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Charting the link between age and fatal work injuries
The number of fatal work injuries among workers younger than 25 years of age decreased 9 percent between 2005 and 2006. There were 516 such fatalities in 2006 and 568 in 2005. This is according to data released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Fatality rates were also lower, especially for workers 16 to 17 years of age, whose fatality rate declined 40 percent.
Fatal work injuries among workers 55 years of age or older were slightly higher in 2006, but the fatality rate for this group of workers was lower, reflecting the growing number of older workers in the workforce.
The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program, provides the most complete count of fatal work injuries available. For more information on fatal work injuries, see "National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2006," news release USDL 07-1202.
