An analysis of occupational stair accident patterns

This report describes an analysis of existing occupational injury data concerning stairway-related falls. Injury data based on reports obtained from the Ohio and California workers' compensation agencies were analyzed to identify common stair injury patterns. Frequency tabulations are provided for the following factors: (a) location (indoors vs. outdoors, on vs. off employer's premises, site category); (b) task (ascending vs. descending, body movement on the stair, task being attempted); and (c) events (precipitating actions and conditions). One of the most outstanding findings is that 92 % of the injuries occurred when the worker was descending the stair, i.e., 636 of the 688 cases in which direction of travel was indicated. Additionally, injury records from the New York and Ohio workers' compensation agencies were used to rank industries in terms of combined frequency and severity rates of stairway-related injuries.     

Agricultural accidents in north eastern region of India

An investigation was conducted to characterize the agricultural accidents, their magnitude, causes, severity and economic consequences in one of the states of north eastern region of India, Arunachal Pradesh. The accident data for 6 years between years 2000 and 2005 were collected by conducting a survey and personal interview of the victims in 42 selected villages of 4 districts. Agricultural accident incident rate was 6.39 per 1000 workers/year. All the accidents were non-fatal. Farm implement-related accidents accounted for 40% of the accidents. Slashing of shrubs accounted for one-third of the accidents causing cut and hit injuries of moderate severity. Twenty-five per cent of the accidents occurred on the way to or from the field leading to severe or serious injuries. Two-third of the accidents occurred within 4 h of start of work. Thirty-three per cent of the victims were 40–49 years of age. Based on the analysis, both passive and active measures have been suggested to minimize or prevent the occurrence of agricultural accidents.     

Agricultural injuries in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh in India

Increased use of farm machinery along with other agricultural inputs has enhanced the production and productivity of Indian farms. Simultaneously, it has also increased occupational health hazards on the farms. Major occupational health hazards are farm related injuries. Very little information is available about the type and nature of agricultural injuries on Indian farms. In the present study, agriculture injuries data were collected for the period 1996–2000 for the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh in India. It has a total population of 1.4 million while 0.75 million were associated with agricultural activities. The agricultural injuries incidence rate was 0.8 per thousand workers per year in the study area. Out of all agricultural injuries, 9% injuries were fatal. The highest number of injury victims were in the age group of 30–44 years. The highest percentages of injured victims were literate but non-matric. The monetary loss due to agricultural injuries in the study area was estimated to be about US $730,000 per year. To minimize agricultural injuries, development of interventions and trainings needs to be organized at block levels for proper and safe operation of agricultural equipment.     

Multiple dimensions of work-related risk factors and their relationship to work ability among industrial workers in Iran

Objectives. The present study was designed to investigate the simultaneous effects of physical, psychosocial and other work-related risk factors on the work ability index (WAI) score among industrial workers. Methods. This study used a cross-sectional design with a questionnaire survey. A total of 280 workers were included in the study. Data were collected using three questionnaires including the Persian version of the WAI, the Persian version of the job content questionnaire and an author-developed measure (to assess work-related factors, health-related factors and socio-demographic characteristics). Results. The majority of the participants were young, but they had poor WAI scores (mean 37.3?±?6.4) and 44.3% of them had poor or moderate work ability. Occupational accidents and injuries were found to be the strongest predictors of WAI scores. Additionally, there was a strong association between WAI scores and supervisor support, skill discretion, occupational training, sleep quality, work nature and educational level. Conclusions. Intervention programs should focus on improving supervisor support, sleep quality, job skills and knowledge and on decreasing physical and mental work demands. Additionally, implementing a comprehensive occupational health and ergonomics program for controlling and reducing hazardous working environments and occupational injury rates should be considered.     

Study of factors associated with risk of work-related stairway falls

This report describes a study of stairway risk factors based on video tape recordings of workers using 31 flights of stairs selected from among the industries with the highest frequency and severity rates for stair-related injuries. The video tapes were reviewed to identify all incidents, i.e., falls, trips, slips, missteps, and moments of temporary instability. The characteristics of the 98 stair users who were involved in an incident were compared to the characteristics of a matched group of stair users who did not have incidents. The factors that best discriminated between the incident group and the nonincident group were: (a) The incident group tended to be those whose movement was impeded by others and who were older; and (b) The nonincident group tended to be those who were wearing glasses and those who were very large or heavy individuals. The influence of stairway physical features on the risk of injury was examined using correlation analysis. The measure of risk was the incidence rate (observed incidents per number of observed uses) for each flight as well as for each tread. Among the several variables significantly correlated with higher incidence rate are: (a) higher effective riser height and less effective tread depth; the safest stairs have an effective riser height not greater than 7 in. (18 cm) and an effective tread depth no less than 11 in. (27 cm); and (b) for descent only (92% of the injuries), the size of the nosing projection; it appears that nosing projections that exceed $\text{11}\text{16}$ in. (1.8 cm) are associated with higher incidence rates.     

