An Alternative Approach to Analyzing Occupational Mortality Data

It is widely recognized that analyzing occupational mortality by calculating standardized mortality ratios based on death rates from the general population is subject to a number of limitations. An alternative approach described in this report takes advantage of the fact that comparisons of mortality by subgroups and assessments of trends in mortality are often of equal or greater interest than overall assessments and that such comparisons do not require an external control. A computer program is available for performing the needed calculations for several diseases. This program provides tests for differences and trends among subcategories defined by variables such as length of employment, job category, or exposure measurements and also provides control for age, calendar year, and several other potentially confounding variables.