Hispanic Worker Deaths Increases 76%

Oh dear, where to start with this mess? For a start, the base number of deaths is wholly meaningless - only the *rate* is interesting.

Then there's the minor issue that a jump from 533 to 990 is an 85.7% increase, not 76 [a 76% increase would be approximately 938]. Unsurprisingly, the original story in USA Today correctly calculates the jump [to 937].

Then the article gives the percentage of hispanics in the workforce, showing an increase from 10.4 to 14% of the total, with no indication of whether the total workforce is going up down or sideways or whether the representation in accident-prone sectors has changed.

The original article is at http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2009-07-19-workerdeaths_N.htm

Even that doesn't give adequate information to say whether or not this is an actual rise or just the appearance of one. It seems clear that it *is* an unacceptable and disproportionate jump, but the story is completely undermined by the statistical illiteracy of the journalists.

That isn't a very big increase. To illustrate: taking the workforce in 2008, according to the CIA factbook, of 155,200,000 Americans.
10.4 percent of that is 16,140,800.
14 percent of that is 21,728,000.

So, in 1992 about .003 percent of Hispanic workers had a fatality.
In 2006 .0045 percent of Hispanic workers had a fatality.

And if, as onem postulates, there are more workers Hispanic workers we haven't identified, this percentage would go down.

maybe it is because there are 76% more hispanic workers... except wait, there's even more than a 76% increase. This means that the death rate has actually been going down.

Lie, damn lies, and statistics.

I would like to see statistics on the percent of hispanic workers versus non-hispanic workers. I'm sure there's a correlation.

Simply another form of discrimination. We could easily make conditions safer for those who choose to do this kind of work, but, much like a lot of things, we don't. Why? Because they will always find someone willing to do it... for cheap. Is this the part of America you want to defend and espouse? Is this what you want our country to be known for? It's mistreatment of everyone who is not of a certain hue?

these hard working individuals are working jobs that require the farm laborers to dwell in harsh, poisonous conditions.

we need more efficient protection from these harsh chemicals, & the people who hire should PROVIDE.

when people buy there fruit & vegetables from the supermarkets, they do not have any idea on how much effort was put into that single batch of fruit.

educate yourselves.

pesticides are poison, they do not discriminate which cells they kill

ok...we should care because____________ (fill in the blank) I seriously doubt picking fruit is rated as one of the most dangerous jobs