Rise In Work-Related Injury Deaths Among Hispanics

Hispanics are among the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. workforce (1). In 2006, an estimated 19.6 million workers in the United States were Hispanic, 56% of whom were foreign born* (2). To characterize work-related injury deaths among Hispanic workers in the United States, CDC, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and certain state agencies analyzed data from 1992--2006. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated that, during 1992--2006, a total of 11,303 Hispanic workers died from work-related injuries.† The death rate for Hispanic workers decreased during this period; however, the rate was consistently higher than the rate for all U.S. workers, and the proportion of deaths among foreign-born Hispanic workers increased over time. During 2003--2006, 34% of Hispanic worker deaths occurred in the construction industry. Additional efforts are needed to reduce the risk for death among Hispanic workers because of projected increases in their employment, involvement in work with high risk for injury, susceptibility to miscommunication caused by language differences, and other potential risks associated with culture and economic status.

Work-related injury deaths among Hispanic workers during 1992--2006 totaled 11,303, approximately 13% of all U.S. work-related injury deaths during that period. Median age of Hispanic decedents was 35 years, compared with a median age of 42 years for all workers. Approximately 95% of Hispanic decedents were male. The annual work-related injury death rate for Hispanic workers exceeded the rate for all U.S. workers every year during 1992--2006, with the exception of 1995. In 2006, the work-related injury death rate for Hispanic workers was 5.0 per 100,000 Hispanic workers, compared with rates of 4.0 for all workers, 4.0 for non-Hispanic white workers, and 3.7 for non-Hispanic black workers. During 2003--2006, the work-related injury death rate for foreign-born Hispanic workers was 5.9, compared with a rate of 3.5 for U.S.-born Hispanic workers.