2000-2009年全国职业中毒状况规律分析和对策探讨

职业中毒是我国的主要职业病之一,严重影响着劳动者的健康和社会的和谐稳定。根据卫生部2000-2009年公布的职业病统计数据,分析总结我国职业中毒的发生规律。结果表明：职业中毒是仅次于尘肺病的第二大类职业病。职业中毒占职业病总数的12.8%-18%,在职业中毒病例中,急性职业中毒占22.4%-39.6%,慢性职业中毒占60.4%-77.6%。职业中毒总人数变化从2000年到2005年较平稳,从2006年起,呈波浪形上升趋势,但其增幅远小于职业病总数和尘肺病新发病例人数的增幅。其中,急性职业中毒总人数略有下降趋势,慢性职业中毒总人数呈波浪形上升趋势。引起急性职业中毒占前两位的化学毒物主要是一氧化碳和硫化氢,引起慢性职业中毒占前两位的化学毒物主要是铅及其化合物和苯。中小企业职业中毒发生率高。建议各级职能部门重点加强相关行业的监管,尤其是其中的中小企业的监管;履行指导的职责,加强有效果的安全教育和培训;同时加强职业监控监护。     

Impact of human development on safety consciousness in construction

The International Labour Organization (ILO) reports that the risk of fatal occupational injuries in developing countries is almost twice as high as in developed countries, indicating a potential relationship between the fatality rates and the development level. The human development index (HDI), based on life expectancy, knowledge level and purchasing power parity, endorsed by the United Nations Development Programme, is a widely accepted measure of the development level. This study investigates the relationship between the HDI and the fatality rates reported by the ILO. A 23-country data set is used to demonstrate the general trend of the relationship followed by country-specific analyses for Australia, Spain, Hungary and Turkey. The study conducted is limited to fatal occupational injuries in construction, where the accidents are notoriously high. The results demonstrate a statistically significant inverse relationship between the fatality rates and the HDI.     

Under-Reporting of Accidents Involving Biological Material by Nursing Professionals at a Brazilian Emergency Hospital

Background. Pathogens can be transmitted to health professionals after contact with biological material. The exact number of infections deriving from these events is still unknown, due to the lack of systematic surveillance data and under-reporting. Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out, involving 451 nursing professionals from a Brazilian tertiary emergency hospital between April and July 2009. Through an active search, cases of under-reporting of occupational accidents with biological material by the nursing team were identified by means of individual interviews. The Institutional Review Board approved the research project. Results. Over half of the professionals (237) had been victims of one or more accidents (425 in total) involving biological material, and 23.76% of the accidents had not been officially reported using an occupational accident report. Among the under-reported accidents, 53.47% were percutaneous and 67.33% were bloodborne. The main reason for nonreporting was that the accident had been considered low risk. Conclusions. The under-reporting rate (23.76%) was low in comparison with other studies, but most cases of exposure were high risk.     

Footedness and Mounting—Short Review and Two Case Studies

Footedness is a personal quality like handedness. Footedness may be associated with moving ability during mounting, dismounting, and jumping movements. Occupational accidents have occurred during movement at different working levels, during the use of access and exit systems, and during the mounting of vehicles. Aging can also affect accident risk and body laterality. For example, falling accidents on stairs are common among the elderly. One reason for accidents may be that the structure of the access system or stair system is unsuitable for individual moving patterns depending partly on body laterality. Footedness and the way the feet are used may be contradictory to the demands of the moving situation, especially during uncommon or rapid situations. This contradiction may trigger disturbance during moving. The aims of this pilot study were (a) to review the literature briefly and (b) to describe the use of the dominant and nondominant foot by farmers and the elderly when mounting a tractor and stairs, respectively. The study also gives ideas for future studies based on both (a) and (b).     

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.     

我国拥挤踩踏事故发生规律、诱发因素及防控策略

为有效防范拥挤踩踏事故发生,减少事故造成的损失,运用统计分析法和案例分析法对2000-2014年我国拥挤踩踏事故发生规律和诱发因素进行研究。结果表明:我国拥挤踩踏事故发生次数及人员伤亡年际变化较大,总体呈现下降的趋势;秋季踩踏事故发生次数及人员伤亡最多,冬季次之,春夏季节最少;拥挤踩踏事故主要发生在内陆中南部、西北和西南边疆等地区; 学校、商场及节庆场地和楼梯（台阶）是踩踏事故易发场所位置;人为因素、场所因素、管理因素和自然因素是拥挤踩踏事故四大诱发因素。根据踩踏事故发生规律和诱发因素分析,构建踩踏事故防控的PPC模型并提出具体的防控策略,为相关部门预防和处置事故提供决策支持。     

