Emergency room evidence on the role of alcohol intoxication in injury at work in the U.S.

Abstract

Alcohol is a known risk factor for many kinds of injuries, but past research has failed to implicate alcohol intoxication as a major cause of work injuries in the U.S. Local and regional studies have indicated that alcohol-related injuries are relatively less common in work settings than non-work settings. In a six-month study, the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System collected the first national sample data on alcohol and injuries presenting to hospital emergency rooms. The study included both work injuries and product-related non-work injuries. Alcohol intoxication was ascertained by emergency room chart review. Alcohol involvement was much lower than in other studies, probably because of poor sensitivity in ascertainment, and it was 10 times lower among work injuries than non-work injuries. “Non-work activities at the time of injury” were a significant risk factor for alcohol-related injuries (odds ratio = 7). Thus, results of this national study are consistent with previous research in finding that alcohol poses a greater risk for nonwork injury than for work injury.