigations of 145 occupational fatalities between 1990 and 2001 as part of the national Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program. The events covered in these investigations include, but are not limited to, falls to lower level, machine-related incidents, fatalities to teen workers, electrocutions, explosions, and highway work-zone incidents.

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