Work-related fatalities among youth ages 11-17 in North Carolina, 1990-2008

Background: Local and national surveillance systems are in place that identify occupational deaths. However, due to certain restrictions, they are limited in their ability to accurately count these deaths among adolescent workers. Methods: In this population-based study, we relied on primary data from the North Carolina medical examiner system to identify and describe all work-related fatalities among North Carolina youth under age 18 between 1990 and 2008. Results: We identified 31 work-related deaths among youth ages 11-17. The majority occurred between 1990 and 1999. Most occurred in construction and agriculture. Vehicles and guns were responsible for the majority of deaths. Conclusions: Although the prevalence of adolescent work-related fatalities has seen a decline in North Carolina, the 31 deaths we detected signal a failure of the systems in place to prevent young worker fatalities. More remains to be done to protect the lives of adolescent workers.