Citation

Tiesman HM, Swedler DI, Konda S, Pollack KM. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2013; 56(6): 693-700.

Affiliation

Division of Safety Research, Analysis, Field Evaluations Branch, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, West Virginia. htiesman@cdc.gov.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ajim.22182

PMID

23532837

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study describes and compares the three surveillance systems used to record occupational injury fatalities among U.S. law enforcement officers (LEOs). METHODS: The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund database (NLEOMF), and Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted reports (LEOKA) were examined for LEO deaths between 2003 and 2009. Fatality rates per 100,000 workers were calculated and compared. RESULTS: Between 2003 and 2009, the NLEOMF reported 1,050 fatalities (rate of 16.4 per 100,000 workers), the CFOI reported 968 fatalities (15.1 per 100,000), and the LEOKA recorded 853 fatalities (13.3 per 100,000). The LEOKA under-counted the number of fatalities compared to the NLEOMF and CFOI. Discrepancies were found between the LEOKA, NLEOMF, and CFOI regarding age, race, and Hispanic origin. Similar patterns for cause of fatality were found; however, the NLEOMF recorded a higher number of "other" fatalities compared to the other two systems. CONCLUSIONS: This study fills a critical knowledge gap by providing an overview of the three surveillance systems used to enumerate LEO occupational deaths. Understanding the differences across the systems is critical when utilizing them for surveillance research. Am. J. Ind. Med. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Language: en