Abstract
Assessment is made on the yearly trend of change in the age-specific accidental fatality rates due to occupational work in seven categories of industries in Japan during the period from 1973 to 1983. Data base utilized were (1) Annual Report of Workmen's Accident Compensation Insurance Council (Ministry of Labour) and (2) The Population Census (Statistics Bureau), on which accidental fatality rates were calculated for the occupation of forestry, fisheries, mining, construction, manufacturing, transportation and communication, and electricity, gas, water, steam and hot water supply.
Accidental deaths in occupational workers showed a rather wide distribution ranging from 1000-1500 per million per year in mining to tens per million per year in manufacturing or electricity and others supply, all of which indicated tendency of decrease by year. Mean ages of workers were found greater by a few to several years than those of the deceased in all occupations except for fisheries. Agespecific fatality rates showed a trend of increase with the age in all occupations except for fisheries.
Comparison was made on these results with those of other countries which were shown in ICRP Publications 27 and 45 in terms of number of accidental deaths per million per year, specifically, with the values in U. S. A. for the years of 1969 and 1972 as given in ICRP Pub. 27 and with those in Canada for the years from 1975 to 1981 as given in ICRP Pub. 45, respectively.
In conclusion, fatality rates from occupational accidents in various industries in Japan are within the same order of levels which were observed in other countries as cited in ICRP Reports.
