Domestic Injuries Research Articles

Darkness stopping play? An update on cricket and mental health.

Mental health within elite cricket continues to be an area of focus for researchers and practitioners working within the game. Support structures for psychological issues within differing administrations and franchises vary. This may lead to inconsistent practice and levels of resource allocation. Elite level cricketers are exposed to stressors as a result of the congested international and domestic calendar, contract insecurity, injury and pressure to perform. Within the following commentary, the authors consider the existing medical literature, franchise and women-specific challenges and suggest ways to build on existing structures in order to optimise mental health within elite-level cricket.

Анализ объема и структуры неотложной хирургической помощи при тяжелой механической травме глазного яблока

Purpose. To analyze the volume and structure of emergency surgical care for patients admitted to the admission department of the S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution with severe mechanical trauma to the eyeball. Material and methods. In total, for the period from 2020 to 2022, 92 patients with an eye injury were admitted to the admission department of the S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution. Results. Gender and age analysis showed that the average age of the group of patients from 18 to 78 years was 37.4 years. The patients were men in the vast majority of cases (86%). The domestic eye injury occupies the leading position – 81%. The source of injuries in a greater percentage of cases (30%) are electrical construction tools, in second place (19%) is mechanical impact with a blunt object, in third place (16%) are manual construction tools. Among the types of injuries, the most common injury is the cornea (37%), as well as a large percentage of patients with contusion and ruptures due to contusion (29.3%). The total number of patients who applied to the emergency department with uveitis and endophthalmitis was 18 or 19.57% of the total. Among them, there were 6 patients after primary surgical treatment of the eye at the place of residence – (33.3%). Primary surgical treatment of the eye was carried out in the period from 1 to 4 days. The period of application to the S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution ranged from 5 to 93 days. In patients with self-referral (12 patients or 66.7%), the referral period was from 3 to 7 days. Conclusion. Eye injury is a socially significant problem, as it affects people of working age. The performed analysis allows to speak about a wide variety of injury mechanisms and traumatic agents. In almost 20% of cases, severe mechanical trauma of the eye was complicated by uveitis or endophthalmitis. This, in most cases, was due to the late treatment of patients for specialized medical care. Keywords: mechanical injury of the eye, mechanism of eye injury, structure of emergency surgical care

Frequency and type of domestic injuries among children during COVID-19 lockdown: what changes from the past? An Italian multicentre cohort study

Accidents are the main cause of injury in children, more than half events happen at home. Aims of this study were to assess if SARS-CoV-2 lockdown influence emergency department (ED) visits due to children domestic accident (DAs) and to identify factors associated with hospitalization. This was a multicentre, observational, and retrospective cohort study involving 16 EDs in Italy and enrolling children (3–13 years) receiving a visit in ED during March–June 2019 and March–June 2020. Risk factors for hospitalization were identified by logistic regression models. In total, 8860 ED visits due to domestic accidents in children occurred before (4380) and during (4480) lockdown, with a mean incidence of DA of 5.6% in 2019 and 17.9% in 2020 (p < 0.001) (IRR: 3.16; p < 0.001). The risk of hospitalization was influenced by the type of occurred accident, with fourfold higher for poisoning and twofold lower risk for stab-wound ones. In addition, a higher risk was reported for lockdown period vs 2019 (OR: 1.9; p < 0.001), males (OR: 1.4; p < 0.001), and it increased with age (OR: 1.1; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The main limitation of this study is the retrospective collection of data, available only for patients who presented at the hospital. This does highlight possible differences in the total number of incidents that truly occurred. In any case, the COVID-19 lockdown had a high impact on the frequency of DAs and on hospitalization. A public health campaign aimed at caregivers would be necessary to minimize possible risks at home.What is Known:• In Italy, domestic accidents are the second leading cause of paediatric mortality after cancer.• During the first SARS-CoV-2 lockdown in 2020, a sharp decrease in the total number of Emergency Departments visits for all causes was observed, both in children and in adults.What is New:• During the first SARS-CoV-2 lockdown in 2020, domestic accidents involving children increased threefold from the previous year.• Higher risk of hospitalization was showed in minors accessing during 2020 vs 2019, in males than in females and it increased with advancing age. Considering the type of injury, a significant higher risk of hospitalization for poisoning was observed.

