Suruda A, Emmett E A
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205.
J Occup Med. 1988 Nov;30(11):868-72. doi: 10.1097/00043764-198811000-00012.
The number of recognized occupational fatalities in the United States counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Annual Survey, the most widely known source, is grossly underreported. For 1984, the BLS reported 3,740 occupational deaths, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reported 6,258, and the National Safety Council estimated 11,500. We analyzed the 1984 BLS survey counts for 26 states, by comparing them to death certificate data for trauma, and to reported deaths to workers compensation. The BLS survey, based on self-reporting by employers, showed underreporting in almost all states, which in some cases was severe. Fatalities in small firms employing less than 11 workers were particularly underrepresented. The low BLS total is not explained by a smaller number of workers covered in the survey than in the other published figures. By using existing data sources, we estimate the minimum number of recognized occupational deaths in the United States in 1984 at 7,771. Adjusting the number from death certificates for underreporting gives an estimate of 8,234 from trauma. When corrected for underreporting, death certificate data should be a better basis for counting occupational deaths than the BLS survey.
美国劳工统计局（BLS）年度调查统计的已确认职业死亡人数被严重低估，该调查是最广为人知的数据来源。1984年，劳工统计局报告了3740例职业死亡，美国国家职业安全与健康研究所报告为6258例，国家安全委员会估计为11500例。我们通过将1984年劳工统计局对26个州的调查计数与创伤死亡证明数据以及向工伤赔偿部门报告的死亡数据进行比较，对这些数据进行了分析。基于雇主自我报告的劳工统计局调查显示，几乎所有州都存在报告不足的情况，在某些情况下还很严重。雇佣不到11名工人的小公司的死亡人数尤其被少报。劳工统计局统计的总数较低，并非因为调查覆盖的工人数量少于其他公布的数据。通过使用现有数据源，我们估计1984年美国已确认的职业死亡人数至少为7771人。对死亡证明数据的少报情况进行调整后，因创伤导致的死亡人数估计为8234人。在对少报情况进行校正后，死亡证明数据应比劳工统计局的调查更适合作为统计职业死亡人数的依据。
