Characteristics Of Occupational Injuries Research Articles

THE HEALTH OF THE DIRECT CARE WORKFORCE: EVIDENCE AND IMPLICATIONS ACROSS LONG-TERM CARE

Abstract Direct care workers play a key role in supporting the health and wellbeing of older adults and people with disabilities across care settings—yet their own health risks are largely overlooked. The four papers in this symposium address this critical knowledge gap. First, McCall and colleagues will present a comparative analysis of the health status, health insurance coverage, and healthcare experiences of direct care workers across long-term care using National Health Interview Survey data. Next, Lee et al. will present the trends and characteristics of occupational injuries and illnesses among California’s long-term care workers from 2019 to 2020 using California Workers’ Compensation data, assessing the impact of COVID-19 on their occupational health. Sterling will characterize the physical and mental health of the direct care workforce before and during COVID-19 using data from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, as well as drawing on qualitative and survey-based studies of unionized, agency-employed home care workers in New York. Sterling will also present findings from a pilot feasibility study of an intervention aimed at improving home care workers’ well-being. Finally, Quinn et al. will synthesize findings on home care workers’ occupational hazards—including needlesticks, musculoskeletal strain, violence and infections—and examine how preventing these risks can improve safety for both workers and clients. The discussant will draw out themes and implications from across these complementary studies, highlighting the importance of safeguarding direct care workers’ health as a key step toward improving care quality and outcomes for older adults and people with disabilities.

A Comprehensive Study on Epidemiology Case Studies Using Computational Analysis.

Health-related issues and occurrences with regard to a particular population are the subject of an epidemiology study. This paper presents the results of a retrospective epidemiological investigation on 15922 hospitalized hand trauma patients from Central China between 2011 and 2020. Gender, age, onset season, injury mechanism, injury environment, injury location, and clinical characteristics are among the characteristics of the data gathered. The study is using computational analysis to draw inferences from the case studies collected in the databases of the hospitals. The types and characteristics of occupational injuries at home and outdoor are compared and analyzed. The purpose of the study is to present the findings from recent case studies for future reference and to recommend useful roles for the industrial sector in the care of patients with hand trauma in order to lower occupational harm. The injuries of preschool children are also analyzed. The incidence rate of hand injuries in infants has been increasing year by year which is directly related to the inefficient growth of children in rural areas. The data are collected from hospitals, then the data analytical tools are applied to draw conclusions. The suggested model is intelligently learned through the application of computational techniques, which are also used to suggest treatments to trauma victims. According to this study, males are more likely than females to sustain hand trauma; occupational injuries are more common than living injuries; males between the ages of 20 and 50 are at an increased risk of suffering an occupational injury. This study showed that the proportion of hand trauma in preschool children was higher (12.27%), and the 2-3-year-old group was the main injury target of preschool children (45.70%). The accidental injuries of newborns and young children can be reduced by government assistance, social support, and tighter monitoring.

Characteristics of Occupational Injuries among Spanish Nursing Workers.

Introduction: Nursing professionals face a multitude of daily occupational hazards that can cause occupational accidents. AIM: The objective of this work is to analyze the personal variables included in official accident reports, to evaluate their influence on occupational accidents suffered by nursing and nursing assistant professionals. Methodology: A total of 187,821 occupational accidents recorded in Spain from 2011 to 2019 were analyzed in the sector using contingency tables, chi-square, and corrected standardized residuals. Results: The results showed that the older the professional, the probability that once the accident had occurred, its severity would be more serious. Regarding gender, men are more likely to suffer more serious accidents compared to accidents registered by women. Results about the length of service and nationality did not reach statistical significance in the group of accidents analyzed. Conclusions: The planning of preventive measures must be adapted to the profiles of the workers in the most vulnerable sector.

Analysis of occupational injuries and the risk management of automobile parts manufacturing work

Background. Unexpected occupational injuries frequently occur in the automobile parts manufacturing industry. This study investigates the characteristics of occupational injuries and risk management for the workers in the industry. Methods. From the national industrial accident compensation data in Korea, 1530 occupational injuries were analyzed by nature and source of injury and illness according to work process. Also, this study derived the risk management level for prioritizing preventative measures. Results. The most critical injuries were ‘ACC (amputation or caught in or crushed or compressed)’ caused by ‘misoperation or malfunction of machine and equipment’ in the ‘fabrication’ and the ‘maintenance’ processes. Possible incidents predicted as a ‘high’ level of risk management were ‘struck’ (struck by or against objects) caused by ‘misoperation or malfunction of machine and equipment’ and ACC during ‘installation of jig and mold’ in the ‘fabrication’ process. ACC during ‘maintenance’ of ‘operating jig and mold’ is also classified ‘high’. Discussion and conclusion. Using the findings of this study, effective preventative measures to reduce occupational injuries according to the risk level are suggested and discussed for automobile parts manufacturing works.

