Identifying high-risk small business industries for occupational safety and health interventions

Background Approximately one-third (32%) of U.S. workers are employed in sm all business industries (those with 80% of workers in establishments with f ewer than 100 employees), and approximately 53 million persons in private i ndustry work in small business establishments. This study was performed to identify small business industries at high risk for occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Methods Small business industries were identified from among all three- and four-digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes and ranked using Bureau of labor Statistics (BLS) data by rates and numbers of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Both incidence rates and number of in jury, illness, and fatality cases were evaluated. Results The 253 small business industries identified accounted for 1,568 wo rk-related fatalities (34% of all private industry). Transportation inciden ts and violent acts were the leading causes of these fatalities. Detailed i njury and illness data were available for 105 small business industries, th at accounted for 1,476,400 work-related injuries, and 55,850 occupational i llnesses. Many of the small business industries had morbidity and mortality rates exceeding the average rates for all private industry The highest ris k small business industries, based on a combined morbidity and mortality in dex included logging, cut stone and stone products, truck terminals, and ro ofing, siding, and sheet metal work. Conclusions Identification of high-risk small business: industries indicate s priorities for those interested in developing targeted prevention program s. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.(dagger)