Citation

Biddle EA, Hartley D. Inj. Control Safety Promot. 2002; 9(1): 9-18.

Affiliation

Analysis and Field Evaluations Branch, Division of Safety Research, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Rd., Morgantown, WV 26505-2888, USA. egb6@cdc.gov

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12462159

Abstract

The National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities surveillance system recorded 1587 fire and flame related occupational fatalities among the civilian workforce in the United States between 1980 and 1995. Of these fatalities, 433 resulted from 127 incidents that involved two or more victims. For purposes of this study, these victims were categorized into one of three cause-of-death classifications: burns, inhalation or other traumatic injury. The classification 'Burns' accounted for 232 or just over one-half of the fatalities and an additional 172 cases were coded as inhalation. Other traumatic injury was named as the cause of death for another 23 fatalities or five percent of the multiple victims. The cause of death for the remaining six fatalities could not be determined from the death certificates. This study revealed the similarities and disparities of the demographic and employment characteristics associated with these three cause-of-death classifications.