Human errors and occupational injuries of older female workers in residential healthcare facilities for the elderly

This study aimed to describe the characteristics of occupational injuries of female workers in residential healthcare facilities for the elderly, and to analyze human errors as causes of accidents. From the national industrial accident compensation data, 506 female injuries were analyzed by age and occupation. The results showed that medical service worker was the most prevalent (54.1%), followed by social welfare worker (20.4%). Among injuries, 55.7% had <1 year of work experience and 37.9% were aged ≥60 years. Slips/falls were the most common type of accident (42.7%), and the proportion injured by slips/falls increases with age. Among human errors, action errors were the primary reasons, followed by perception errors and cognition errors. In addition, the ratios of injuries by perception errors and action errors increase with age. The findings of this study suggest that there is a need to design workplaces that accommodate the characteristics of older female workers.

Characteristics of Occupational Injuries in a Pharmaceutical Company in Iran.

To prioritize occupational hazards in a Pharmaceutical Company in Iran using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a Pharmaceutical Company in Iran in 2017. All employees working in the administrative, production, installations and facilities, and laboratory units were studied using the consensus method (N=n=130 employees). A data collection form was designed for identifying the hazards using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) method, as well as a pair-wise questionnaire was used for collecting required data in the quantitative phase. The collected data were analyzed using Expert Choice 10.0 and SPSS 23.0. The results showed that among hazards detected in the studied units, the highest and lowest weights and priorities were, respectively, related to "inhalation of toxic gases" (W=0.253) and "being exposed to radiation" (W=0.022) in the laboratory unit, "skin injuries" (W=0.205) and "bending and straightening for a long time" (W= 0.032) in the production unit, "falling down" (W=0.271) and "standing and sitting for a long time " (W=0.037) in the installations and facilities unit, and "hand joint failure" (W=0.295) and "working in a low-light environment" (W=0.092) in the administrative unit. The results of the present study showed that there were hazards in all of the studied units. These results indicated a high level of hazards in the pharmaceutical company's units. Due to the increased medication diversification and increased workload for these companies, paying attention to the preventive and corrective measures in order to reduce the risk of emerging hazards is essential.

Work-related injuries of educational support staff in schools

This study aims to describe the characteristics of occupational injuries to educational support staff (service worker) in schools. In this research, 803 injured workers registered in 2015 were analyzed in terms of their gender, age, work experience, school type, work type, accident type, agency of accident, nature of injury and injured part of the body for each occupation. The workers were classified into after-school instructor, custodian and cooking staff. Accidents occurred mainly due to slips (35.6%) on floor/stair or contact with high temperature (18.1%). Also, the workers mostly fractured (41.2%) or had burns (19.3%) on their leg/foot (37.1%) or arm/hand/finger (29.8%). The results showed the difference in characteristics and injury pattern of injured persons for each occupation type, addressing the need for customized preventative measures for each situation. The results of this study can be a baseline in devising policies and guidelines for preventing accidents of service workers in schools.

Accident analysis of gas cylinder handling work based on occupational injuries data

AbstractThis study is concerned with the characteristics of occupational injuries and sick leave for gas cylinder handling workers. Possible incidents and sick leave have been identified and analyzed for 223 occupational accidents in the gas cylinder handling work. Management level of accidents for prioritizing prevention measures is induced for the combination of accident agencies, types, and gas cylinder handling work processes. Accidents occurring during the specific gas cylinder handling work process showed different characteristics, depending on the type and agency of the accident. Most critical accidents that require corrective actions for prevention were slips and trips caused by floors, walkways, steps, or ground surfaces and overexertion and bodily reaction and posture caused by gas cylinder in the manual delivery of heavy cylinders process. Also, fall to lower level caused by floors, walkways, steps, or ground surfaces in the loading to and unloading from vehicles process and struck by or against caused by fixtures in the manual delivery of heavy cylinders process were also ranked high. The findings of this study can be used to develop more effective accident prevention policies to reduce occupational accidents in gas cylinder handling works.