Keep me safe at home! Epidemiological study on domestic injuries among children and risk of hospitalization

Keep me safe at home! Epidemiological study on domestic injuries among children and risk of hospitalization

A Prospective Epidemiological Survey of Paediatric Trauma in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. There is a need for development and provision of efficient paediatric trauma services based on adequate information and funding which are lacking in low- and middle-income countries. This study was carried out to assess the scale of the problem, identify the most common causes of trauma in Pan African Paediatric Surgical Association (PAPSA) zone and to define the limiting factors for provision of the necessary services required to reduce the potential mortality and disability. Data were collected through an electronic form sent out in PAPSA platform. Members were requested to provide prospective data on all paediatric major trauma admitted to or seen at their health facilities between the beginning of April 2019 and the end of June 2020. Hospital location, child's age, gender, type of injury, mechanism of injury, severity, initial management, method of transport, time to arrive to hospital, availability of surgical specialities, length of hospital stay and injury outcome were analysed. There were 531 entries. The mean age was 3.53 years and median age 1.34 years. Male-to-female ratio was 2:1. The leading causes for injuries were falls 194 (36.53%) and motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) 176 (33.15%) followed by obstetrical 42 (7.9%), thermal 27 (5.1%) and domestic injuries 22 (4.1%). The most common injuries were limb fractures 181 (34.1%) and traumatic brain injury 111 (20.9%). Public and private transport were used in 313 (58.9%), while ambulance service was used in only 54 (10.1%). Distances to a health facility varied between 1 and 157 km. 70.2% of cases did not receive any primary care, while definitive care was received in 95.5% of the cases. Outcome was full recovery in 90.6% of patients, morbidity in 8.1% and a mortality rate of 1.3%. Most of the injuries were in the under 5-year age group. The two main causes of trauma in children in this study were the falls from height and MVCs. Long distance travels to reach health-care facilities were noticeable in this study, together with substantial lack of adequate ambulance facilities and shortage in necessary subspecialty services such as neurosurgical, orthopaedics and rehabilitation. Implementing proposed recommendations can reduce the burden.

A Public Health Review into Two Decades of Domestic Trampoline Injuries in Children within Queensland, Australia.

Trampolining as an activity brings enjoyment and many health benefits, but at the same time it carries an injury risk. Most domestic trampoline users are children who are developing in skill, cognition, risk perception, physical strength and resilience to injury. Several common patterns of child trampoline injuries have been identified and countermeasures outlined in standards have been taken to reduce higher risk injury mechanisms, such as entrapment and falls from the trampoline through design, product and point of sale labelling. In Australia, the first national trampoline standard was published in 2003 which introduced improvements in trampoline design and requirements for labelling and padding. This work investigated the potential impact of these and subsequent changes based on almost two decades of emergency department trampoline injury data collected in Queensland, Australia. These data describe the changing representative proportion and pattern of trampoline injuries in Queensland over time by age, mechanism, gender, severity and nature of injury of injured persons up to the age of 14 years. The interrelationships between different injury characteristics were also analysed to propose the main factors influencing injury occurrence and severity. These findings seem to indicate that safety evolution in the form of enclosure nets, frame impact attenuation and entrapment protection have likely improved domestic trampoline safety. Other factors, such as adult supervision, minimum age and avoidance of multiple users, could further reduce injury but are harder to influence in the domestic setting.

Unintentional domestic injuries among elderly in rural areas of Mandya: A community-based cross-sectional study in Southern Karnataka.

As the proportion of elderly in the population increases, they also become vulnerable to various types of intentional or unintentional injuries. Domestic accidents including falls among the elderly have been identified as a leading cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality in India and elsewhere. This study aims to assess the burden and pattern of domestic accidents in a rural part of Southern India. A community-based cross-sectional study among the elderly (≥60 years) was carried out in rural areas of Southern Karnataka. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to get the information on domestic accidents. Inferential statistical tests like the Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used. A total of 500 persons aged ≥60 years with a mean age of 69.09 ± 7.42 years (Range 60-92 years) were included. One-third of the subjects have had an incidence of domestic accidents in the past 1 year contributing to a 35% prevalence of domestic accidents. A higher prevalence of domestic accidents was seen in those subjects who were ill (47.9%). Overall prevalence of falls was 21.4% (P = 0.007). One-fifth of the subjects with domestic accidents had a residual illness. One-third of our subjects gave a history of one or the other form of domestic accidents in the previous 1 year. Our study highlights the problem of unintentional domestic injuries among the most vulnerable group of the elderly and calls for a continuous assessment of the burden and nature of injuries.

