FATAL OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENTS--THE FIVE-YEAR METRO DADE COUNTY EXPERIENCE, 1979-1983

A study of fatal occupational accidents in Metropolitan Dade County between the years 1979 and 1983 was performed from the case files of the office of the medical examiner. A total of 147 cases were collected and were subdivided into 25 traffic-related and 122 nontraffic-related cases. Cases were then analyzed as to age, race, sex, cause of death, alcohol, toxicology, scene circumstances, and who was at fault in the accidental fatality. Traffic-related fatalities, comprising 17% of the cases, were young white males, commonly less than 45 years of age, who died of multiple injuries in the majority of instances while working as drivers on tractor trailers, migrant farms, or fruit produce trucks. The most common scenario was a vehicle-vehicle collision in which seat belts were not used and decedent or the decedent's driver was at fault. Nontraffic-related fatalities, comprising 83% of the cases, were likewise white males, commonly less than 45 years of age, who died of multiple injuries in the majority of instances as construction workers or as loading forklift operators. The most common scenario was one in which alcohol or drugs were not involved. While the "fault" was unassignable in the majority of cases, in those in which it could be, the deceased was at fault approximately half the time with the company or others at fault the other half.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00221198
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

  100 Barr Harbor Drive, P.O. Box C700
  West Conshohocken, PA  United States  19428-2957
• Authors:
  • Copeland, A R
• Publication Date: 1985-4

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 494-503
• Serial:
  • Journal of Forensic Sciences
  • Volume: 30
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Blackwell Publishing
  • ISSN: 0022-1198
  • EISSN: 1556-4029
  • Serial URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1556-4029

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Data analysis; Fatalities; Gender; Intoxication; Manual safety belts; Mathematical analysis; Occupational safety; Statistics; Truck drivers
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00399093
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-038 800
• Files: HSL, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 30 1985 12:00AM