Descriptive summary of fatal work-related injuries, Western States, 2011-2017.

Work-related deaths are a persistent occupational health issue that can be prevented. However, prevention opportunities can be hampered by a lack of adequate public health resources. The Western States Occupational Network (WestON) is a network of federal, state, and local occupational health professionals that includes a 19-state region of the United States. To encourage public health collaboration, WestON partners examined work-related fatalities within the region. Fatality counts (numerators) were obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries restricted-access research files for all workers ages ≥15 years and fatally injured in WestON states from 2011 through 2017. Estimates of full-time equivalent hours worked (FTE) (denominators) were retrieved from the BLS Current Population Survey. Annual average fatality rates were calculated as number of fatalities per 100,000 FTE over the study period. Rates were stratified by state, select demographics, industry sector, and event/exposure types. Pearson chi-squared tests and rate ratios with 95% confidence probability limits were used to assess rate differences. All analyses were conducted using SAS v.9.4. From 2011 through 2017, the annual average overall occupational fatality rate for the WestON region was 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 FTE, comparable to the overall U.S. fatality rate. Male workers had a fatality rate almost 10 times higher than female workers in the region. Fatality rates increased with successive age groups. Alaska and New Mexico had significantly higher fatality rates for all racial/ethnic groups compared to respective regional rates. Wyoming, North Dakota, and Montana had the three highest occupational fatality rates among foreign-born workers. Agriculture/forestry/fishing, mining/oil/gas extraction, and transportation/warehousing/utilities were industry sector groups with the three highest fatality rates regionally. Transportation-related incidents were the most frequent event type associated with occupational fatalities for all 19 states. Work-related fatalities are a crosscutting occupational public health priority. This analysis can be an impetus for collaborative multistate initiatives among a dynamic and varied occupational public health network to better meet the needs of a rapidly changing workforce.

Rare case of occupational pulmonary hemorrhage in a firefighter.

Alveolar hemorrhage associated with physical exertion, known as exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), is a rare condition linked to strenuous exertion. This can be an unusual form of respiratory and occupational illness. We present the case of a healthy firefighter who developed fatal pulmonary hemorrhage after participating in a strenuous physical training exercise regimen. This case represents a severe presentation of EIPH, which results from the disruption of the pulmonary blood-gas barrier as a result of strenuous exertion. Clinicians caring for those in vocations and recreation involving extremely vigorous exercise should be aware that such activities can cause EIPH.

Fatalities due to dichloromethane in paint strippers: a continuing problem.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to dichloromethane (DCM or methylene chloride - CH2 Cl2 ) in paint strippers continues to be an avoidable source of morbidity and mortality. DCM has been under regulatory scrutiny by occupational and consumer product agencies since the identification of its carcinogenicity in the mid-1980s. METHODS: We investigated two independent workplace incidents that resulted in three cases of DCM intoxication from paint stripper use. RESULTS: Each incident investigated resulted in a fatality. A third worker suffered obtundation requiring hospitalization and intubation. CONCLUSIONS: The continued occurrence of fatalities and other serious injuries due to DCM-containing paint strippers in the United States calls for a re-evaluation of existing regulatory strategies.