Change in pediatric trauma-related visits in a tertiary hospital in Colombia during coronavirus disease 2019 lockdown

Purpose: During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, Colombian government declared a lockdown, forcing children to stay at home. The authors aimed to analyze the change in the pattern of trauma-related visits during the lockdown.Methods: We carried out a retrospective descriptive study on injured children aged 17 years or younger who visited the emergency department of a tertiary pediatric hospital in Bogotá, Colombia from March 15 through May 15, 2019 (control period) and the same period in 2020 (lockdown period). Between the 2 periods, baseline characteristics and injury profiles were compared.Results: Among the study population (n = 1,485), 1,122 and 363 children visited the emergency department during the control and lockdown periods, respectively. In the midst of 73.9% decrease in numbers of overall visits between the 2 periods, a 67.6% decrease was noted in number of trauma-related visits. Regarding the proportions, trauma-related visits increased from 7.9% to 9.8%. During the lockdown, increases occurred in the proportions of the following variables: children younger than 5 years (25.5% to 50.7%; P &lt; 0.001), mechanisms other than blunt, minor fall or traffic accident (e.g., bite, 3.9% to 6.6%; P = 0.032), child abuse (1.2% to 4.1%; P = 0.003), hospitalization (4.6% to 35.8%; P &lt; 0.001), open wound (21.1% to 36.9%; P &lt; 0.001), the use of computed tomography (6.3% to 9.9%; P &lt; 0.001), and abnormal imaging findings (28.8% to 31.7%; P = 0.003).Conclusion: During the lockdown, children with trauma may show an increase in overall severity, and also a higher risk of abusive trauma. This finding indicates a sensible need of educating families in prevention of domestic injury.

98. Domestic violence related maxillofacial injuries during the COVID 19 pandemic

98. Domestic violence related maxillofacial injuries during the COVID 19 pandemic

Changes in trends of orthopedic services due to the COVID-19 pandemic: A review.

As of June 10, 2022, the World Health Organization has recorded over 532 million documented coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [(Coronavirus) SARS-CoV-2] cases and almost 6.3 million deaths worldwide, which has caused strain on medical specialties globally. The aim of this review is to explore the impact that COVID-19 has had on orthopedic practices. Providers observed a rapid decline in the number of orthopedic patients' admissions due to cancellation of elective procedures; however, emergent cases still required treatment. Various observational studies, case reports, and clinical trials were collected through a PubMed database search. Additional sources were found through Google. The search was refined to publications in English and between the years of 2019 and 2021. The keywords used were "COVID-19" and/or "Orthopedic Injuries". Thirty-seven studies were retained. The pandemic brought on significant changes to the mechanism of injury, number of admissions, type of injuries, and patient outcomes. Mortality rates significantly increased particularly amongst patients with hip fractures and COVID-19. Road traffic injuries remained a common cause of injury and domestic injuries became more prevalent with lockdown. Social isolation negatively affected mental health resulting in several orthopedic injuries. Telehealth services and separation for COVID-positive and COVID-negative patients benefited both patients and providers. While hospitals and medical facilities are still facing COVID-19 case surges, it is important to understand how this pandemic has impacted preparation, care, and opportunities for prevention education and ongoing care.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE FEATURES OF ANTIBACTERIAL THERAPY IN CIVILIAN AND COMBAT TRAUMA

Summary. Traumatism around the world is taking on unmanageable proportions. Suffice it to say that every year on a global scale, several million people die from traffic accidents and industrial and domestic injuries. Some die from the actual damage, and most die from purulent-inflammatory complications.&#x0D; The urgency of the problem. Treatment of inflammatory complications requires significant funds for antibacterial drugs, but their more considerable amount is insufficient given the resistance of the microflora.&#x0D; Aim. To substantiate the expediency of antibacterial therapy and methods of its application.&#x0D; Materials and methods. Several experimental studies were conducted on rabbits to reveal the inhibitory effect of antibacterial drugs that enter the internal organs with various administration methods.&#x0D; Results and their discussion. It turned out that after intramuscular administration, ceftriaxone accumulates in the organs of the abdominal cavity in an insufficient amount to inhibit the growth of microflora. After intravenous administration, ceftriaxone gets in the appendix in 60 % of the control after 1 hour, and after 2 hours, it decreases to 30 %, which is not very effective. After lymphotropic administration, the antibiotic accumulates after 1 hour in an amount sufficient for antibacterial action (70 %) and after 2 hours — in 95 %, which is evidence of the targeting and accumulation of antibiotics with such administration of the drug.&#x0D; Conclusions. Taking into account the significant disruption of microcirculation in the impression zone, the «mileage» of the vascular bed, the aggregation of formed blood elements in microvessels, and the formation of microthrombi, the intravenous method of drug administration in traumatic disease cannot be considered optimal. This need is met by the lymphotropic way of delivering antibiotics to various organs of the abdominal and thoracic cavities.

Place of injuries of elbow joint in the structure of primary permanent disability among Ukrainian population

Despite the rapid development of orthopedics consequences of elbow injuries have a significant proportion of unsatisfactory treatment results until now. Owing to comprehend the sources of disability doctors could determine drawbacks of treatment and regulate rehabilitation program for patients with elbow injuries better. The purpose of the study was to investigate the structure of primary permanent disability due to elbow injuries among the Ukrainian population. The study was made on annual reports of Regional centers of medical and social expertise and the Center of medical and social expertise of the city of Kiev for 2018. During the reporting period a disability group due to upper extremity injuries was established totally for 1 211 patients in age over 18 years, among them 195 people had consequences of elbow traumas. That caused an intensive prevalence rate of 6.22 cases per 1 million of adults. Male patients (70.8%) and patients in working age (94.9%) prevailed among people with disability. 10.8% of patients were determined as people with disability without a revision period after the primary examination on medical and social expertise commission. The causes of primary permanent disability were domestic injuries (90.8%), occupational injuries (5.0%), injures during military service and battle injuries (2.1%) and disability since the childhood (2.1%). Structure according to disability groups showed the next distribution: 90.3% – the 3rd group, 9.2% – the 2nd group and 0.5% – the 1st group. Consequences of elbow injuries which led to primary permanent disability were caused by bone fractures (61.5%), elbow contractures and elbow ankyloses (19.0%), injuries of an ulnar nerve (8.7%), traumatic amputation at the elbow level (6.2%), forearm dislocations (3.1%), open wounds of elbow (1.0%), elbow ligaments ruptures (0.5%). Patients registered as disabled with a revision period during the first examination on commission had sufficient rehabilitation potential for restoration of elbow joint function and one of the upper limb in total.

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures on plastic, reconstructive and hand surgery emergency presentations – A comparative retrospective study in a regional referral center in Germany

BackgroundThe global COVID-19 pandemic has led to social constraints and changes in injury patterns during the government-imposed restrictions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the lockdown period on the pattern of emergency presentations in a plastic, hand and reconstructive surgery department in a German referral center.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted comparing patients presenting during the enforced lockdown period in 2020 and the same pre-pandemic period during the previous year 2019. All emergency presentations in the emergency unit requiring treatment by plastic, hand and reconstructive surgery were included. Patient demographics, reason for presentation, need for hospital admission, body region affected, location of injury and/or occurrence of first clinical symptoms and injuries of anatomical structures were considered.ResultsDemographics were comparable among both groups. A 42.7% reduction in emergency cases was observed during the lockdown period. A significant elevation of domestic injuries and symptoms in the pandemic group (51.54% vs. 66.15%, p = 0.007) was registered. Concurrently, a decrease in recreational injuries (27.31% vs. 15.38%, p = 0.009) and workplace injuries (10.57% vs. 7.69%, p = 0.37) was noted. Hospital admission rates and length of stay were comparable. Similarly, no statistically significant differences could be detected regarding injuries of functional anatomical structures. The same holds true for crush injuries, animal bites, fall injuries, finger amputations, disc saw injuries, and distortion injuries. Fractures of the phalanges, the metacarpus/carpus and the forearm exhibited an increase.ConclusionsIn spite of decreasing total emergency caseloads, there was an unchanged need for plastic, hand and reconstructive in-patient surgery and care during the lockdown period. Resource allocation has to be considered in future pandemic waves. Prevention strategies are warranted and should focus on finding measures to counteract domestic injuries.

Gunshot Wounds: Ballistics, Pathology, and Treatment Recommendations, with a Focus on Retained Bullets.

