Predictors of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses: National Survey Findings

Abstract

This study used national survey data of working adults (aged 33-41) to identify factors associated with the occurrence of occupational injuries and illnesses. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were used to compare selected employment and personal characteristics for respondents who reported experiencing a work-related injury or illness with those who did not. Multivariate analyses were performed to calculate nationally representative odds ratios reflecting the likelihood for specific individual attributes and job characteristics to be associated with the reporting of a work-related injury or illness, while controlling for relevant covariates. In this study the incidence of occupational injuries was related to several demographic factors, including low family income and rural residence, and several job characteristics, including working in a high-hazard occupation, job dissatisfaction, and exposure to six specific hazardous job activities: (1) performing lots of physical effort on the job, (2) lifting or carrying more than 10 lbs, (3) using stairs and inclines, (4) kneeling or crouching, (5) reaching, and (6) hearing special sounds. These results suggest targeted prevention strategies for decreasing the incidence of work-related injuries and illnesses, such as worker self-assessment of the total physical effort demanded by a job and periodic monitoring of workforce job satisfaction.

Association between Heat Stress and Occupational Injury among Thai Workers: Findings of the Thai Cohort Study

“…Another important risk factor significantly associated with occupational injury was low income (≤7,000 Baht/month), already noted with a previous study of the Thai cohort on risk factors associated with injury 26) . As with other studies on occupational injury, we found that the risk of injury related to job type, rural job location 32) , and frequency of alcohol consumption 33) .…”

“…Data analysis used STATA version 12 28) . The main analysis group included 58,495 workers and all epidemiological estimates were made separately for males (25,908) and females (32,587). First, using logistic regression, we calculated crude (bivariate) odds ratios for workplace heat stress and injury.…”

Factors of Occupational Injury: A Survey in a Chemical Company

“…Though very few studies are carried out till date to make a comprehensive comparative analysis of temporary and permanent workers, there are studies that have reported about the significant contribution of different factors (usually associated with nonpermanent workers) in the causation of occupational injuries. Lack of job training 25) , job characteristics like job dissatisfaction 26) , work environmental condition 27) (in many occasions temporary workers have to face relatively more adverse environmental conditions) and sleep deprivation 28) (many times non-permanent workers are engaged in other part time activities) are such factors, which have been found to be responsible for occupational injuries in these studies. So far as observations from sectors other than chemical industry is concerned, role of age of employee was found to have significant effect on occupational injury occurrence in a cross sectional study conducted in Japan involving nursing personnel 29) .…”

Depressive symptoms and self-reported occupational injury in small and medium-sized companies

“…Fourth, it is possible that work-related stressors are an intermediated step in a pathway leading from depressive symptoms to the occurrence of occupational injuries. Several studies have demonstrated a relationship between occupational injury and work related stressors [e.g., decision latitude and job demand (Nakata et al 2006;Salminen et al 2003;Swaen et al 2004), low social support (Murata et al 2000;Wilkins and Beaudet 1998), interpersonal conXicts (Greiner et al 1998;Salminen et al 2003), job dissatisfaction (Dembe et al 2004;Holcom et al 1993;Li et al 2001;Nakata et al 2006)]. Conversely, these factors may aVect depressive symptoms, which in turn may work as intervening variables aVecting the occurrence of occupational injuries.…”