Non-occupational Accidents Research Articles

Prevalence of laboratory-related musculoskeletal disorders among biomedical scientists.

Laboratory- related musculoskeletal disorders (LMSDs) are injuries resulting from working in the laboratory. Biomedical scientists (BMSs) play an important role in any health care system. However, they are at high risk of exposure to the LMSDs. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and the associated risk factors of LMSDs among this group of healthcare professionals. We conducted a cross-sectional survey using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire to estimate the prevalence of the LMSDs among the BMSs. BMSs with occupational or non-occupational accidents that affected their musculoskeletal system were excluded from the study. A Chi-square test was performed to measure the significant association between different risk factors (age, gender, weight, height, nationality, specialty, educational level, nature of the job, and the number of experience years) and the prevalence of the LMSDs among the BMSs. The study included 83 BMSs. Females represented 63.9% and 36.1% were in the age group of 35- 44. The overall prevalence of the LMSDs was 77.1%. The most prevalent LMSDs were neck, shoulders, and lower back with 50.6%, 49.4%, and 43.4%, respectively. A total of 65.57% of BMSs had irregular symptoms of LMSDs. The study found that the prevalence of LMSDs among the BMSs was high. Good practice and training in ergonomics may minimize the prevalence of LMSDs among the BMSs.

Moderate or severe scorpion sting: identification of risk factors.

To characterize scorpion accidents at the Information and Toxicological Assistance Center (CIATox) in Campinas, to analyze risk factors related to the moderate and severe classification, and to determine the age group at greatest risk for this classification. Cross-sectional and retrospective study, with patients assisted in person at CIATox, who had a scorpion accident, from January 2015 to December 2019. Descriptive and inferential analysis was conducted. For the age variable, a ROC curve was constructed to determine cutoff points in relation to the severity classification. Poisson regression models were adjusted considering severity classification as the dependent variable. A total of 754 cases with a mean age of 36.05 years, mostly female and non-occupational accidents that occurred in the urban area, was analyzed. The most frequent scorpion was the Tityus serrulatus. The risk factors found for greater severity were age group up to 22 years and previous care in other health services. The age range up to 22 years old should be used as a predictive factor of severity in the clinical evaluation of patients stung by scorpions to carry out adequate management of cases.

The Role of the Big Five Personality Factors on Accident: A Case of Accidents in Construction Industries

Limited research has been undertaken to explore how construction workers’ personality affects safety behavior. Most of the previous literature in the field of health and safety especially in the construction industry has been focusing on managerial, non-occupational accident,s or somewhat other aspect accident causation. Indeed, construction is known as one of the most dangerous industries globally, therefore, this study estimates the importance of personality traits in relation to risk behavior in the workplace. The objective is to review and identify which dimension of personality traits (big five models) are more effective on occupational accident to suggest a new model that is helpful in the construction industry in order to reduce the accident rate. The finding showed that neuroticism, agreeableness, and conscientiousness compare to the other personality traits are more effective on both occupational/non-occupational accidents, while, the effect of agreeableness and conscientiousness on improving safety performance was overwhelming. On the other hand, there is little evidence to show the meaningful and efficient connection between occupational accidents and extraversion. Extraversion and openness were appropriate only to affect non-occupational accidents. Finally, this research presents the appropriate model which is worthwhile to improve the safety performance in the construction industry.