As the epidemic of gunshot injuries and firearm fatalities continues to proliferate in the United States, knowledge regarding gunshot wound (GSW) injury and management is increasingly relevant to health-care providers. Unfortunately, existing guidelines are largely outdated, written in a time that high-velocity weapons and deforming bullets were chiefly restricted to military use. Advances in firearm technology and increased accessibility of military grade firearms to civilians has exacerbated the nature of domestic GSW injury and complicated clinical decision-making, as these weapons are associated with increased tissue damage and often result in retained bullets. Currently, there is a lack of literature addressing recent advances in the field of projectile-related trauma, specifically injuries with retained bullets. This review aims to aggregate the available yet dispersed findings regarding ballistics, GSW etiology, and treatment, particularly for cases involving retained projectiles.

Psychological features of experiencing a sports injury in athletes.

The article examines the concept of sports injury and provides a research overview devoted to this phenomenon.A sports injury is considered as special life event. Unlike domestic injuries, its probability is determined by the subject's voluntary choice of a sports career, and the normative moment of its realization. It has been established that it has a high intensity of experience, combines painful sensations and emotional stress, and the significance of the consequences. It was determined that a sports injury has different consequences for the subject: it can be both positive gains (post-traumatic personal growth) and negative consequences (post-traumatic stress disorder, termination of a sports career, new injuries).&#x0D; A total of 90 respondents made up the empirical base of the study, including: 60 athletes and 30 non-athletes. The article analyzes the results of using the standardized interview «My trauma». It was shown that sports injuries differ from everyday ones in content, dynamics and phenomenology as a whole and therefore can be studied as a special life event using special research tools.&#x0D; Biographical (number of events before the injury) and personal (locus of control) were identified as prerequisites for traumatization in athletes. Differences in the prerequisites and experiences of athletes with a sports injury and non-athletes with a household injury have been revealed. Athletes are twice as likely to indicate the presence of significant events before receiving an injury. A comparison of emotional and painful experiences accompanying trauma in athletes and non-athletes showed that their variability and nuances are much higher in the group of athletes.&#x0D; In general, athletes show a higher level of negative affect compared to people who do not play sports.

COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown increase the frequency and severity of periorbital dog bite injuries in children.

ObjectiveTo determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown increase the risk of head, neck, and face (HNF) dog bite injuries in children.MethodsUsing a retrospective cohort study design, the investigators enrolled a sample of children presenting with HNF dog bite injuries during 22 weeks before and 22 weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic in a German level 1 trauma center. The predictor variables were COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. The outcome variables were grouped into demographic, anatomic, injury-related, and therapeutic. Appropriate statistics were computed, and statistical significance was set at P ≤ .05.ResultsThe sample included 36 subjects (19.4% girls; 97.2% Caucasians; 50% isolated periorbital injuries; 61.1% during the lockdown; 16.7% after the lockdown) with an average age of 8 ± 3.3 years. Compared to the pre-COVID-19 period, pediatric HNF dog bite injuries increased ca. 5.5- and 1.5-fold during and after the lockdown, respectively. The COVID-19 pandemic was significantly associated with severe household injury from a pet dog, number of inpatients and treatments in the operating room, and prolonged hospitalization. Isolated periorbital injury was common during the COVID-19 pandemic (P = 0.04; relative risk [RR], 4.86; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.76 to 31.12), especially during the lockdown (P = 0.02; RR, 4.36; 95% CI, 0.72 to 26.6).ConclusionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the lockdown, there is an increasing tendency of frequency and severity of domestic HNF dog injuries in children, and periorbital region is the most injury-prone.

Children at risk of domestic accidents when are locked up at home: the other side of COVID-19 outbreak lockdown

BackgroundWe proposed to analyze thoroughly the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown (CL) in changes of profiles and in trend of the domestic accidents (DAs) in children.MethodsThis was a single experience, cross-sectional study conducted at the emergency department (ED) of III trauma center. We enrolled children under 18 years admitted to ED with a diagnosis of DAs comparing the CL period from 10th March 2020 to 4th May 2020 with the same period of the previous year,10th March 2019 to 4th May 2019.ResultsIn CL period, the cumulative incidence of ED visits for DAs increased from 86.88 to 272.13 per 1,000 children and the cumulative incidence of hospitalizations for DAs increased from 409.72 to 534.48 per 1,000 children. We reported in CL a decrease in the severity of ED presentation assessed by proxy measures: the level of priority ED visits reduced by 67% in CL period (OR: 0.33; 95%CI 0.22–0.48; p < 0.001); the likelihood of delayed time of presentation to ED increased by 65% in case of domestic injuries occurring in CL period (OR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.17–2.34; p = 0.004); the odds of transfer from other hospital decreased by 78% in CL (OR: 0.15–0.33; p < 0.001). Children were more at risk of poisoning (OR:3.35–106.11; p = 0.001), of body foreign ingestion (OR: 1.83–14.39; p = 0.002) and less at risk of animal bite trauma (OR:0.05–0.35; p < 0.001).ConclusionAlthough the need to stay home has made a decisive breakthrough on the spread of COVID-19, the experience from this study underlines how this preventive measure has also had a downside in term of increased cumulative incidence of ED visits and of hospitalizations for DA.

