Fatal injuries inequalities: A production sector analysis

Introduction: The growth of the service sector is a prevalent characteristic in advanced economies. Some recent publications point out the increasing relevance of injuries and occupational illnesses in the service sector in Europe. Objective: To analyze the evolution of fatal occupational injuries in the US at a state level. To also study the inequalities among between different states and production sectors as well as the possible convergence of these figures. Methods: The geographical scope of this work covers all US states during the period 2003 through 2010. The selection of this time period is due to the homogeneity of statistical methods in the two main databases utilized– the Current Employment Statistics and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, both from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Apart from the descriptive analysis, we use two well-known analytical instruments, in particular, beta and sigma convergence indicators. Results: Aggregate data show a great variability in fatal occupational injuries among states. However, these inequalities become greater when results are broken down by production sectors. While the service sector has a convergent trend for the studied period, goods production shows a divergent trend among states. Conclusions: The growing rate of occupational illnesses and injuries observed in the European service sector was not corroborated for fatal occupational injuries in the US. The US rate maintained a fairly stable value in all production sectors for the last eight years, but large differences between states were observed. These differences were lessening over time in the service sector.