Occupational fatality under-reporting in rural areas of the Western Cape Province, South Africa

Following a previously published study which reported that 28% of occupational fatalities in the Cape Town metropole of the Western Cape Province of South Africa had not been reported in terms of statutory regulations, this rural-based study found that 85% of occupational fatalities were unreported. Two hundred and twenty four work-related deaths occurring in 10 rural magisterial districts in the Western Cape Province over a two and a half year period (January 1990-August 1992) were identified by examination of state mortuary death registers and police inquest reports. A review of the registers of the occupational safety inspectorate found that only 15% (n = 33) of these deaths had been reported. Drowning (68%), chemical poisoning (10%) and tractor accidents (9%) accounted for the greatest number of unreported fatalities. Only 5% of fatalities in women were reported. Underreporting of even the most direct occupational accidents highlights the gross inadequacy of the current reporting system for rural areas. Greater co-ordinated efforts within and between the government departments of health and labour are urgently required to address environmental hazards in rural areas and in particular on farms. Differential underreporting of occupational fatalities by gender to the disadvantage of women needs further investigation.