Self-reported incidents,accidents, and use of protective gear among small-scale forestry workers in Sweden

Self-reported data were collected from 156 self-employed small-scale forestry workers regarding their work, including use of safety gear and number and type of incidents and accidents. About 40% of the respondents reported that during the previous 24 months they had some kind of work-related accident where an injury occurred, and/or experienced in incident, a close call that could have resulted in an injury. Of those injured or involved in an accident, 50% reported that at the time of the accident or incident they were not fully using their safety gear. Sixty-seven percent of the accident victims reported seeking medical attention for their injuries. No significant relationships were found between production level, age, use of safety gear or sensation seeking tendencies and the reports of accidents and incidents. Accidents and incidents were most likely to occur during felling, thinning and transportation activities and were usually caused by unforeseen interactions with falling trees/branches or equipment. Compared to earlier surveys of Swedish small-scale forestry workers, consistent use of all required safety gear was down by 10% to 50%. Protective pants and gloves were the items least likely to be used while ear, eye and foot protection were most likely to be used. The results indicate that better planning during felling processes may be the key to reducing the number of accidents for this population.     

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.     

Occupational fatality under-reporting in rural areas of the Western Cape Province, South Africa

Following a previously published study which reported that 28% of occupational fatalities in the Cape Town metropole of the Western Cape Province of South Africa had not been reported in terms of statutory regulations, this rural-based study found that 85% of occupational fatalities were unreported. Two hundred and twenty four work-related deaths occurring in 10 rural magisterial districts in the Western Cape Province over a two and a half year period (January 1990-August 1992) were identified by examination of state mortuary death registers and police inquest reports. A review of the registers of the occupational safety inspectorate found that only 15% (n = 33) of these deaths had been reported. Drowning (68%), chemical poisoning (10%) and tractor accidents (9%) accounted for the greatest number of unreported fatalities. Only 5% of fatalities in women were reported. Underreporting of even the most direct occupational accidents highlights the gross inadequacy of the current reporting system for rural areas. Greater co-ordinated efforts within and between the government departments of health and labour are urgently required to address environmental hazards in rural areas and in particular on farms. Differential underreporting of occupational fatalities by gender to the disadvantage of women needs further investigation.     

Occupational deaths and injuries by the types of street cleaning process

This study aims to obtain an overall picture of occupational injuries by the types of street cleaning process. Three hundred and fifty-four injured persons were analyzed in terms of the company size and details of the injured persons and accidents. Results show that ‘roadway cleaning’ was the most common type of cleaning process for injuries, followed by ‘sidewalk cleaning,’ ‘going/returning to work by bike’ and ‘lifting/carrying.’ The findings also show that most accidents which occur when ‘going/returning to work by bike’ are in the form of traffic accidents, while in other processes they happen most often in the form of slips. Most of the accidents related to ‘lifting/carrying’ affected workers in their 50s or younger while other processes had a large portion of injured persons in their 50s or older. The findings of this study can be used as baseline data for preventative policies.     

Pedestrian falls: A review of the literature and future research directions

IntroductionPedestrian falls (PFs) – falls in public spaces without collisions with other road users – are a significant cause of serious transport-related injuries, amounting to three-quarters of all pedestrians admitted to hospital.MethodsThis scoping review examined peer-reviewed research on PFs published between 1995 and 2015. Electronic databases (Scopus, SafetyLit, and PubMed) were used to find studies identifying PFs or outdoor falls (the latter also including falls in gardens).ResultsWe identified only 28 studies reporting relevant information on PFs (i.e., 15 prospective, 10 retrospective, and 3 intervention studies). The results show that more walking is related to a lower risk of PFs. Older people, especially older women, have a higher risk of (injurious) PFs. Outdoor fall victims have equally good or better health characteristics and scores on balance tests compared to those who have not experienced such falls. Road factors such as uneven surfaces, busy junctions, stairs, and slippery surfaces seem to play an important role in PFs, but much of the research on these factors is of a qualitative nature.ConclusionsPF victims are generally in good health (apart from normal age-related problems) but at risk due to road factors.Practical applicationsWe recommend to adopt a human factors approach. The road system should be adapted to human capabilities and limitations including those of pedestrians. Measures such as preventing uneven surfaces and good winter maintenance seem to be effective. However, we advise more quantitative research on road factors to inform design guidelines and standards for public space authorities given the qualitative nature of current research on road factors.     

