Occupational Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities Among Workers in the Services Sector Industries 2003 to 2007

Objective: Provide descriptive statistics and discuss priorities for injury and fatality risks among services sector workers. Methods: Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses and Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data for 2003 to 2007 were analyzed to identify occupational injury and fatality risks for services sector industry groups. Results: Many services sector industry groups experienced, on average, greater than one occupational fatality per week, and survey of occupational injuries and illnesses days-away-from-work rates in excess of those for all US workers. Overall, transportation incidents and homicides are leading factors contributing to fatalities. Conclusions: These results indicate the need for adoption of safety and health prevention practices in numerous industry groups. For groups that experience elevated injury and fatality rates, priorities for research and intervention can be identified through these data.