Trending Occupational Fatalities and Injuries: An Assessment of Projected Climate Change Related Impacts in the United States since 1992

Abstract

Background: Some impacts of climate change that are expected to affect the American workforce are rising temperatures, greater prevalence of wildland fires, increase in Lyme disease, and exposure to insecticides. The purpose of this study was to assess how fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries due to environmental heat, forest/brush fires, Lyme disease, and exposure to insecticides have changed over time in the United States and if there were any significant relationships between national occupational injury/illness data and national temperature trends.

Methods: Linear regression models assessed fatal and non-fatal injuries/illnesses since 1992 by both the frequency of incidents and the proportion of total incidents and the effects of national average temperatures.

Results: There were significant increases in occupational fatalities and illnesses due to exposure to environmental heat and national average annual temperatures were predictive of heat exposure fatalities and illnesses.

Conclusion: Heat exposure is an occupational hazard that must be managed carefully in the coming years. Organizations will need to take more aggressive heat exposure control measures as temperatures continue to rise and remain hotter for longer periods during the year. While not currently showing increasing trends on a national scale, the prevalence of occupational incidents due to forest/brush fires, Lyme disease, and insecticides should be monitored as the United States experiences more of the projected impacts of climate change.

Keywords: effects of climate change; occupational fatalities, injuries, and illnesses; occupational illness and injury prevention.