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PubMed1997

Conceptual and definitional issues in occupational injury epidemiology.

This paper presents several models that further define the concept of occupational injury. While traditional models have proved successful in isolating specific research questions and health phenomena, the conceptual model presented permits a broader view of all injury morbidity. This model is based on both the level and frequency of energy transfers. A process model of occupational injury is also presented to describe the basic pathophysiological relationships associated with tissue effects/damage and recovery/repair. Numerous tradeoffs exist in variable selection, and a third model explores some of these tradeoffs. Differences in terminology and fundamental principles can limit the progress of occupational injury research. Accordingly, an argument is made for consolidation and consensus of terms. Finally, considerations for research are suggested, with an emphasis on the severity of the injury, the risk ratio, and the population at risk.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Occupational injury, a public health priority].

The aim of this review is to stimulate new ideas and actions for the prevention of this important public health problem. In 2002 and 2003, respectively, the number of non-fatal occupational injuries was 971,406 and 906,638. Thus, every day in Spain there are more than 2500 non-fatal and between 2 and 3 fatal occupational injuries. Although the profile of the at-risk worker population has changed greatly over the past decade, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the risk of occupational injury still centers on blue collar workers, whether qualified or nonqualified, in the primary and secondary sectors of economic activity. The most common mechanisms of occupational injuries are overexertion for non-fatal injuries and traffic-related for fatal events. The adverse health consequences of new types of employment, which emphasize flexibility and deregulation of the labour market, are exemplified by the association between temporary employment and increased risk of occupational injury. New injury prevention programs have emerged in the last decade, but they appear to have had limited impact. Preventive activities should focus both on working conditions at the company level (micro) as well as on employment and industrial public policies (macro). Greater evaluation is needed of these latter policies.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2005

Occupational injuries: is job security a factor?

CONTEXT: Although a large number of contributing factors of occupational injury causation are explored meticulously to explain the phenomenon of higher occupational injury occurrence in some subjects, it has remained a matter of controversy. AIMS: In this study, an effort is made to explore whether job security has any contribution in explaining higher susceptibility of some workers. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a retrospective occupational injury record study conducted in an industry of eastern India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Along with the study of injury records of 5 years, an interview was also conducted involving 726 workers (including permanent and temporary workers both) of the factory. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Comparison was made between permanent and temporary workers by using the Mann-Whitney U-test and the chi-square test. A theoretical model of Poisson's distribution was used to compare between expected and real occurrence. RESULTS: Although two worker groups were very similar in relation to age, level of education, habits, and nature of work, accident frequency and severity rates were found to be significantly higher in temporary workers. CONCLUSIONS: This study concluded that the higher accident risk of the temporary workers might have been due to the less effective experience as well as due to lack of job security inherent in such workers.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Occupational injuries in Italy.

Data collected by the Italian Funds for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (INAIL) on incidence and mortality for occupational injuries in Italy during 1951-2001 are described with respect to the two main occupational sectors, Industry and Services, and Agriculture. Comparisons with other EU countries are included to place the current severe phenomenon in context. An ad hoc analysis aimed at verifying the completeness of the data on occupational fatal accidents collected by INAIL in Tuscany is reported: a linkage between the INAIL data and those registered by the Tuscan Regional Mortality Registry highlights that a number of working areas are not covered by INAIL, a problem whose solution would be useful for primary prevention.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1995

Occupational injuries in a poor inner-city population.

This study aims to characterize occupational injuries in a defined poor inner-city population in terms of demographic features, types, and circumstances of injuries, and medical and financial consequences. It is a case series drawn from a larger population-based injury registry in emergency departments that serve 17 poor census tracts in Philadelphia. Of 335 patients from the study area who had been treated at the emergency departments under study for occupational injuries, 107 could be contacted by telephone 2 to 3 years after their injuries. Interviews sought information on the patients, their employment, their injuries, and the consequences. Respondents were almost all African-American, approximately 50% male, and had a median age of 32. Approximately one third were employed in the health care industry, one fourth in the service sector (including conventional service firms, restaurants, and hotels), and the remainder in construction, retail and wholesale trade, education, transportation, and manufacturing. Major causes of injuries included overexertion, contact with sharp objects, and falls. Major types on injuries included sprain/strains and lacerations. Approximately half the respondents had missed more than 3 days of work, with 15% missing more than 1 month. Almost 40% of respondents reported persistent health problems after their injuries. Only about one quarter had received workers' compensation. We conclude that poor and minority workers are at risk of a wide range of occupational injuries, which may result in considerable lost work time and have serious medical and economic consequences. More, attention to the workplace risks of these relatively marginalized workers and more vigorous preventive interventions are needed.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Occupational injuries among workers with disabilities: the National Health Interview Survey, 1985-1994.

