Work-related bystander deaths in New Zealand: a significant hidden problem.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the extent of bystander work-related traffic fatal injury for New Zealand as well as the contribution of all bystander events to the total burden of work-related fatal traffic injury and work-related fatal injury in general.


METHODS
Potential cases were identified from national administrative databases. The circumstances of the deaths in each incident were reviewed directly from coronial files to determine work-relatedness.


RESULTS
For 1985-1998 we identified 1447 people whose death was associated with another person's work activity on a public road and who were not working at the time. This compares with 241 "working" and 192 "commuting" deaths on a public road for the same period. Bystanders thus represented approximately 75% of the work-related fatal traffic crash injury problem. We estimate that (on average) approximately 115 bystanders were killed each year and this represents approximately 52% of the total work-related fatality problem.


CONCLUSIONS
Work-related bystander deaths are a major contributor to work-related injury in New Zealand, the majority occurring in the context of road traffic crashes. These deaths deserve more attention than they have received to date.
Langley
John
J
Injury Prevention Research Unit, University of Otago, Dunedin. john.langley@ipru.otago.ac.nz
McNoe
Bronwen
B
Feyer
Anne-Marie
AM
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies