Burden Of Occupational Injuries Research Articles

Occupational injury prevalence and predictors among small-scale sawmill workers in the Sokoban Wood Village, Kumasi, Ghana.

Sawmill workers are at increased risk of occupational injuries due to their exposure to workplace hazards. However, little is known about the burden of occupational injuries among them in Ghana. Understanding its prevalence and associated factors is necessary to design appropriate interventions to improve workers' health and safety. This study sought to determine the prevalence and factors associated with occupational injuries among small-scale sawmill workers at Sokoban Wood Village, Kumasi. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 138 small-scale sawmill workers from December 2020 to January 2021. Data was collected on demographic and work-related characteristics including age, sex, personal protective equipment (PPE), workspace design, and lighting. The primary outcome was the prevalence of occupational injuries in the 12 months preceding the survey. Logistic regression method was used to assess for independent predictors of occupational injuries, and associations were deemed statistically significant at p < 0.05. Approximately 66.7% of the workers experienced occupational injuries within the 12 months preceding the study. Cuts (69.6%) were the most commonly reported injuries. Injuries were mainly caused by machine parts/sharp objects (47.8%) and being hit by logs/objects (46.8%). Only 40.7% of the workers reported always using PPE while legs (38.0%) and hands (37.0%) were the most common body parts injured. The worker's monthly income, poor workspace design and poor lighting had increased odds of occupational injuries while an increase in age was associated with a 5% decreased odds of occupational injuries. The prevalence of occupational injuries among the sawmill workers at the Sokoban Wood Village was high, and this calls for prioritization of health and safety at the workplace. Essential measures required include improvements in the safety of machine tools, workspace design and lighting.

Burden of injury due to occupational accidents and its spatiotemporal trend at the national and subnational levels in Iran, 2011-2018.

The spatiotemporal trend of the burden of injury due to occupational accidents in Iran, 2011-2018 were assessed at the national and subnational levels. The burden of occupational injury was estimated using three datasets of occupational injury data, the employed population, and duration and disability weight of injuries. The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), deaths, DALY rate, and death rate (per 100,000 workers) of occupational injury in Iran drastically decreased from 169,523, 2,280, 827, and 11 in 2011 to 86,235, 1,151, 362, and 5 in 2018, respectively. The DALY rates of occupational injury were significantly different by gender and age in a manner that the DALY rate of men was much higher than that of women and the DALY rates by age group in 2018 ranged from 98 for 50 y and over to 901 for 15-19 y. The shares of injury outcomes in the total DALYs in 2018 were as follows: 63.6% for fatal injuries, 17.4% for fracture, 7.9% for open wound, 7.3% for amputation, and 3.8% for other injuries. Over 83% of the DALYs was observed in three economic activity groups of construction, manufacturing, and community, social, and personal service activities. The three provinces with the highest DALY rates in 2018 were Markazi, West Azarbaijan, and East Azarbaijan, respectively. Despite the decreasing temporal trend, the burden of occupational injury in Iran in 2018 was high. The high-risk groups and hot spot provinces should be taken into more consideration for further reduction of the injury burden.

New global indicator for workers' health: mortality rate from diseases attributable to selected occupational risk factors.

Through sustainable development goals 3 and 8 and other policies, countries have committed to protect and promote workers' health by reducing the work-related burden of disease. To monitor progress on these commitments, indicators that capture the work-related burden of disease should be available for monitoring workers' health and sustainable development. The World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization estimate that only 363 283 (19%) of 1 879 890 work-related deaths globally in 2016 were due to injuries, whereas 1 516 607 (81%) deaths were due to diseases. Most monitoring systems focusing on workers' health or sustainable development, such as the global indicator framework for the sustainable development goals, include an indicator on the burden of occupational injuries. Few such systems, however, have an indicator on the burden of work-related diseases. To address this gap, we present a new global indicator: mortality rate from diseases attributable to selected occupational risk factors, by disease, risk factor, sex and age group. We outline the policy rationale of the indicator, describe its data sources and methods of calculation, and report and analyse the official indicator for 183 countries. We also provide examples of the use of the indicator in national workers' health monitoring systems and highlight the indicator's strengths and limitations. We conclude that integrating the new indicator into monitoring systems will provide more comprehensive and accurate surveillance of workers' health, and allow harmonization across global, regional and national monitoring systems. Inequalities in workers' health can be analysed and the evidence base can be improved towards more effective policy and systems on workers' health.

The prevalence of occupational injury and its associated factors in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundOccupation related fatality and mortality rate is becoming the devastating issue globally as reported by the International Labor Organization (ILO). Though there are reports about exposure and burden of occupational injury from the regional states, the studies were fragmented and inconclusive ones at the national level. Hence, the authors’ intention being to come up with the national pooled estimates of occupation related injury and the associated factors in Ethiopia.MethodsThe international reputable databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Cochrane Library), cross-referencing and manual search strategies were explored rigorously following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocol (PRISMA-P) guideline. Studies that reported the prevalence of occupational injury were included for this systematic review and meta-analysis. The Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment tool scale for cross-sectional studies was used for the critical appraisal of the studies. The heterogeneity between the studies was checked using Cochran Q statistic with the inverse variance (I2) value. Random effects meta-analysis was considered assess the summative effect size of occupational injury and the factors associated with it. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were also employed to identify the possible source of heterogeneity and factors associated with occupational injury respectively. Both Egger’s and Begg’s test with the p-value less than 5% were used to declare the presence of publication bias.ResultsA total of 23 original studies were considered to estimate the pooled effect size of occupational injury in Ethiopia. The pooled prevalence of occupational injury in Ethiopia was 44.66% (95% CI: 43.83, 45.49). Based on the subgroup analysis, the highest prevalence of occupational injury was reported from the construction sites (50.8%) in particular of the Addis Ababa city administration (49.5.Being male workers [OR = 1.46 (95% CI: 1.01, 2.11)], working more than eight hours per day [OR = 2.84 (95% CI: 1.81, 4.46)], absence of supervision for labor workers [OR = 1.60 (95% CI: 1.08, 2.37)], lack of personal protective equipment [OR = 3.01 (95% CI: 1.61, 5.63)] and lack of occupational health and safety training [OR = 1.49 (95% CI: 1.15, 1.92)] had increased odds of occupational injury.ConclusionBased on this systematic review and meta-analysis, it is concluded that nearly half of the labor workers in Ethiopia were experienced occupational injury. This issue was more encountered among the labor workers of construction sites and whose working place were at the Addis Ababa city administration respectively. Being male sex, working more than eight hours per day, lack of personal protective equipment, lack of supervision, and lack of training about occupational health and safety had increased odds of occupational injury in Ethiopia. Hence, the concerned body should give special emphasis for all the explored factors in order to minimize occupation related injury, mortality and morbidity in the country.

Occupational injury burden among gold miners in Ghana

The mining environment is particularly dangerous in low- and middle-income countries. We sought to better understand the burden, characteristics and risk factors associated with gold mining, through a household survey of 1,029 miners in four districts, in Ghana. We found a high burden of injuries, with 25.5% of workers injured in the past year, giving an incidence of 19.67 injuries per 200,000 hours worked. Notably, an increase in injury risk was associated with work in the informal mining sector (galamsey), with an adjusted injury incidence ratio of 1.57 (95%CI: 1.12, 2.19) compared with miners in the formal sector. Half of gold miners in Ghana work in galamasey, and this sector is a high priority for safety promotion. Improving the safety of the equipment, which accounted for nearly half (46.2%) of galamsey-related injuries, could be a prime target for improving safety.

The nature and burden of occupational injury among first responder occupations: A retrospective cohort study in Australian workers

IntroductionWorkers in first responder (FR) occupations are at heightened risk for workplace injury given their exposure to physical/psychological hazards. This study sought to (1) characterise the occupational risk of injury; (2) determine factors associated with injury; and (3) characterise the burden of injury-related disability in police, ambulance officers, fire/emergency workers, compared with other occupations. MethodsA retrospective cohort of 2,439,624 claims occurring between July 2003 and June 2012 was extracted from the Australian National Dataset for Compensation-Based Statistics. Cases aged 16–75 years working 1–100 pre-injury hours per week were included. Regression models estimated risk of making a workers’ compensation (WC) claim by age, gender, occupation and injury type. Injury burden was calculated using count and time loss, and statistically compared between groups. ResultsThe risk of making a WC claim among FR occupations was more than 3 times higher than other occupations. Risk of claiming was highest among female FRs and those aged 35–44 years. Ambulance officers had the greatest risk of upper-body MSK injuries and fire and emergency workers the greatest risk of lower-body MSK injuries. The risk of mental health conditions was elevated for all FR occupations but highest among police officers. The total burden of injury (expressed as working weeks lost per 1000 workers) differed significantly between groups and was highest amongst police. Discussion and conclusionsFirst responders record significantly higher rates of occupational injury claims than other occupations. Using a national population based dataset, this study demonstrates that not only are first responders exposed to significantly higher rates of occupational injury than all other occupations combined, but they experience differential injury patterns depending on their occupation. This suggests that among FR occupations injury prevention efforts should reflect these differences and be targeted to occupation-specific patterns of injury.

Occupational injuries in workers from different ethnicities.

Objectives:Occupational injuries remain an important unresolved issue in many of the developing and developed countries. We aimed to outline the causes, characteristics, measures and impact of occupational injuries among different ethnicities.Materials and Methods:We reviewed the literatures using PUBMED, MEDLINE, Google Scholar and EMBASE search engine using words: “Occupational injuries” and “workplace” between 1984 and 2014.Results:Incidence of fatal occupational injuries decreased over time in many countries. However, it increased in the migrant, foreign born and ethnic minority workers in certain high risk industries. Disproportionate representations of those groups in different industries resulted in wide range of fatality rates.Conclusions:Overrepresentation of migrant workers, foreign born and ethnic minorities in high risk and unskilled occupations warrants effective safety training programs and enforcement of laws to assure safe workplaces. The burden of occupational injuries at the individual and community levels urges the development and implementation of effective preventive programs.

Occupational hazards to the health of professional gardeners

Professional gardening is a broad occupation that involves a wide range of tasks. Gardeners confront an equally wide variety of physical, chemical, biological and psychosocial hazards in their workplace. Consequently, occupational injuries and mortality are unfortunately common. The aim of this brief review is to collate and summarise the main hazards of gardening, their health effects and control measures. The diversity and size of gardeners’ occupational exposures to the hazards outlined in this paper highlight some of the underlying causes of their increased risk of occupational injury or death. The risk can be reduced in many cases by ensuring appropriate protective strategies are adopted. Other ways through which the burden of occupational injury and mortality can be minimised are introduced and discussed in this paper.

Magnitude and Factors of Occupational Injury among Workers in Large Scale Metal Manufacturing Industries in Ethiopia

Background: The burden of occupational injury in most developing countries including Ethiopia is becoming a public health problem. Therefore, information that shows the magnitude and predictors of occupational injury in most risky work places in Ethiopia such as large scale metal manufacturing industries is indispensable for proper health intervention programs. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude and factors affecting occupational injuries among workers engaged in large scale metal manufacturing industries in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: Facility based cross sectional study was conducted among 829 workers engaged in large scale metal manufacturing industries in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from February 1 to March 30, 2010. Fifty percent (50%) of large scale metal manufacturing industries were selected by simple random sampling after stratification. Then, calculated sample size was allocated for each industry by probability to proportional sample size. Subjects were stratified by working sections and those who were directly engaged in the work were selected from each stratum by simple random sampling after preparing a frame from payroll of those industries. The data were collected by pretested structured questionnaire. Observational checklist and in-depth interview with key informants were held to triangulate the information with quantitative findings. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were done to identify factors of occupational injury. Results: The magnitude of occupational injury was 489 per 1000 exposed workers per year. Twenty nine percent of injured workers were hospitalized of which 98 (82.4%) for 24 or more working hours. Sex of workers [AOR: 3.32, 95% CI: (1.88, 5.85)], safety and health supervision [AOR: 1.60, 95% CI: (1.03, 2.60)], hours worked per week [AOR: 2.37, (95% CI: (1.55, 3.61)], cigarette smoking [AOR: 3.36, 95% CI: (1.73, 6.50) ] and presence of functional danger signs/posts [AOR: 2.65, (95% CI: (1.67, 4.19)] were significantly associated factors with magnitude of occupational injury. Conclusion: The burden of occupational injury in metal manufacturing industry is really significant public health problem. Emphasis should be given to provide health and safety services on sex of workers, safety and health supervision, hours worked per week, cigarette smoking and functional danger signs.

The burden of occupational injury: A 1‐year prospective study in Xuan Tien Commune, Viet Nam

Developing nations carry a substantial portion of the global burden of injury, but without reliable injury surveillance, there is no way to characterize or prioritize the causes of work-related injury for prevention. Injury data from 52 treatment sites in the Xuan Tien Commune, Vietnam with over 10,000 inhabitants were collected between January 1 and December 31, 2006. Injured residents were interviewed to determine work-relatedness, relevant causes, disability, and burden. Five hundred four work-related injuries were reported from formal treatment sites (incidence rate of 87 per 1,000 FTE) with a mean lost work day of 11 days. Four thousand five hundred seventy-four lost work day equivalents were estimated based on actual days lost to recover plus work days lost earning income to pay for medical costs, accumulating a total direct burden to the community of 8,641 lost work day equivalents. Almost half of that burden was caused by work in manufacturing. First aid boxes placed in 40 manufacturing enterprises yielded the 2nd highest reporting source. This study demonstrated the feasibility and value at the local level to build an active injury surveillance system which could have a large impact on preventing the burden of injuries in workplaces in Vietnam.

Disability adjusted life years (DALYs) due to occupational injuries in east delta region of Egypt

BackgroundOccupational injuries are a public health problem. Determining rates, types and burden of occupational injuries is critical in planning prevention strategies.ObjectivesTo describe the epidemiology of occupational injuries in the Eastern...

A Survey of Work-Related Injury in a Rapidly Industrializing Commune in Vietnam

Estimating the burden of occupational injury in developing countries might provide support for strengthening injury prevention during industrialization. A cross-sectional survey was administered to all households in the Xuân Tiên Commune in Vietnam to collect information on the characteristics of work and injuries in the month before the survey. Of all households, 2615 (99%) completed the survey, comprising 10,416 residents and 5485 workers with 8478 jobs. Respondents reported 591 injuries (an annualized incidence rate [IR] of 681 per 1000 residents), 482 (82%) of which occurred during work activities (annualized IR of 1011 per 1000 full-time equivalents). Nonagricultural work was considerably more hazardous than agricultural work (1033 vs. 844 injuries per 1000 full-time equivalents, respectively). Working at home was prevalent, with 28% of households having a family-owned business. The injury IRs in this study were approximately 10 times higher than those reported in prior studies from Vietnam. High injury rates represent a substantial economic and social burden on a rapidly industrializing country and underscore the importance of injury prevention guided by surveillance data.

Injury profile of employees at a specific beverage manufacturing company: a retrospective study

This article reports on important information pertaining tothe prevalence of occupational injuries. At present very little data existson the prevalence of occupational injuries in South Africa. A retrospective study was undertaken to detail the occupational injuries sustained by employees at a specific beverage manufacturing company.The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms, type, classification, anatomical site, frequency and time of injuries at this beverage company.The sample consisted of all employees that reported to the occupational health clinic with occupational injuries during the six-month review period i.e. July 2004-December 2004. Results of this review were computed in a self-complied injury data spreadsheet. The data was presented descriptively and the level of significance was set at 0.05. Incorrect lifting of manual materials was reported as the most common mechanism of injury. Repetitive strain injuries were the most common type of injury. The spine/trunk was the site of 48 (66.7% of regions) injuries with the most frequently injured regions being the back (43.1%) and neck (22.2%). Most of the injuries were sustained during the month of December (27.8%). It is recommended that aggressive health promotion and injury prevention strategies be implemented to reduce the burden of occupational injuries at this specific beverage manufacturing company.