CONTEXT: As the baby boom generation ages, more people will be working with disabilities, but we have little information regarding how disabilities affect risk for occupational injury. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that work-limiting disabilities in general and hearing and visual impairments in particular are risk factors for occupational injuries. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), 1985 to 1994. PARTICIPANTS: The 459827 participants in the NHIS from 1985 to 1994 who listed "working" as their primary activity, who were not farmers, and who were between 18 and 65 years of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Occupational injuries in the year preceding the interview causing a residual impairment at the time of interview. RESULTS: After adjusting for occupation, self-employment, and age, occupational injury was associated with preceding work disability (odds ratio [OR], 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19-1.56); blindness (OR, 3.21; 95% CI, 1.32-7.85); deafness (OR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.17-4.12); hearing impairment (OR,1.55; 95% CI, 1.29-1.87); upper extremity impairment (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.05-2.05); and arthritis (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.07-1.68). Visual impairment was not associated with a significantly increased risk (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.87-2.17). CONCLUSIONS: Workers with disabilities, especially sensory impairments, appear to have an elevated risk for occupational injury. Further research in the design and evaluation of improved workplace accommodations for workers with these disabilities is needed.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1990

Use of OSHA inspections data for fatal occupational injury surveillance in New Jersey.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) computerized inspections data, death certificates, and medical examiner records identified 204 fatal occupational injuries in New Jersey, 1984-85. OSHA computerized data uniquely identified seven cases. They did not identify 35 fatalities under OSHA's jurisdiction, of which 24 were investigated by OSHA but not recorded, four were not considered work-related, and seven were not known to OSHA. Eighty-seven were outside OSHA's jurisdiction; 28 were among the self-employed who are not under the health and safety protection of any governmental agency.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2001

The social consequences of occupational injuries and illnesses.

BACKGROUND: Most outcome studies of occupational injuries and illnesses have tended to focus on direct economic costs and duration of work disability. Rarely have the broader social consequences of work-related disorders or their impacts on injured workers' families, coworkers, and community been investigated. This paper examines a wide range of social consequences including workers' psychological and behavioral responses, vocational function, and family and community relationships. METHODS: Literature review and development of conceptual framework. RESULTS: Complex and multifactorial relationships are described whereby occupational injuries and illnesses produce a variety of social consequences involving filing and administration of workers' compensation insurance claims, medical care experiences, domestic function and activities of daily living, psychological and behavioral responses, stress, vocational function, rehabilitation and return to work, and equity and social justice. CONCLUSION: A research agenda is proposed for guiding future investigations in this field.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Occupational injuries and stressors among Canadian air medical health care professionals in rotor-wing programs.

INTRODUCTION: Air medical health care providers work in a unique environment that may affect occupational injury rates and patterns. Despite this knowledge, little high-quality evidence exists regarding occupational injuries specifically incurred by air medical health care professionals. We sought to characterize the epidemiology of occupational injuries experienced by Canadian rotor-wing health care providers. METHODS: A survey was sent to the 4 rotor-wing programs in Canada. All crewmembers participating directly in patient care were asked to complete the survey detailing any acute occupational injuries sustained within the previous year. A series of both open- and closed-ended questions was used to collect participant demographics and information regarding any injuries sustained. RESULTS: One hundred and six (40.6%) participants completed the survey. Three hundred and thirty acute injuries were reported. Hand lacerations and leg contusions were most prevalent (31 and 24 individuals incurred these injuries, respectively). Acute back injuries were also prevalent with 25 (23.6%) participants reporting at least one back injury. Overall, an injury rate of 3.2 injuries per person per year was reported. Lifting was cited as a common factor in injury (30 cases). Most injuries required little treatment, with only 17 needing physician intervention, and only 6 required more than 1 week off work. CONCLUSION: Injuries among Canadian air medical crews are common, but fortunately, the majority are minor. Specific injury prevention strategies may focus on stretcher design, cabin ergonomics, and extremity protective equipment.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Doctors' assessment of occupational injuries. Regulations and working methods].

