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NIOSH Fatal Occupational Injury Cost Fact Sheet: Transit and Ground Transportation (NAICS 485)

March, 2012
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 2012-134
Related Publications:
Air Transportation | Couriers/Messengers | Truck Transportation | TWU | Utilities | Warehousing/Storage | Water Transportation

Number, Rate, and Costs of Fatal Occupational Injuries in the U.S. Transit and Ground Transportation Industry by Selected Characteristics, 2003–2006.

Costs (2006 Dollars)
Characteristic Number of Fatalities Fatality Rate (per 100,000 workers) Mean (thousands) Median (thousands) Total(millions)
All U.S. Industries 22,197 3.9 $960 $944 $21,316
All Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities 3,704 12.9 944 974 3,496
All Transit and Ground Transportation 296 9.9 692 730 205
Year
2003 75 10.6 722 733 54
2004 80 11.2 667 689 53
2005 75 9.7 634 650 48
2006 66 8.2 753 792 50
Sex
Male 267 13.1 680 708 182
Female 29 3.0 794 817 23
Age Group
16-24 12 9.8 846 810 10
25-34 34 8.0 913 854 31
35-44 74 9.1 942 861 70
45-54 86 9.9 728 667 63
55-64 66 11.7 445 426 29
65+ 24 12.4 76 59 2
Race
White 161 8.8 688 691 111
Black 98 10.6 665 721 65
Other1 37 15.4 774 798 29
Ethnicity2
Not Hispanic 252 9.9 675 690 170
Hispanic 41 9.3 800 824 33
Selected SOC Occupation Group
Construction and Extraction -- -- -- -- --
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 8 4.4 1,076 1,004 9
Management -- -- -- -- --
Office and Administrative Support -- -- -- -- --
Production -- -- -- -- --
Transportation and Material Moving 272 12.8 660 711 180
Event or Exposure
0* Contact with objects and equipment 9 0.3 922 817 8
1* Falls 5 0.2 716 790 4
2* Exposure to harmful substances or environments 5 0.2 1,231 959 6
41 Highway accident 104 3.5 629 673 65
43 Pedestrian, non-passenger struck by vehicle, mobile equipment 18 0.6 819 803 15
61 Assaults and violent acts by person(s) 143 4.8 659 707 94
62 Self-inflicted injury 8 0.3 1,139 877 9
Selected Source of Injury
4* Parts and materials 5 0.2 1,255 955 6
62 Floors, walkways, ground surfaces 7 0.2 629 581 4
71 Handtools--nonpowered 10 0.3 595 611 6
82 Highway vehicle, motorized 128 4.3 647 684 83
87 Rail vehicle 11 0.4 1,104 1,094 12
91 Ammunition 120 4.0 705 752 85

NOTE: Dashes indicate data that do not meet publication criteria.
Asterisks denote a summary level code not assigned to individual cases.

1This category includes all other races, such as American Indian and Asian, as well as unknown or missing races.

2Numbers are not reported for “unknown”, “not classified” or “not reported” categories.

Fatal Occupational Injury Cost Model

Theoretical Basis of Cost Estimation

The cost to society of a workplace fatality was estimated using the cost-of-illness approach, which combines direct and indirect costs to yield an overall cost of an occupational fatal injury. For these calculations, only medical expenses were used to estimate the direct cost associated with the fatality. The indirect cost was derived by calculating the present value of future earnings summed from the year of death until the decedent would have reached age 67, accounting for the probability of survival were it not for the premature death. (For more information, see Biddle, E [2004]. Economic Cost of Fatal Occupational Injuries in the United States, 1980–1997. Contemporary Economic Policy 22(3):370–381 or Biddle, E [2009]. The Cost of Fatal Injuries to Civilian Workers in the US, 1992-2001and Biddle E and Keane P [2011]. The Economic Burden of Occupational Injuries to Civilian Workers in the United States, 1992-2002. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS.)

Mathematical Representation of Indirect Costs

	formula for PVF = present discounted value of loss per person due to an individual occupational fatal injury
where:

Variable Definition
PVF = present discounted value of loss per person due to an individual occupational fatal injury
Py,q,s (n) = probability that a person of age y, race q, and sex s will survive to age n
q = race of the individual
s = sex of the individual
n = age if the individual had survived
Ys, j(n) = median annual compensation of an employed person of sex s, specific occupation j, and age n (includes median annual earnings, benefits, and wage growth adjustments)
j = specific occupation of individual at death
	formula for mean annual imputed value of household production (h) of a person of sex s and age n = mean annual imputed value of household production (h) of a person of sex s and age n
g = earnings growth rate attributable to overall productivity
y = age of the individual at death
r = real discount rate (3%)

Data Sources

Fatality data: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). This research was conducted with restricted access to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. These data exclude military personnel, decedents with unknown age or sex, and fatalities occurring in New York City. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the BLS.

Probability of survival: National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Vital Statistics.

Median annual earnings: BLS Occupational Employment Statistics Survey. Wage data are based on the occupation of the decedent and the year and State of death adjusted by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Deflator to the base year of dollar. The wage growth adjustment, which is the rate of change in wages between age groups, was calculated by NIOSH using BLS Current Population Survey data.

Benefits: BLS Employer Cost for Employee Benefits. Benefits data are based on the year of death adjusted by the GDP Deflator.

Mean annual home production: Expectancy Data. Data are derived through a time diary study sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and conducted by the University of Maryland.

Earnings growth rate: BLS Employment Compensation Index (ECI).

Medical costs: National Council on Compensation Insurance. This is a single 4-year average medical cost.

Employment estimates for rate calculations: BLS Current Population Survey.

Fatality Rate Calculations

Fatality rates were calculated by NIOSH and may differ from previously published BLS CFOI rates. Fatality rates were calculated as deaths per 100,000 workers. Fatality rates for sex, race, age group, and occupation were calculated using employment estimates by the individual characteristic within the specific industry. Employment estimates for the specific industry were used to generate rates for event and source.

Classification Systems

Industry: 2002 National Industry Classification System (NAICS)
Occupation: 2000 Standard Occupational Classification System (SOC)
Event: 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS)

NIOSH Fatal Occupational Injury Cost Fact Sheet: Transit and Ground Transportation (NAICS 485) [PDF - 367 KB]

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