Fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic construction workers of Texas, 1997 to 1999

Hispanic construction workers, particularly those born outside of the United States, are a growing segment of the Texas workforce and are increasingly the victims of on-the-job fatalities. This study examines occupational fatality characteristics among Hispanic construction workers utilizing records collected by the Texas Workers' Compensation Commission for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Occupational Fatal Injuries program. Of the 370 fatalities recorded from 1997 to 1999, 179 cases (46.5 %) involved Hispanic workers - 109 of who were born in a foreign country. The fatality rate for Hispanic construction workers was 23.5 per 100,000 workers compared to 21.2 for non-Hispanic workers. Many fatally injured Hispanic construction workers shared similar characteristics including: low skill level, young age and foreign birthplace. Hispanic workers employed as construction laborers, helpers, and roofers had the highest number of fatalities. Businesses with fewer than 10 workers employed forty-two % of all Hispanic decedents, and businesses with more than 100 employees comprised twenty % of fatalities. The leading causes of Hispanic fatalities were: transportation incidents, falls, and exposure to harmful substances.