What Has Changed in Injury-Related Presentations During COVID-19 Pandemic? A Single-Center Experience from a Pediatric Emergency Department

Objective:The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic affected the healthcare systems worldwide. In this study, we aimed to examine the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on injury-related visits.Materials and Methods:We conducted a retrospective analysis of 7648 injury-related pediatric emergency department visits between March 11 and June 30, 2018, 2019, and 2020, and compared the total number of visits, triage levels, distributions of injury mechanisms, and admission rates during the pandemic in 2020 to the same period in 2018 and 2019.Results:In the first 4 months of the pandemic, there was a 69.5% drop in all pediatric emergency department visits compared to the previous 2 years. Despite this decrease, the proportion of injury-related pediatric emergency department visits increased from 14% to 20.9% in 2020 (P < .001). There was a 3.8% increase in the frequencies of patients with high triage acuity levels (T1, T2, and T3) and a 3.8% decrease in patients with low triage acuity levels (P < .001). The domestic injury rate increased from 40% to 60% during the pandemic period (P < .001). Hospitalization rates increased from 6% to 11.5% and admission to intensive care units increased from 0.9% to 3.3%. The differences were statistically significant (P < .001). Visits due to burn increased from 2.7% to 5.2% (P < .001), poisoning from 3.4% to 5.5% (P < .001), bicycle accidents from 3.3% to 6.8% (P < .001), while injuries due to motor vehicle accidents decreased from 2.6% to 1.3% (P = .004) and sports injuries decreased from 8% to 2.1% (P < .001).Conclusion:This study revealed that despite the significant decrease in total pediatric emergency department visits, percentages of injury-related visits increased during the pandemic.

An unusual foreign body from domestic ocular injury

Domestic ocular injuries are mostly caused by sharp objects such as needles or fists, balls, firecrackers, and bursting bottles; pressure cooker explosions constitute a relatively rare but largely under-reported cause of ocular trauma. We report here a domestic cooker blast injury in a 57-year-old lady who had an impacted nozzle and auto-eviscerated eyeball at the presentation that lead to permanent blindness. A careful evaluation and meticulous removal of the impacted foreign body (cooker whistle) prevented further damage to the surrounding structures. Pressure cookers are one of the most common kitchen appliances that need to be used with care and caution. We recommend stringent testing of the final product and complete adherence to the safety instructions on part of the users.

METHODOLOGY OF REDUCING THE LEVEL OF OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN THE FIELD OF ELECTRIC POWER ENGINEERING OF UKRAINE

Statistics from the International Labor Organization show that at this time the level of both occupational and domestic injuries is equivalent to an epidemic. At the same time, studies by the World Health Organization show that today the death rate from accidents ranks third after deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer. It is important to note that this situation is typical of both developing and economically developed countries. It is obvious that such a situation leads to both significant social losses and significant economic losses. In our country the level of industrial injuries and electric injuries at electric power enterprises is especially high. At the same time, in recent years the level of occupational injuries in the electricity sector of Ukraine has increased and is characterized by an increase in the number of fatal injuries. Based on this, the development of a methodology to reduce the level of this indicator of production activity of enterprises is an urgent task. The main causes of mortality of men of working age in Ukraine are: - industrial accidents; - industrial poisoning; - industrial injuries. Such cases account for about 30… 35% of all deaths under the age of 40. The study revealed the features of the work performed at the enterprises of the industry, which differ in the organization of the workplace and a significant number of high-risk work. Further analysis of reports on labor protection, acts of investigation of accidents at enterprises revealed a number of frequent specific cases of violation of important provisions of legislation, regulations on labor protection, labor protection and electrical safety. The results of researches of the reasons of injuries in industrial conditions in the field of electric power are systematized. This made it possible to identify the main directions for improving the state of labor protection. Structural and systematic implementation of the identified areas is the basis of the developed methodology for improving the state of occupational injuries at electric power companies of Ukraine.