Characteristics of Occupational Injuries in the Automobile Parts Manufacturing Industry

Objective: This study aims to understand the occupational injury characteristics of the workers in the motor vehicle parts (automobile parts) manufacturing industry and to present basic guidelines on accident prevention through accident analysis. Background: There occur many occupational injuries in the motor vehicle parts manufacturing industry. But there were few researches for the occupational injuries of the workers in the motor vehicle parts manufacturing industry. Method: This study analyzed the data of occupational injuries of 1,609 workers in the motor vehicle parts manufacturing industry in 2015. The accident characteristics were analyzed by dividing them into worker related factors and accident related factors. Results: Among the occupational injuries of the workers in the motor vehicle parts manufacturing industry, 80.6% of the victims were males, 64.0% were older than 40. 57.8% of the victims were employed by the companies with less than 50 workers. In addition, there was a difference in accident characteristics according to age, work experience, employment type, events or exposures, accident time of the day, agents, natures of injuries and illnesses, injured organs and injured body part. Conclusion: It is important to prevent equipment/machinery accidents. For this purpose, more efforts should be made to establish safety measures faithful to the basics of safety devices and safety work procedures. It is also suggested that prevention of disasters should be intensively carried out for workplaces with less than 50 employees and middle-aged and elderly people. Application: The result can be used to present guidelines for preventative measures for the workers in the motor vehicle parts manufacturing industry including safety education/training.

Risk assessment of parking lot management based on occupational injuries data

AbstractThis study is concerned with the characteristics of occupational injuries and sick leaves for the workers doing parking lot management. Possible incidents and sick leaves have been identified and analyzed for 470 occupational accidents in the parking lot management process. Management level of accidents for prioritizing prevention measures is induced for the combination of the accident types and parking lot management processes. Accidents occurring during the specific parking lot management process showed different characteristics, depending on the type of accident and agency of accident. Most critical accidents that required corrective actions for prevention were being struck by an object in the “guide” process and slipping in the “valet parking” process. And, possible incidents predicted also as high level of management were slips in the “fee collection” and “cleaning” processes and falls to lower level in the “operating lift” and “repair” processes. Also, traffic accidents in the “guide” process, overexertion and bodily reaction and posture in the “patrol” process were ranked ‘high. The findings of this study can be used to develop more effective accident prevention policies to reduce occupational accidents in parking lot management.

Occupational injuries and sick leaves in household moving works

Background. This study is concerned with household moving works and the characteristics of occupational injuries and sick leaves in each step of the moving process. Methods. Accident data for 392 occupational accidents were categorized by the moving processes in which the accidents occurred, and possible incidents and sick leaves were assessed for each moving process and hazard factor. Results. Accidents occurring during specific moving processes showed different characteristics depending on the type of accident and agency of accidents. The most critical form in the level of risk management was falls from a height in the ‘lifting by ladder truck’ process. Incidents ranked as a ‘High’ level of risk management were in the forms of slips, being struck by objects and musculoskeletal disorders in the ‘manual materials handling’ process. Also, falls in ‘loading/unloading’, being struck by objects during ‘lifting by ladder truck’ and driving accidents in the process of ‘transport’ were ranked ‘High’. Conclusion. The findings of this study can be used to develop more effective accident prevention policy reflecting different circumstances and conditions to reduce occupational accidents in household moving works.

Occupational Injuries and Deaths in Domestic Waste Collecting Process

AbstractThis study investigates the domestic waste collecting processes and the characteristics of occupational injuries in each collecting process. Accident data for 517 injured persons were categorized by the collecting processes in progress during the accident and were analyzed in terms of age of injured person, length of employment, accident type, and source of accident. Results show that “waste collecting” (42.2%) was the most common type of collecting process in injuries, followed by “loading of waste” (36.3%), “truck driving during collection” (9.3%), “going/returning to work” (8.1%), and “unloading at a disposal site” (4.1%). Also, the most probable form of accident was slips on slippery ground in the “waste collecting” process (18.4%), followed by falls on slippery surface at a height in the process of “loading of waste” (8.5%) and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) by improper posture and heavy waste bags in “loading of waste” (7.9%), and vehicle accidents in “going/returning to work” (7.4%). Meanwhile, the most deaths were due to falls by clinging on to the footrest of garbage trucks in “truck driving during collection” (28.6%) and vehicle accidents in “going/returning to work” (28.6%). This study is a descriptive retrospective examination of injury records. The findings of this study can be used as basic information in order to prevent hazardous incidents reoccurring in the domestic waste collection industry.

Cooking processes and occupational accidents in commercial restaurant kitchens

This study is concerned with the cooking processes in commercial restaurant kitchens and the characteristics of occupational injuries according to cooking processes. In order to obtain an overall picture of cooking, questionnaire survey was carried out. Furthermore accident data for injured persons were categorized by the cooking processes in progress during the accident, and were analyzed in terms of age of injured person, work experience, accident type, and agency of accident. Survey results of questionnaire show that heated cooking constitutes the largest part, followed by non-heated cooking, and preparation. Also results show that the cooking process in time of the accidents resulted in differences of, such as, type of accident, period of work experience, and agency of accident; (1) Accidents during preparation were caused mainly by machine and tools (86.7%), and most victims were injured in the forms of getting caught in and between objects (45.7%) or with cuts, amputations and punctures (43.9%); (2) Cooking utensils and caldron were behind 55.4% of the accidents, and 73.3% of the accidents during heated cooking processes revealed problems with abnormal temperature; (3) Accident during handling/storing ingredients and serving were most commonly in the forms of slips and falls. Finally, a hazard identification and risk assessment table of kitchen works was derived to classify the possible incidents according to the levels of risk. These findings of accident properties according to cooking process can be used as baseline data for the establishment of systematical preventative policies.