Epidemiology of occupational accidents among Iranian insured workers

Work-related accidents are considered as a major health problem worldwide. The aim of present study was to determine the epidemiological pattern of occupational accidents among workers insured by the Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) between 2001 and 2005.Subjects consisted of all workers and drivers who had a work-related accident during 2001–2005 and were registered in the Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) database according to the inspection reports. An ordinal logistic regression model (proportional odds regression model) was used to assess the concurrent effects of independent variables on accident outcomes.Overall, 86,437 work-related accidents were investigated. The accidents were more frequent in metal workplaces and electrical industries, respectively. More than half of the accidents were due to incautious activities. Workers’ age (age at the time of accident) (OR = 0.99, CI: 0.989–0.994), gender (OR = 1.3, CI: 1.191–1.683), marital status (OR = 1.25, CI: 1.143–1.675) as well as accident setting (OR = 1.88, CI: 1.728–1.975) had significant effect on accident outcomes. Pattern of occupational injuries in Iran was consistent with the global pattern for accident outcomes.     

Port safety and the container revolution: A statistical study on human factor and occupational accidents over the long period

Several factors can affect occupational accident frequency, namely economical factors, technologies used (low automation, discontinuous operating) job design, organization of work/environmental conditions and human factors. In particular, technological advances in industrial activities can give rise to improvement in productivity and in occupational health and safety, but not necessarily simultaneously. The beginning of the container transport dates back to 50 years ago, but while containerization changed everything, from ships and ports to patterns of global trade, its impact on work injuries was not explored at all. The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between work organization, job experience, productivity and occupational accidents, from the starting of the container expansion to nowadays, considering Genoa port (Italy), one of the largest of the Mediterranean Sea. In order to minimize possible reporting biases, such as underreporting or reclassification to a lower level of severity, injury statistics are elaborated starting from data collected directly on-site, from internal accident or medical-aid reports. An in-depth statistical analysis on occupational injuries in the years 1980–2006 is carried out, with reference to frequency indexes, mechanism of injury and material causes. The increase of container-ships traffic and, consequently, the sharp change in port infrastructure involved a rapid modification also in the work organization, with particular reference to the number and characteristics of workforce (decrease from 5783 to nearly 1000 employees and increase of low experience workers from 28% to 74%). The striking high percentage increase of young or low experienced workers in handling container (and performing correlated new tasks) caused a remarkable increase of the risk for occupational injuries. In the studied port, we recorded an increase of the frequency index (injuries per hundred thousand hours worked) from 13.0 to 29.7. It results that the increased expansion of shipping container utilization is not connected to a correspondent human factor safety implementation. Main risk factors are pointed out, revealing an increase of accidents due to transport vehicle (+8.3%) and a reduction of accidents caused by substance or materials (?4.5%). These factors show a statistical significant correlation with the new job tasks. Consideration of these findings may enable managerial solutions and workplace organization interventions for the prevention of injuries and safety performance improvement in port activities.     

The characteristics of fatal occupational injuries in Korea’s construction industry, 1997–2004

This study is aimed at exploring the characteristics of fatal occupational injuries in Korea’s construction industry and comparing the causes in various occupations within that industry. There were 10,276 fatal occupational injury victims in Korea over 8 years (1997–2004). The mortality risk due to injuries in construction and non-construction industries was calculated, and their causes were compared. The number of victims of fatal occupational injuries in the construction industry was 4333 (42.2% of the total fatal occupational injuries), and the 1 year mortality risk was higher (23.7/100,000 persons) than in non-construction industries (10.4). Falling was the most frequent (52.7%) cause of fatal injuries. In addition, deaths due to structural collapse and electric shock were significantly higher than in other industries. When the distribution of the causal factors in various occupations within the construction industry was investigated, some factors appeared more frequently in certain occupations than in others. As the construction industry encompasses a large proportion of occupational injuries, a reduction in this field alone will substantially contribute to an overall reduction of occupational injuries in Korea. Further research for effective prevention is needed.     

An evaluation of occupational accidents in the wooden furniture industry - A regional study in South East Asia

Studies on the rate of occupational accidents among workers in the wooden furniture industry is sparse, although the industry is deemed to be highly accident prone. Therefore, the rate of occupational accidents among workers in the wooden furniture industry in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam were studied, in 240 furniture manufacturing factories, using a structured questionnaire. The findings of the study suggest that contract workers are less prone to occupational accidents compared to their permanent counterparts, and hence, are more productive. Further, the results also revealed that the contract workers have a more positive attitude towards the work, and hence, pick up the essentials of safe working practices quickly. It must therefore be recognized that the “production oriented mentality” prevalent in the wooden furniture industry, which has been argued to compromise occupational safety and health standards in the industry may be debatable. In this context, it is essential for the policy makers to re-examine the employment of contract workers for the furniture manufacturing industry, as changing the psycho-economic parameters of the industry may be warranted before the industry is deemed attractive to a permanent workforce.