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Fatal Occupational Injuries to Athletes, 1992-2002

by Stephen M. Pegula

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Originally Posted: July 28, 2004

Although athletes made up less than 1 percent of all workplace fatalities during the 1992-2002 period, their occupational

fatality rate was nearly 5 times greater than the rate for workers overall. The kinds of athletes most likely to have been fatally

injured on the job were automobile and motorcycle racers, divers and swimmers, horse and bull riders and trainers, and

pugilists (boxers and others). Also, while the overall occupational fatality rate declined over the period, the rate for athletes

increased.

From 1992 to 2002,1 a total of 219 fatal work injuries involving professional athletes were recorded by the BLS Census of

Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). That figure represents less than 1 percent of all workplace fatalities that occurred during

the period. (See table.) Over the same period, the fatality rate2 for athletes was 22.0 fatal work injuries per 100,000 workers,

while the fatality rate for all workers was 4.7 per 100,000 workers. In addition, occupational fatalities to athletes increased

during the latter part of the study period, even as fatal work injuries in general declined. From 1992 to 1996, athletes

averaged 16 deaths per year, while workers in general averaged 6,331 deaths per year. From 1998 to 2002, athletes

averaged 22 deaths per year, while workers in general averaged 5,893 deaths per year.

The CFOI definition of athletes includes professional athletes, such as baseball players, race car drivers, jockeys, and

boxers, as well as occupations related to athletics such as coaches, scouts, and athletic trainers, among others.3 Coaches at

the primary and secondary school level are classified as teachers rather than as athletes.

Demographic Analysis Of Decedents

The vast majority (95.9 percent) of athletes who were fatally injured while at work were male; 84 percent of the decedents

were white. Most (70.3 percent) of the fatally injured athletes were between the ages of 20 and 44, while only 11 percent

were aged 55 and over. Geographically, the largest number of fatal workplace injuries to athletes occurred in Florida (11.0

percent). Other states with at least 5 percent of the athlete occupation fatalities included California (9.6 percent), Indiana (7.8

percent), and Louisiana (6.4 percent).

Focus On Athletic Endeavors

All professional athletes, regardless of the type, are classified in one category according to the 1990 Census Bureau

occupation codes.4 An examination of the narratives of each workplace fatality provides more insight into the type of activities

that athletes who incurred fatal occupational injuries were performing at the time of their death. For example, during the

1992-2002 period, 37.4 percent of the decedents were performing a task associated with automobile or motorcycle racing

(such as driving or flagging) when they were killed. Decedents who were participating in water activities (diving, swimming,

and boating) accounted for 23.3 percent of the fatalities.5 In addition, 16.0 percent of the athletes were killed while working

with horses or bulls. Finally, 6.4 percent of the athletes were killed after participating in some form of pugilism or grappling

(such as boxing, kickboxing, or wrestling).

Event Or Exposure6

Athletes, like workers overall, were most commonly fatally injured at work in transportation incidents. Unlike workers overall,

however, athletes were most likely to be killed in nonhighway incidents,7 which accounted for 30.6 percent of the fatal work

injuries incurred by athletes over the 1992-2002 period. Nonhighway incidents constituted only 6.2 percent of the workplace

fatalities for all workers during the period. Most prominent among these nonhighway incidents for athletes was "vehicle or

mobile equipment struck stationary object" (such as a race car hitting a wall at a racetrack). This type of event accounted for
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15.1 percent of all workplace fatalities among athletes, and for only 0.5 percent of the workplace fatalities among workers in

general.

Athletes also were more prone to assaults by animals during the 1992-2002 period. Many of these animal assaults were

incurred by athletes in horse racing. This type of event accounted for 6.8 percent of the workplace fatalities to athletes, and

for only 0.5 percent of the workplace fatalities to workers in general over the period. Drowning and submersion had a similar

breakdown; it accounted for 18.3 percent of the athlete occupational fatalities and just 1.2 percent of the overall occupational

fatalities.

Conclusion

Although athletes made up a relatively small portion (less than 1 percent) of overall workplace fatalities during the 1992-2002

period, their occupational fatality rate was nearly 5 times greater than the overall rate. Athletes fatally injured on the job were

performing diverse tasks, as evidenced by the wide range of fatal events associated with this occupational group. Fatal

injuries to athletes were most often incurred by automobile and motorcycle racers, divers and swimmers, horse and bull

riders and trainers, and pugilists (including, among others, boxers and kickboxers). Finally, overall workplace fatalities

declined over the period, while those among athletes increased.

Stephen M. Pegula

Economist, Office of Safety, Health, and Working Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Telephone: (202) 691-6166; E-mail: Pegula.Stephen@bls.gov

Notes

Acknowledgment: The author would like to thank Samuel Meyer and Scott Richardson for their assistance in the preparation

of this article.