Comprehensive analysis and investigation of accident/occupational disease responsibility rates: A case study for accidental CO poisoning

One of the major problems of courts and insurance companies is the lack of a proper technique to determine the rate of responsibility of the parties involved in the accident. The aim of this study was to determine the Accident/Occupational Diseases Responsibility Rates (AOD RR) for complex events. Accordingly, a case study of a complex accident of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning was selected and Occupational Accident Tree Analysis (OATA) and Occupational Accident Component Analysis (OACA) techniques, which were solely used to investigate occupational accidents, were used with the new names Accident/Occupational Disease Tree Analysis (AOD TA) and Accident/Occupational Disease Component Analysis (AOD CA) to evaluate their applicability to investigate non-occupational accidents and occupational diseases. For this purpose, causes of CO penetration to victims’ room was assessed using gas tracking methods. Finally, Fuzzy Accident/Occupational Disease Tree/Component Analysis (FAOD TA and FAOD CA) techniques were developed and used for determining AOD RR in fuzzy environment. The results showed that the AOD RR obtained by AOD TA and AOD CA based on the average of experts’ personal opinions and consensus between experts, and AOD TA and AOD CA in a fuzzy environment were close to each other, with the power terminal and the power cable crossing route being the main routes of transmission and penetration of CO to the victims’ room. Also, the owner, contractor, tenant, and serviceman were responsible for the CO poisoning of victims. It can be concluded that any hole, crack, or fission in the building can result in CO penetration to the individuals’ living rooms, and gas tracking in early winter, especially in older buildings, plays a very significant role in preventing residents’ poisoning. Further, due to the uncertainty of AOD TA and AOD CA techniques, it is recommended to use FAOD TA and FAOD CA techniques for increasing the accuracy of the results. This will enhance the court and insurance companies’ trust in the opinions of accident investigation experts, decrease delays in the proceedings, and prevent any violation of the individual rights.

Occupational Fatalities Due to Mammal-Related Accidents in Japan, 2000–2019

Animal-related fatal accidents occur annually while individuals are outside working. This study intended to evaluate the trends of occupational fatal accidents related to mammals and compare them with nonoccupational accidents. We collected occupational and nonoccupational fatalities related to mammals between 2000 and 2019 from data on fatal occupational accident cases certified by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan, in addition to other statistics from relevant ministries, media reports such as newspapers, and academic case reports. A total of 109 fatal accidents related to mammals were confirmed as occurring during work, and 129 were confirmed as taking place outside of work. Of the former, accidents among livestock farmers and horse racing-related workers accounted for about half. Among the accidents not related to work, dog attacks, infectious diseases from cats or dogs, traffic accidents with wild animals, and bear attacks during wild vegetable picking were common. Deaths from infectious diseases caused by dogs and cats have rarely been reported in the mass media. Although the number of fatal occupational accidents related to mammals is not large, we concluded that it is necessary to continue preventive measures centered on accidents at livestock farms and in horse racing-related workplaces. It is also necessary to inform people about the risks of infectious diseases mediated by dogs and cats.

National Strategy for Preventing Injuries from Skiing and Snowboarding in Switzerland

Skiing and snowboarding are very popular sports in Switzerland. However, every year, around 67,000 skiers and 18,000 snowboarders are injured so seriously that they need medical treatment. Moreover around 8 people die on the slopes in Switzerland. Therefore, there is a need to reduce the burden of injuries in snow sports. The Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (bfu) developed a strategy that utilized scientifically-based injury prevention, using an effect-oriented prevention cycle. The aim of this study is to present this systematic and evidence-based strategy for snow sports. Throughout the prevention cycle, the incidence and severity of injuries are established, risk factors and possible prevention measures are identified and rated, prevention goals are set, prevention programs are developed and implemented, and the success of the measures and processes are monitored. In addition, the effect-oriented prevention cycle involves collaboration with other prevention-minded partners. This strategy allows the bfu to carry out its legal mandate to prevent non-occupational accidents and to coordinate prevention measures throughout Switzerland that are effective, efficient, and practical. Furthermore, the collaboration with other prevention-minded agencies greatly improves the implementation.