Trends and Characteristics of Occupational Injuries in Thailand, 2002-2010

Occupational injuries are important health problems in Thailand and cause significant health impacts on workers, in addition to economic loss. Data was obtained and analyzed from National Injury Surveillance (NIS) System for describing epidemiology of agricultural injuries and from Workmen's Compensation Fund (WCF) statistics for identifying trends and characteristics of injuries and deaths in industrial and business workers during the period of 2002-2010. Results from NIS showed that 17,481 agricultural injuries were reported and accounted for 16.9% of all injuries, with 96 deaths (case fatality rate of 0.5 per 100 workers). Leading causes of occupational injuries were struck by thrown or falling object, fall from height and contact with agricultural machinery. Most cases occurred in the afternoon during 1-6 pm (44.2%). The WCF statistics revealed that rates of injuries among industrial workers had decreased from 31.4 per 1,000 workers in 2002 to 16.5 per 1,000 workers in 2010. Young workers aged 20-29 years old (46.4%) were more likely to get injured and die than that of other age groups. Puncture and penetrating wounds were the most common injuries (41.0-43.9%). Leading causes of deaths were vehicle accident, fall from height and unintentional electrocution. The outcomes of this study could be used to develop guideline and strategy on surveillance system and prevention of occupational injuries in Thailand.

Distribution and characteristics of occupational injuries and diseases among farmers: A retrospective analysis of workers' compensation claims

Research indicates occupational injuries and diseases are not evenly distributed among workers. We investigated the distribution and characteristics of compensated occupational injuries and diseases requiring medical care in the Finnish farming population. The study population consisted of 93,564 Finnish farmers, spouses, and salaried family members who were covered by the mandatory workers' compensation insurance in 2002. This population had a total of 133,207 occupational injuries and 9,148 occupational diseases over a 26-year period (1982-2008). Clustering of claims was observed. Nearly half (47.1%) of the population had no compensated claims while 52.9% had at least one; 50.9% of farmers had one or more injuries and 8.1% had one or more diseases. Ten percent of the population had half of injury cases, and 3% of the population had half of occupational disease cases. Claims frequently involved work tasks related to animal husbandry and repair and maintenance of farm machinery. Injury and disease characteristics (work activity, cause, ICD-10 code) differed between individuals with high and low personal claim rate. Injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system had a tendency to reoccur among those with high claim rate. These outcomes were often related to strenuous working motions and postures in labor-intensive animal husbandry. Analyses of longitudinal insurance data contributes to better understanding of the long-term risk of occupational injury and disease among farmers. We suggest focusing on recurrent health outcomes and their causes among high risk populations could help design more effective interventions in agriculture and other industries.

Occupational injuries in children and adolescents in emergency services of Aracaju, Brazil

The incidence of occupational injuries among children and adolescents is not well known in Brazil. This study aims to identify occurrences and characteristics of occupational injuries in children and adolescents at the two major public emergency hospitals in Aracaju, Brazil. In a cross sectional study, all children and adolescents (5-17 years) attending the services because of accidents of external cause in October-November 2006 and May-June 2007 were evaluated. The patients and their responsibles were interviewed to obtain information about the injury, family and patient characteristics and relation to work in the last 7 days. Data were analysed in number and percentages using descriptive statistics and chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests. There were 917 patients with injuries of external cause in the period studied. Seventy-one (8%) had worked in the last 7 days and in 40 (4%) the injury was related to work, with 2 (0.21%) deaths. Occupational injuries occurred more frequently in boys (95%); in the 14- to 17-year-old age group (77%); in agricultural (46%) and commercial activities (18%); to help with family budget (54%); without any safety training (73.5%) and not using personal protective equipment (94%). Main mechanisms of injuries were transportation incidents (42.5%) and contact with tools and equipment (27.5%). Injuries were mostly fractures (37.5%) and lacerations (22.5%). Upper extremities were injured in 49% of cases and the lower extremities in 26.5%. Comparison between the two groups (accident related or not related to labour) shows that there were significant differences for gender, age group, the main mechanism of injury and the part of the body injured, but not for the nature of injury. Working children and adolescents have been injured during their occupational activities and work-related injuries represent 4% of injuries of external causes in the emergency departments of Aracaju with 5% lethality.