Many medical practitioners deal with occupational injuries and diseases. Norwegian employees, military servicemen, fishermen, students and schoolchildren are entitled to specific social insurance benefits in the event of occupational injury (injury at school) or occupational disease. In most cases the social insurance office requires a medical assessment from the doctor. Adequate knowledge of the social insurance regulations and good working methods for medical assessment contribute to fair administrative decisions and help the doctor to deal with such cases. The authors present the part of the regulations most relevant for medical practitioners, and describe suitable working methods.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2006

Occupational injury proneness in Indian women: a survey in fish processing industries.

A cross sectional survey was initiated to understand the frequency of occupational injury occurrence and the associated factors in the fish processing industries of western India involving 185 randomly selected women subjects. All the subjects were interviewed with the help of an interviewer-administered questionnaire to collect information regarding their personal, occupational and work related morbidity details (including details of occupational injuries). Logistic regression method was used to analyze the data in order to obtain the contribution of individual factors on occupational injuries. This study has shown that work related morbidity like blanching of hand (OR; 2.30, 95%CI; 1.12-4.74) and nature of job like grading (OR; 3.99, 95%CI; 1.41-11.27) and packing (OR; 5.68, 95%CI; 1.65-19.57) had a significant impact on injury causation. This study eventually concludes that apart from nature of job of fish processing workers occupational hazards prevailing in the work environment contribute significantly to the occurrence of work related injuries and prevention of such occupational hazards may help in protecting workers from occupational injuries also.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Comparison of unintentional fatal occupational injuries in the Republic of Korea and the United States.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the profile of unintentional fatal occupational injuries in the Republic of Korea and the United States to help establish prevention strategies for Korea and to understand country specific differences in fatality risks in different industries. METHODS: Occupational fatal injury data from 1998-2001 were collected from Korea's Occupational Safety and Health Agency's Survey of Causes of Occupational Injuries (identified by the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation) and from the United States Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Employment estimates were obtained in both countries. Industry coding and external cause of death coding were standardized. Descriptive analyses of injury rates and Poisson regression models to examine time trends were conducted. RESULTS: Korea exhibited a significantly higher fatal injury rate, at least two times higher than the United States, after accounting for different employment patterns. The ordering of industries with respect to risk is the same in the two countries, with mining, agriculture/forestry/fishing, and construction being the most dangerous. Fatal injury rates are decreasing in these two countries, although at a faster rate in Korea. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding industrial practices within different countries is critical for fully understanding country specific occupational injury statistics. However, differences in surveillance systems and employment estimation methods serve as caveats to any transnational comparison, and need to be harmonized to the fullest extent possible.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1995

Effect of recall period on the reporting of occupational injuries among older workers in the Health and Retirement Study.

Studies of injury morbidity often rely on self-reported survey data. In designing these surveys, researchers must chose between a shorter recall period to minimize recall bias and a longer period to maximize the precision of rate estimates. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, which employed a recall period of 1 year, we examined the effect of the recall period on rates of occupational injuries among older workers as well as upon rate ratios of these injuries for nine risk factors. We fit a stochastic model to the occupational injury rates as a function of time before the interview and used this model to estimate what the injury rates would have been had we used a 4-week recall period. The adjusted occupational injury rate of 5.9 injuries per 100 workers per year was 36% higher than the rate based on a 1-year recall period. Adjustment for recall period had much less effect on rate ratios, which typically varied by < 10%. Our work suggests that self-reported surveys with longer recall periods may be used to estimate occupational injury rates and also may be useful in studying the associations between occupational injuries and a variety of risk factors.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2006

Occupational injuries among workers in the cleansing section of the City Council's Health Services Department--Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 2001-2002.

INTRODUCTION: During 2001-2002, a total of 97 occupational injuries occurred among workers in the cleansing section of the Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, City Council's Health Services Department. This report describes a study that was conducted to describe the nature of these injuries and determine the associated risk factors. METHODS: A retrospective, descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted concerning occupational injuries incurred by workers in the cleansing section during 2001-2002. A total of 153 workers who had been in the section as of January 1, 2001, and 23 senior managers and section supervisors were interviewed, the occupational injury register was reviewed, and a walk-through survey was conducted to estimate risk factors. RESULTS: The occupational injury register indicated that during the study period, 62 workers sustained 67 injuries, including one that was fatal. Of these 67 injuries, 27 (40%) involved workers who sustained cuts inside a box-type refuse removal truck, and 11 (16%) involved workers who had sprained ankles and wrists as a result of improper lifting. Workers aged 18-25 years were more likely to incur an injury than workers aged >25 years. Working as a bin loader and not having received preemployment training were associated with injuries. None of the bin loaders had received preemployment training. Hazards identified during the walk-through survey included use of small jacks in workshops, contact with biologic and chemical materials on trucks and landfill sites, and poor use of protective clothing. Supervisors cited worker negligence as the main cause of injury, whereas 72 (84%) workers cited lack of adequate protective clothing as a source of injury, and eleven (7%) workers cited use of inappropriate equipment. CONCLUSION: On the basis of the modifiable risk factors for injury identified in this study, the Bulawayo City Council drafted a new health and safety training manual. New recruits now receive training before starting work on refuse collection trucks.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2001

Fatal occupational injuries--United States, 1980-1997.