Absence from work due to occupational and non-occupational accidents

The aim of the present study was to investigate absence from work in Denmark due to occupational and non-occupational accidents. Since the beginning of the last decade, political focus has been placed on the population's working capacity and the scope of absence due to illness. Absence from work is estimated at between 3% and 6% of working hours in the EU and costs are estimated at approximately 2.5% of GNP. Victims of accidents treated at two emergency departments were interviewed regarding absence for the injured, the family and others. All answers were linked to the hospital information on the injury, so that it was possible to examine the relation between absence and injury type, and cause of the accident. In total, 1,479 injured persons were interviewed. 36% of these reported absence from work by themselves or others. In mean, an injury caused 3.21 days of absence. Based on this the total absence due to injuries in Denmark was estimated to 1,822,000 workdays, corresponding to approximately 6% of the total absence from work due to all types of illness. Non-occupational injuries resulted in more absence than did occupational injuries. Absence due to accidents contributed to a considerable part of the total absence from work, and non-occupational accidents caused more absence than did occupational accidents.

Human errors identification in operation of meat grinder using TAFEI technique

Received: May 2013, Accepted: December 2013 Background: Human error is the most important cause of occupational and non-occupational accidents. Because, it seems necessary to identify, predict and analyze human errors, and also offer appropriate control strategies to reduce errors which cause adverse consequences, the present study was carried out with the aim of identifying human errors while operating meat grinder and offer suggestions in order to reduce human errors in this human-machine system. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive study. In this ergonomic study the “Task Analysis for Error Identification (TAFEI)” technique was used in order to identify human errors while operating a meat grinder machine. According to this technique, firstly, tasks of human side of the interaction were described by Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) and then the State-Space Diagrams (SSDs) were drawn. Finally, after forming the TAFEI diagrams, the transition matrix table was prepared in order to identify human errors. Results: After completing all the steps of TAFEI technique, the transition matrix table was formed. Results showed 49 illegal transition states; therefore, 49 human errors were identified and described while operating the meat grinder machine. Conclusion: The results of this study showed how and under which conditions may meat grinder users do error in the human-machine interaction. In this regard, possible human errors resulting from non-ergonomic design of Iranian meat grinder machine were identified.

Evaluación de las intoxicaciones agudas por productos químicos atendidas en un Servicio de Urgencias

Background and objectives The objective of this study is to evaluate the epidemiological and toxicological characteristics of chemical exposures requiring Emergency Department consultation. Methodology Descriptive study of Hospital Emergency Department consultations between 2000 and 2008 derived from exposure to a chemical agent. Results A total of 992 patients were included; the mean age was 42.7 + 18 years and 58.1% were female. The main causes were domestic accidents (67.3%), occupational accidents (14.8%), attempted suicides (11.2%) and incidents of violence (3.2%). There was a significantly greater proportion of females involved in domestic accidents and males in occupational accidents (p < 0.05). The most-frequently involved products were caustic substances (39.9%), irritating gases (13.8%), detergents (12.3%), solvents (12%) and asphyxiating gases (9.5%). Hospital admission was necessary in 10.8% of patients and 10 deaths occurred (1%), with non-occupational accidents being more severe (p < 0.05). Conclusions Exposures to chemical agents represent a high number of poisonings in Emergency Department. Domestic accidents, which mainly affect women and often involve caustic substances, are much more frequent than occupational accidents. The general prognosis is good and mortality is very low.

HEALTH MAINTENANCE PROGRAM FOR WOMEN IN INDUSTRY

That the field of industrial medicine has become more and more that of preventive medicine is manifested by the reports of some of our largest industries. These reports show that year after year the amount of lost time due to occupational causes has become less and less, while that of nonoccupational illness and accident continues almost unabated. In fact, one large industry employing over 300,000 men and women reports that approximately 96 per cent of all lost time from illness and accident arose from nonoccupational sources. It is interesting to note that Lynch's¹study of 16,648 cases of lost time from illness and accident resulted in almost identical statistics: "Sickness 86 per cent, nonoccupational accidents 10 per cent, occupational accidents 4 per cent." He concludes that, if many of these lost man-hours are to be salvaged, the major problems concerned are not those of safety measures within the plant,