Proportionate mortality among unionized construction operating engineers

Abstract

This report presents the results of proportionate mortality ratios (PMR) and proportionate cancer mortality ratios (PCMR) among 15,843 members of the International Union of Operating Engineers who had died between 1988–1993. Operating engineers represent one of the 15 unions in the Building and Construction Trades Department and are responsible for the operation and maintenance of heavy earthmoving equipment used in the construction of buildings, bridges, roads, and other facilities. Using U.S. proportionate cancer mortality as the referent, statistically significant elevated mortality was observed for cancers of the lung (PCMR = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09–1.19) and bone (PCMR = 2.14, CI = 1.19–3.52). Using U.S. proportionate mortality as the referent, statistically significant elevated mortality was observed for other benign and unspecified neoplasms (PMR = 1.54, CI = 1.09–2.13), emphysema (PMR = 1.37, CI = 1.20–1.55), other injuries (PMR = 1.43, CI = 1.20–1.70) (which included crushing under/in machinery, tractor rollover, run over by crane), and suicide (PMR = 1.22, CI = 1.06–1.40). The PMR for leukemia and aleukemia (PMR = 1.19, CI = 1.02–1.37), but not the PCMR (1.07, CI = 0.92–1.24), was also significantly elevated. Some of the occupational exposures that may have contributed to these excesses include diesel exhaust, asphalt and welding fumes, silica dust, ionizing radiation, and coal tar pitch. The present study underscores the need to control airborne exposures to these substances and for injury prevention efforts aimed at operating engineers in the construction industry. Am. J. Ind. Med. 32:51‐65, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Mates in Construction Suicide Prevention Program: A Five Year Review

“…Elevated rates of suicide among construction workers compared with the general working male population have been identified in many countries including Finland [7], the USA [8][9][10][11][12], Korea [13], Denmark [14], the UK [15,16], Canada [17], and Australia [18][19][20]. This may be because the construction workforce is largely male [21] and, in many countries, male rates of suicide are up to four times that of women [22].…”

MATES in Construction: Impact of a Multimodal, Community-Based Program for Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry

“…Research in Australia and abroad has demonstrated elevated rates of suicide amongst tradesmen and construction workers compared with the general working male population [8–11]. To investigate industry-specific patterns in Queensland suicides, Anderson and colleagues [5] compared data from 7,652 suicides in the Queensland Suicide Register with population data from the ABS for 1990–2006.…”

Risk of Acute Myeloid Leukemia After Exposure to Diesel Exhaust: A Review of the Epidemiologic Evidence

“…28 In the other study, the PMR result was not confirmed in the PCMR analysis, owing to an increased mortality from many neoplasms in that study population. 13 In the remaining studies of heavy equipment operators, 11,12,18,29,30 including the only one that included a detailed assessment of DE exposure, 11,12 no increased risk of leukemia was detected. In light of these results, no conclusion can be drawn on the presence of an increased risk of leukemia in this group of workers.…”

“…12 An additional proportionate mortality study was conducted among 15,843 members of a U.S. union of construction operating engineers who died during 1988 -1993. 13 Calculation of expected deaths was based on national rates. The PMR of leukemia was 1.19 (95% CI ϭ 1.02-1.37).…”

“…Limitations in most cohort studies are the use of mortality rather than incidence data on leukemia [7][8][9][10][11]13,15,16 and the comparison with an external (eg, national) population, which might not be comparable with the study population for reasons other than DE exposure (eg, a general healthier status of the study population). 7,8,10 -13 Case-Control Studies…”