1 The 2002 data used in this analysis are preliminary.

2 The fatality rate is the number of fatal work injuries in a group per 100,000 workers in that group. The formula is Rate = (N/W) x 100,000,

where N is the number of fatal work injuries and W is the employment. Employment data were taken from the Current Population Survey

(CPS). The CPS includes only workers aged 16 years and over, so fatality rates in this article were calculated after excluding athletes under

the age of 16 who were fatally injured at work. Resident military employment, obtained from the Department of Defense, also was used in the

calculation of fatality rates where needed.

3 The CFOI data in this analysis are classified using the 1990 Census Bureau occupation codes; athletes are coded as 199 in the 1990

Census Bureau system. Some of the other occupations related to athletics that fall under this code include umpire, athletic director (excluding

elementary and secondary school), clerk-of-sales, paddock judge, pit steward, and handicapper. For more information on the 1990 Census

Bureau occupation codes, see "The Relationship Between the 1990 Census and Census 2000 Industry and Occupation Classification

Systems, Technical Paper #65," (U.S. Census Bureau, October 30, 2003); available on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/

ioindex/pdfio/techpaper2000.pdf. 4 Ibid.

5 The majority of athletes killed while performing water activities were divers. According to the 1990 Census Bureau occupation codes, divers,

including both commercial and competitive divers, were classified as athletes. Of the 51 athletes who died performing water activities, 17.6

percent were performing commercial diving, 11.8 percent were repairing, 9.8 percent were cleaning, 9.8 percent were inspecting, 7.8 percent

were rescuing, and 5.9 percent were welding. Beginning with reference year 2003 data, CFOI will classify occupations using the 2000 

Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. Under the SOC system, commercial divers and competitive divers are classified in

different occupations. For more information, see Standard Occupation Classification Manual: 2000 (Office of Management and Budget,

October 2000); available on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/soc/home.htm.

6 Event or exposure is defined per the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS). For more information, see the 

Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual (Bureau of Labor Statistics, December 1992); available on the Internet at http://

www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/oiicm.pdf.

7 Nonhighway incidents are transportation incidents that do not occur on a road, street, or highway. Two examples would be a tractor

overturning in a farm field and a vehicle striking another vehicle in a parking lot. Athletes killed on the job in nonhighway transportation

incidents tend to incur their fatal injuries while performing such tasks as driving race cars--usually at racetracks and thus not on public

roadways.
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Table. Fatal occupational injuries to athletes, 1992-2002

Characteristics Fatalities

Total 219

Employee Status

Wage and salary workers(1) 146

Self-employed(2) 73

Sex

Men 210

Women 9

Age

20 to 24 years 22

25 to 34 years 74

35 to 44 years 58

45 to 54 years 37

55 to 64 years 15

65 and over 9

Race or ethnic origin(3)

White 184

Black or African American 11

Hispanic or Latino 19

Event or Exposure

Transportation incidents 102

Highway 16

Nonhighway 67

Collision between vehicles or mobile equipment 13

Vehicle or mobile equipment struck stationary object 33

Noncollision accident 11

Aircraft 6

Worker struck by vehicle or mobile equipment 7

Water vehicle 5

Assaults and violent acts 23

Homicides 5

Assaults by animals 15

Contact with objects or equipment 25

Struck by object 20

Footnotes:

(1) This category may include volunteers and other workers receiving compensation.

(2) Includes paid and unpaid family workers, and may include owners of incorporated businesses, or members of partnerships.

(3) In this study, the racial categories "White" and "Black or African American" do not include persons from the ethnic category "Hispanic or

Latino." Hispanic or Latino persons may identify themselves racially as white, black, or another race category.

(4) Includes fatalities to workers employed in governmental organizations regardless of industry.

NOTE: Totals for 2001 exclude fatalities resulting from the September 11 terrorist attacks. Totals for major categories may include

subcategories not shown separately.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).
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Characteristics Fatalities

Falls 18

Fall to lower level 14

Exposure to harmful substances or environments 47

Oxygen deficiency 40

Drowning, submersion 40

Industry

Private industry 208

Services 196

Business services 30

Miscellaneous business services 30

Amusement and recreation services 160

Commercial sports 135

Sports clubs, managers, and promoters 18

Racing, including track operations 116

Miscellaneous amusement, recreation services 25

Government(4) 11

Footnotes:

(1) This category may include volunteers and other workers receiving compensation.

(2) Includes paid and unpaid family workers, and may include owners of incorporated businesses, or members of partnerships.

(3) In this study, the racial categories "White" and "Black or African American" do not include persons from the ethnic category "Hispanic or

Latino." Hispanic or Latino persons may identify themselves racially as white, black, or another race category.

(4) Includes fatalities to workers employed in governmental organizations regardless of industry.

NOTE: Totals for 2001 exclude fatalities resulting from the September 11 terrorist attacks. Totals for major categories may include

subcategories not shown separately.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

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