To Die For
Is your business hazardous to your health?
Unless you're of the excessively morbid variety, dying is
probably not high on your to-do list. However, recent statistics
show that the self-employed are twice as likely as employees to die
on the job.
According to a recent survey by the Census of Fatal Occupational
Injuries, approximately 10 out of every 100,000 entrepreneurs were
killed on the job in 1993, compared with five of every 100,000
employees.
Common casualties of business include owners of retail
establishments, such as convenience stores, grocery stores and
restaurants, who die primarily of homicides. Employers were the
victims of 22 percent of homicides, compared with a 16 percent
ratio of employees; gunshot wounds were the most common cause of
death in employers.
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Guy Toscano, program manager for the Census, identifies a common
thread among these homicide victims: "They work alone,
handling money, late in the evening," he says. Considering
entrepreneurship is becoming more popular and crime is expected to
escalate, Toscano predicts the number of entrepreneurial deaths
will likely increase. So, as your risk intensifies, a little common
sense is called for: Put your money in a safe place, take
precautions, be aware of your surroundings-and go home early for
once.
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