Occupational disparities in accidents and roles of lifestyle factors and disabilities: a population-based study in north-eastern France

The role of occupational activities and work environment in occupational injury and interplay of personal factors in various age groups among Indian and French coalminers

“…Physical exposure was defined by the presence of at least one item. "Personal factors" included: body mass index, smoking habit, alcohol misuse, perceived health-status, chronic diseases diagnosed by the physician and a frequent "psychotropic" drug use (for headaches, tiredness, nervousness or anxiety and insomnia) [3,11,24]. Alcohol abuse was measured using the French version of the Cut/Annoyed/ Guilty/Eye-opener (CAGE) questionnaire and defined by at least 2 positive responses to 4 items: consumption considered excessive by the subject, consumption considered IJOMEH 2013;26(6) 915 in Tables 2 and 3.…”

“…excessive by people around the subject, subject wishes to reduce consumption, and consumption on waking [25]. In the case of disabilities, the following ones were considered: physical, seeing, hearing and cognitive disabilities [3,8,11]. Physical disability was measured with a 5-item scale including: sitting down and getting up (from one's chair, …), walking outside on a flat ground, taking up 5 steps, taking an object weighing 2.5 kg located above one's head, and lowering down to take an object.…”

“…Year after year, worldwide, this phenomenon is a commonplace for workers, which results in high injury rates for demanding tasks. The injury risk can also be influenced by individuals' characteristics such as social stratification factors including low education, lower socio-occupational category, younger or older age, unhealthy behaviors (smoking, alcohol misuse, obesity, lack of leisure physical and sports activity), altered health status, sleep disorders, mental disorders, and chronic diseases [2][3][4][5][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. During the last 2 decades research studies have shown that these factors influence the injury risk through physical/mental capacity, knowledge, experience, risk perception, and perceived prevention benefits.…”

“…During the last 2 decades research studies have shown that these factors influence the injury risk through physical/mental capacity, knowledge, experience, risk perception, and perceived prevention benefits. Physical, seeing and hearing as well as cognitive disabilities have been reported as strong risk factors because they alter working capacity and reduce perception of occupational hazards and warning sounds [3,11,16]. …”

“…They are known as strong potential contributors to social inequalities in accidents, health and mortality [3,11,17,18]. Most employers hire workers and cannot provide them with a safe working environment.…”