AGE AND FATAL WORK-RELATED FALLS

In the work environment, an increased risk of fatal injury from falls is seen at ages not normally considered to be old. This study examined fatality data from a National Institute for Occupational Safety and H ealth death certificate database and from Occupational Safety and Heal th Administration (OSHA) investigations to analyze the relationship of age to fatal work-related falls. For 1980 to 1986, death certificates reported 43 505 fatal work injuries in men, 4179 of which were from f alls. Fatality rates from falls showed an increase for older workers b eginning with the age group of 45-54, whereas fatal injury rates for o ther work-related causes did not increase until the age group of 55-64 . OSHA investigations of 996 fatal work-related falls in 1984-1986 rep orted that falls from ladders accounted for 20% of fatal falls in work ers aged 55 and over, significantly more than the average of 9% of all falls for workers of all ages. OSHA data also showed that fatal falls among older workers were associated with lower energy of impact, whic h means that the height of fatal falls tends to decrease with increasi ng age.