Safety

NWRA responds to updated occupational fatality data

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) updated final figures for industry and occupational fatality data, for which preliminary results were released in September 2015. In its 2014 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, BLS detailed that refuse and recyclable material collectors, as an occupation, ranked fifth among American workers, with a total of 27 fatalities in 2014, down from 33 in 2013.

An analysis by Washington-based National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) of the final data shows that a majority of this reduction was attributable to a decrease in fatalities in the private sector. Over the past four years, fatalities in the private sector by occupation have decreased by 28 percent (dropping from 25 in 2011 to 18 in 2014), while fatalities in the public sector nearly doubled (rising from five to nine.)

Despite this lower number, the rate of fatalities in the occupation overall rose from 33 to 35.8 per 100,000 workers for the year.

BLS also analyzes data by industry, and in solid waste collection in 2014, refuse and recyclable material collectors account for two-thirds of the fatalities.