Fatal Occupational Injuries in the Forestry and Logging Industry in North Carolina, 1977-1991.

Fatal occupational injuries in the forestry and logging industry and occupation in the state of North Carolina from January 1, 1977, to December 31, 1991, were analyzed. Data were obtained through the North Carolina medical examiners system. The analysis was performed for the whole state as well as for the four forestry regions into which the state is divided. A total of 125 deaths happened over the study period. All were men, and the majority (60%) were white, with a mean age of 43 years. The crude fatality rate for the overall study period was 2.2 deaths per 1,000 person-years, with age-specific rates increasing with age. The Piedmont region had the highest proportion of cases (31.2%), while the Mountain region accounted for the highest overall rate (22.7 per 1,000 person-years). For all the forestry regions, the leading means of injury was found to be falling objects.