By Gil Fried, Professor at University of New Haven
I have practiced sport law for almost 20 years. I think I have seen it all, when out from my peripheral vision comes a new issue or concern that I previously was not as focused upon. That was until I was asked by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to help chair a task force designed to reduce workplace injuries in the sport industry. To be honest, the task force does more than look at the sport industry. My purview is NAICS Sector 71, which includes arts, entertainment, and recreation. Nestled within this large sector are all professional sport, sport facilities, and a slew of other employees. In total, there are almost 2 million employees in the sector. I thought I knew how people were injured. I thought I worked in a relatively safe industry. Boy was I wrong.
To provide an example, The Bureau of Labor Statistics highlights the following number of employees in the sports industry during 2008:
— 12,450 athletes
— 36,710 coaches and scouts
— 29,900 life guards and ski patrollers
— 42,290 usher/ticket takers
— 158,560 fitness and aerobic instructors
— 25,640 recreation workers
Some numbers are harder to calculate. For example, there is an estimated equivalent of 146,625 full-time employees in 2004 working in the horse racing industry. The numbers are hard to pinpoint since there are so many independent contractors working in the industry. In the industry alone, there were 79 workplace related deaths from 1992-2006 including 28 trainers, 26 jockeys, 8 exercise riders, 7 grooms, and 10 employees classified as other. From 1998-2006, there were 14,200 workplace injuries in the horse racing industry as well. Some professionals might think that horse racing is completely different than the sport they manage. But the numbers highlight that our field is just as or even more dangerous.
Deaths
In 2008, there were just over 5 thousand workplace related deaths. In Sector 71 alone, there were 229 deaths. Forty of those deaths were in the category of performing arts/spectator sports. There is not a most common age for people to die on the job. It would be assumed that younger, inexperienced workers would make more mistakes and would be more likely to pass away. However, the 45-54 age range followed by 55-64 age range was the most frequent range of deaths. The statistics are pretty consistent across numerous areas that 75% of the deaths would occur to Caucasian workers, 12-14% would be African-American, and 10-12% would be Hispanic.
People die various ways, but the most common reason for death is transportation related accidents. Transportation related examples include: a boss sending a worker on an errand and they get into an accident, a broadcast truck gets into an accident on the way to broadcast a game, and sporting goods on a truck that gets into an accident. A total of 81 deaths in our sector are attributable to transportation related incidents. Surprisingly, while being struck by or against an object would seem to be a frequent cause of death, it is not the second most common cause of death in our sector. That title would go to workplace violence and assaults. In the performing arts/spectator sports area, there were 14 assaults leading to deaths in 2008. Drowning was also the cause of six deaths in the amusement and gambling area.
Some managers might think that these deaths only happen to the grunt workers. In the art, entertainment, and recreation category, there were eight managers who passed away. In 2008, the most common occupation in which a person passed away in our area was on the media side, where 25 people died. These media individuals could include reporters traveling to cover a story. There were also 20 ground maintenance staffers who died.
I do not want to frighten everyone, but I think it is important to highlight the risks that exist, and the bigger risk is not deaths, but serious injuries.
Injuries
Injury rates are compared by industries based on a relative incident rate. The incident rate for all private industries in 2008 was 113.3%. Injuries in the sport industry occurred at a much more frequent rate as highlighted in the chart below:
Category Incident rate Perct. Higher than Norm
Spectator Sports 163.4 44.2
Golf Courses 138.2 21.9
Skiing Facilities 320.7 183.0
Marinas 178.3 57.3
Fitness & Recreation 81.5 (28.1)
Bowling Centers 103.7 (8.4)
Thus, the injury rate in most sectors of the sport industry significantly exceeds the national average. The most common nature of injuries is often strains or sprains. However, some locations have much higher injury rates based on the type of job. Golf courses, for example, had 95% more cuts injuries and 195.5% more machine related injuries, possibly from working on golf carts, retooling clubs, and working with vegetation cutting machines. Other major concerns at golf courses included a 58.3% increase in injuries associated with chemical and hazardous material exposure and 84.3% increase in transportation related injuries. Chemical and hazardous exposures can also range from electrocutions to oxygen deficiencies (such as drowning) and are not unique just to golf courses where pesticides are frequently used. The number of chemical related injuries at marinas was 537.5% higher than the private industry rate.
One of the shocking numbers was the number of injuries associated with violence. The sport industry had a rate 216.6% higher in 2008 than in private industry. That number was not a fluke and the numbers for the past several years have shown a steady growth in violence related injuries. Thus, violence did not just produce a number of deaths, but also numerous injuries that possibly could have been prevented through an anti-violence campaign.
The numbers clearly highlighted skiing as the most dangerous industry for workers. Sprains and strains were 257.3% higher and fractures were 341.5% higher than the private rate. The most common body part injured for those working in the ski industry were shoulders (+370.5%) and knees (+797.9%). the most frequent activity that caused skiing related injuries were falls on the same level (possibly slipping on wet or icy surfaces or falling on the slopes) which were 731.3% higher than the private industry rate.
What To Do
These numbers are shocking and they show that, as an industry, we need to do more to protect ourselves and our employees. What can a sport industry professional do? It is easy:
— Be vigilant and look for hazards in your workplace.
— Take workplace violence seriously and take steps to minimize the potential and train employees how to respond.
— Provide employees with appropriate training so they know how to use their equipment.
— Track workplace injuries and return to work programs.
— Bring in a workplace hygienist to help evaluate the workplace for safety issues.
— Subscribe to the NIOSH/NORA free newsletter which tracks industry injuries and provides some useful hints to reduce injuries (email the author to get your name on the list).
Our Goal with the CDC/NIOSH/NORA is to reduce art, sport, and recreation injuries by 30%. Please join us in trying to reach and exceed this goal.
Gil Fried is a Professor of Sport Management at the University of New Haven. He has written numerous books and articles on facility management, sport finance, and his passion- sport risk management. He can be reached at gfried@newhaven.edu.
