Occupational fatalities in Israel.

Occupational fatal injuries are a worldwide problem. Certain occupations pose a greater risk than others. The purpose of this study was to estimate the death rates from occupational injuries in Israel over a period of 30 months, and to examine the trends in the light of the large numbers of foreign workers who have been brought into the country in the last decade. Two-thirds of the occupational fatalities were in the construction business, mostly owing to falls from a height resulting in death from multiple trauma. About one-third of these victims were foreign workers, even though they comprise only 20% of the work force in this field. Negligible amounts of alcohol were detected in a number of cases. The construction industry is recognized worlwide as a high-risk area claiming many lives each year. The findings in this study suggest that too little attention is given to safety regulations in general, and particularly concerning foreign workers in Israel.