Race and the risk of fatal injury at work.

OBJECTIVES This study examined employment patterns of African-American and White workers and rates of unintentional fatal injuries, METHODS Medical examiner and census data were used to compare occupational fatality rates for African Americans and Whites in North Carolina and to adjust for racial differences in employment patterns. RESULTS African Americans' occupational fatality rate was higher by a factor of 1.3 to 1.5. Differences in employment structure appear to explain much of this disparity. However, the fatality rate for African-American men would have been elevated even if they had had the same employment patterns as White men. CONCLUSIONS inequalities in access to the labor market, unequal distribution of risk within jobs, and explicit discrimination are all potential explanations for racial disparities in occupational injury mortality. These conditions can be addressed through a combination of social and workplace interventions, including efforts to improve conditions for the most disadvantaged workers.