About 70 youths suffer fatal occupational injuries each year. A new Healthy People 2000 special population target is to reduce injury rates among adolescent workers to 3.8 per 100 from a baseline of 5.8 per 100 in 1992. New cases of cumulative trauma disorders have increased from 100 cases per 100,000 workers in 1987 to a high of 383 cases per 100,000 workers in 1993. Disorders resulting from repeated motion, noise-induced hearing loss, and vibration injuries are included, but lower back disorders are not. Increases in reported cumulative trauma disorders may be due to heightened awareness and better reporting, but also to changes in work design, such as increased automation and job specialization, both of which increase the amount of repetition performed by the worker.
Occupant protection reduces injury in automobile crashes.
The 1992 National Survey of Worksite Health Promotion Activities indicated that 82 percent of all worksites with 50 or more employees require use of occupant protection. Hence, the year 2000 target was increased from 75 percent to 95 percent. Depending on data sources, there has been little change over the past 20 years in the rate of employees who are exposed to damaging levels of noise. Between 1989 and 1993, the U.S. Air Force Hearing Conservation Database indicates an increase from 16 to nearly 20 percent of workers exposed to average noise levels above 85 decibels. Comprehensive noise and hearing data are currently being analyzed by the U.S. Army and the United Auto Workers.