The latest Epidemiology Bulletin focuses on work-related fatalities: "Although Alaska has consistently had one of the highest work-related fatality rates in the nation, from 1990–1999, there was a 49% decline in work related deaths. Several state and federal government agencies, industry, and nonprofit organizations worked together to achieve this success. Using work-related fatality data, these partners identified hazards, and developed and implemented interventions to address them. Examples of such interventions include policy changes, engineering controls, education/training, and the use of personal protective equipment."
In Alaska more than half of 379 work-related fatalities in the period 2000-2009 occurred on the water (34%) or in the air (23%), "...while in the U.S. overall, these types of transportation events accounted for only 5% and 9% of transportation fatalities, respectively.
"Interventions developed in Alaska since 2000 include stability checks for the Bering Sea crab fleet, and the Capstone program to improve pilots’ situational awareness. Progress has been made, but fatality rates continue to be high, so further safety interventions are needed to combat the unique high-risk occupational hazards found in Alaska."
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