Eleven years of occupational mortality in law enforcement: The census of fatal occupational injuries, 1992-2002.
BACKGROUND
Occupational injury deaths remain high for Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs). This study describes and compares intentional and transportation-related fatality rates in US LEOs between 1992 and 2002.


METHODS
Workplace injury deaths among LEOs from 1992 to 2002 were categorized into "Intentional," "Transportation-related," and "Other," using the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Occupations included in this analysis were sheriffs and bailiffs, police and detectives, non-public service guards, and correctional officers. Fatality rates were compared among law enforcement occupations, cause of death, and demographics with rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals.


RESULTS
During the 11-year period, 2,280 workers died from an occupational injury, for a fatality rate of 11.8 per 100,000 across all LEO occupations. Forty-seven percent were homicides (n = 1,072, rate 5.6 per 100,000), 36% transportation-related (n = 815, rate 4.2 per 100,000), 11% were due to other causes (n = 249, rate 1.3 per 100,000), and 5% were workplace suicides (n = 122, rate 0.6 per 100,000). The proportion of fatalities by cause of death differed significantly between occupations (P < 0.0001). Sheriffs and bailiffs experience a high risk for occupational injury death compared to other law enforcement occupations. Of the transportation-related fatalities, LEOs were operating a motor-vehicle in 58% of the incidents and 22% of the fatalities were struck by incidents.


CONCLUSIONS
Transportation-related deaths were nearly as common as homicides as a cause of occupational injury death among US LEOs. Struck by vehicle incidents remain an important and overlooked cause of death. This research points to opportunities for the prevention of transportation-related deaths in law enforcement.
Tiesman
Hope M
HM
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Safety Research, Analysis and Field Evaluations Branch, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA. htiesman@cdc.gov
Hendricks
Scott A
SA
Bell
Jennifer L
JL
Amandus
Harlan A
HA
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000401:mortality* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001336:Automobiles / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016495:Police / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult