Aim: To estimate occupational mortality rates in New Zealand males for the period 2001-2005.
Method: Occupation information noted in the free text of death records of males aged 15-64 years during 2001-2005 was classified to the New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupation 1999 and age and deprivation standardised mortality rates and ratios were calculated for the major ICD10-AM categories of disease and different occupational groups.
Results: A total of 12,713 male deaths were included in the study. There were marked differences in mortality between occupations. Plant and machine operators and assemblers and agriculture and fishery workers had the overall highest rates. The former had the highest rates for ischemic heart disease, other diseases of the circulatory system, diseases of the respiratory system, and endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, while the latter had the highest rate for external causes.
Conclusion: The last published study investigating occupational disease mortality in New Zealand is now over 20 years old and currently no regular monitoring of occupation-related mortality is occurring in New Zealand. This paper shows that there continues to be marked differences in mortality between occupations in New Zealand and that many of these differences persist following adjustment for socioeconomic deprivation.