CDC monitors deaths from occupational injuries through the National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities (NTOF) surveillance system (1,2). This report provides an overview of traumatic occupational deaths among civilian workers from NTOF from 1980 through 1997, the most recent year for which data are available. The data presented in this report indicate a decrease in occupational deaths overthis period with mining, agriculture/forestry/fishing, and construction having the highest death rates; motor-vehicle crashes were the leading cause of injury-related deaths for U.S. workers. State health departments and others involved in prevention of occupational injuries can use the data to prioritize intervention programs.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1993

[Socioeconomic incidences and prognostic factors of low back pain caused by occupational injuries among the hospital personnel of Grenoble University Hospital Center].

Low back pain is generally believed to be common among hospital employees. This cross-sectional, retrospective study was carried out to determine the annual incidence of low back pain ascribable to occupational injuries in hospital employees and to evaluate factors influencing the prognosis of these injuries. In 1989, 70 employees working at the Grenoble Teaching Hospital (GTH) reported an occupational injury responsible for low back pain. Each of these employees filled out an epidemiological questionnaire during a routine evaluation by a rheumatologist. Overall annual incidence of occupational injuries with subsequent low back pain was 1.9% among GTH employees. Higher incidences were seen among employees whose occupations involved patient transfer, as well as among nursing assistants. Activities associated with an increased risk of low back pain included handling of patients or objects and work requiring prolonged periods in uncomfortable positions or in the standing position. A previous history of low back disease and a longer period of time in the current work were also associated with an increased risk of low back pain. Characteristic clinical profiles of patients with low back pain subsequent to occupational injury were determined by occupation and type of hospital department. The analysis of long-duration absence from work and long-term consequences on career confirmed the significant adverse socioeconomic impact of these injuries.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed1994

Motor vehicle occupant injuries in New Zealand children, 1981-90.

AIM: To determine the incidence of motor vehicle occupant injuries in New Zealand children and to consider future directions for prevention. METHODS: The Ministry of Health's national mortality and morbidity files for the years 1981-1990 were examined to identify all deaths and hospital discharges for motor vehicle occupant injuries in children between the ages of 0-14 years. RESULTS: Over the 10 year period, there was an average of 26 deaths and 433 hospitalisations annually. Fatality rates were highest for the age group 0-2 years, whereas hospitalisation rates were highest for those aged 3-4 years. Although mortality rates were similar for Maori and nonMaori children, the hospitalisation rate for Maori children was more than three times that for nonMaori children. No significant trends in either fatality or hospitalisation rates were evident. DISCUSSION: Motor vehicle occupant injury is an important public health problem in New Zealand children. Reductions in the numbers of motor vehicle occupant deaths and hospitalisations will require not only legislative changes aimed at increasing restraint use, but also the development of strategies to ensure compliance with the legislation. The identification of barriers to the use of child restraints is likely to facilitate the development of effective strategies aimed at increasing occupant restraint use.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2006

Psychological determinants of behaviors leading to occupational injuries and diseases in agriculture: a literature overview.

Agriculture is one of the most hazardous occupational sectors, with a high prevalence of occupational injuries and work-related health problems. Most of these problems are caused by the interplay of human behavior and ergonomic factors and are thus preventable. Interventions to prevent occupational injuries and diseases among agricultural workers should aim to change risk behaviors and conditions by addressing specific behavioral determinants. To identify these factors, social cognitive models can be use that explain and predict health-related behavior. This study reviews the literature on the application of social cognitive models for the prevention of occupational injuries and diseases among agricultural workers. Studies are reviewed that apply the Health Belief Model, Theory of ReasonedAction, Theory of Planned Behavior, Transtheoretical Model of Change, or their subcomponents, to predict or change preventive behavior. Only a limited number of studies were found describing interventions that make use of these models, and those that do are often poorly documented with regard to the effect sizes and the explanatory or predictive value. It is concluded that the application of social cognitive models could significantly contribute to the effectiveness of preventive interventions in agriculture.

Accident Prevention↗