NIOSH: Construction industry suffers most TBI deaths

San Diego – The construction industry had the highest number of traumatic brain injuries from 2003 to 2008, according to a study from NIOSH.

Researchers used data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and the Current Population Survey to create the first national profile of occupational TBI deaths, according to a press release from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, in which the research will appear in July.

While the highest rates of TBIs were found in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries, the sub-industry of logging had the highest fatality rate at 29.7 per 100,000 workers.

Occupational TBI death rates declined 23 percent in the six-year study period; however, rates remain highest among men and workers 65 and older.

The leading causes of fatal TBI were motor vehicle crashes (31 percent), falls (29 percent), assaults and violent acts (20 percent), and contact with objects and equipment (18 percent).

Post a comment to this article

Safety+Health welcomes comments that promote respectful dialogue. Please stay on topic. Comments that contain personal attacks, profanity or abusive language – or those aggressively promoting products or services – will be removed. We reserve the right to determine which comments violate our comment policy. (Anonymous comments are welcome; merely skip the “name” field in the comment box. An email address is required but will not be included with your comment.)