Work-related traffic deaths more common among older workers: report

Atlanta – Older workers die in highway transportation incidents more often than younger workers, according to a new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Using 2003-2010 data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, CDC researchers compared occupational highway transportation deaths among different age groups. The fatality rate for workers 65 and older was 3.1 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, compared with 1.4 for workers 55-64 years old and 0.9 for workers 18-54, the report states.

Highway traffic incidents are the main cause of U.S. workplace fatalities, and researchers found one-third of those deaths occurred in the transportation and warehousing industry. Overall, vehicle collisions were the main cause of highway incidents, accounting for more than 40 percent of deaths in each group.

Researchers suggested implementing interventions aimed at protecting older workers from road safety risks.

The report was published in the Aug. 23 issue of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.