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American Public Health Association
133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition
December 10-14, 2005
Philadelphia, PA
APHA 2005
 
3126.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - 10:48 AM

Abstract #105691

Fatal work injuries among foreign-born workers

Scott Richardson, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Program, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Room 3175, Washington, DC 20212, 202-691-6165, richardson_s@bls.gov

Foreign born workers in the U.S. now account for about 1 in 7 workers in the U.S., up from about 1 in 17 in 1960. The demographics of immigration has also changed, with Latin American immigrants accounting for about 1 in 4 immigrants to the U.S. in 2000 as compared to about 1 in 10 in 1960. Using data from the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries program, a study was conducted to learn more about the prevalence and characteristics of fatal work injuries among foreign born workers. The study found a total of 6,570 fatal work injuries involving foreign born workers from 1996 through 2003 in the U.S. The number of fatal work injuries among foreign born workers rose from an average of 699 fatal work injuries per year for the three years between 1996 and 1998 to an annual average of about 938 fatal work injuries between 2001 and 2003. The relative risk of a fatal work injury for a foreign-born worker between 1997 and 2001 was nearly 20 percent higher than that for the average U.S. worker. Workers born in Latin America, however, had a risk of fatal injury that was 40 percent higher than the risk for the average U.S. worker. Overall, the most frequent manner of traumatic workplace death among foreign born workers was workplace homicide. Workers born in Mexico accounted for the highest number of fatal work injuries among foreign born workers—about two out of every five fatalities.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Immigrants, Occupational Injury and Death

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Evidence-Based Recommendations to Improve Immigrant Worker Health

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA