External cause-specific summaries of occupational fatal injuries. Part II: an analysis of years of potential life lost.
BACKGROUND
Fatal injury surveillance data provide an opportunity to assess the impact of occupational injuries and may indicate which industries or occupations are appreciably more hazardous than others, and thus should be given priority in public health intervention.


METHODS
Fatalities from the National Traumatic Occupational Fatality surveillance system served as the basis for examining external cause (E-code) specific impact summaries. Years of potential life lost (YPLL) were calculated for fatal injuries in the years 1983-1994. Industries and occupations were compared with respect to frequency of fatal injuries. In addition, injuries in categories of external causes are examined across all industries and occupations.


RESULTS
Machinery, electric current, homicide, falls, and transportation-related are the external cause groups highlighted by high frequency/rate of occurrence. Electric current event groups are also characterized by high average YPLL. Poisoning, conflagration, and lightning were also identified in several occupations as having high associated average YPLL.


CONCLUSIONS
The external-cause-specific analysis of average YPLL identified industries and occupations where, on average, younger workers were dying in fatal injuries. Noteworthy in this assessment were homicides and falls. The YPLL measure coupled with more commonly employed indices (e.g., rates) may provide a fuller description of the impact of occupational fatal injuries.
Bailer
A John
AJ
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056-1641, USA. baileraj@muohio.edu
Bena
James F
JF
Stayner
Leslie T
LT
Halperin
William E
WE
Park
Robert M
RM
D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000401:mortality; D000060:Accidents, Aviation / Q000401:mortality; D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000401:mortality*; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002423:Cause of Death; D003644:Death Certificates; D004332:Drowning / Q000401:mortality; D004556:Electric Injuries / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D015168:Lightning Injuries / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D009790:Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data