An Alternative Approach to Analyzing Occupational Mortality Data

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Abstract
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 took advantage of the fact that comparisons of mortality by subgroups and assessments of trends in mortality were often of equal or greater interest than overall assessments and that such comparisons did not require an external control. A computer program was available for performing the needed calculations for several diseases. This program provided tests for differences and trends among subcategories defined by variables such as length of employment, job category or exposure measurements and also provided control for age, calendar year and several other potentially confounding variables.