Trends in fatal occupational injuries and industrial restructuring in North Carolina in the 1980s

Objectives. This study examined the relationship between changes in employment in North Carolina in the 1980s and fatal occupational injury rates. Methods. Unintentional fatal occupational injuries (n=1989) in North Carolina between 1978 and 1991 were identified via the medical examiner's system. Results. Overall fatal injury rates declined during the 1980s, but rates increased 9.6% per year among manufacturing industries that declined in employment size; rates fell among service sector and manufacturing industries that grew. Conclusions. Increasing occupational fatal injury rates accompanied the decline in workforce in North Carolina's traditional, labor-intensive manufacturing industries during the 1980s, while service sector and expanding manufacturing industries have experienced declining fatal injury rates.