Sex Differences in Work-related Injury Rates among Electric Utility Workers

Kelsh, Michael A.; Sahl, Jack D.

doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a008669

Cited by 56 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Judging by the increasing PRs in our study after being adjusted for occupational class, it seems that men not women are dominating jobs with high risk for the onset of complaints of the upper extremities, rejecting our An American study among workers in an electricity utility company, representing 4000 job titles, also observed increasing risks of work-related injuries for women, after being adjusted for occupational category (Kelsh and Sahl 1996). In contrast, reported no gender dierences in the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome among industrial workers in 39 dierent jobs when occupational exposure factors were controlled.…”

Section: Gender Segregationcontrasting

confidence: 99%

Gender differences in upper extremity musculoskeletal complaints in the working population

Zwart¹,

Frings‐Dresen²,

Kilbom

2000

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

124

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Objectives: This study analysed the association between gender and upper extremity musculoskeletal complaints, among the general working population and in various occupational groups. The hypothesis was tested whether the higher risk for women in the general working population for these complaints could partly be explained by dierences in the distribution of men and women in occupations with dierent risks for the onset of upper extremity musculoskeletal complaints. Methods: The data for this study came from cross-sectional questionnaire data from 16,874 employees categorised in 21 dierent occupational classes. Associations between gender and complaints of the upper extremities were analysed for the total study sample and for each occupational class separately. An adjustment was made for the variable`occupational class' in the ®nal model in order to study the impact of occupational gender segregation on gender dierences in upper extremity complaints in the working population. Results: In the total study sample, signi®cantly higher risks of complaints of the neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist among the women were observed. Within many occupational classes, women reported signi®cantly higher risks than did men, in particular for complaints of the neck and shoulder. Adjustment for occupational class showed increased risks for female workers for complaints of the neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist, hence, rejecting our hypothesis on occupational gender segregation as an explanation for the higher risks for upper extremity complaints among women in the general working population. Conclusions: This study con®rmed the presence of gender dierences in upper extremity musculoskeletal complaints among the working population and in many occupational classes, with female workers having the higher risk. The results, however, do not lend support to a dierential occupational exposure theory as an explanation for the higher risks for these complaints among women in the general working population. Careful consideration of gender in¯uence in ergonomic epidemiological studies is recommended.

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Section: Gender Segregationcontrasting

confidence: 99%

Gender differences in upper extremity musculoskeletal complaints in the working population

Zwart¹,

Frings‐Dresen²,

Kilbom

2000

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

124

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“…For most complaints, the observed PRs of women were substantially higher than those of men, which is consistent with observations in earlier studies [17,35]. Whereas men reported a¯attening or even decrease in PRs for complaints of the upper and lower extremities in the older age groups, the PRs of women showed a sharp rise beginning in the age group of 35±44 years.…”

Section: Gender Dierencessupporting

confidence: 91%

“…On the other hand, in this category, 61% of the women were employed in medical occupations versus 10% among men. A more psychosocial explanation suggested in the literature is that female workers are not at increased risk for health disorders but are more likely to report these complaints than men are [17]. According to this line of reasoning, gender-related dierences are the result of information bias.…”

Section: Gender Dierencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Musculoskeletal complaints in the Netherlands in relation to age, gender and physically demanding work

Zwart

Broersen²,

Frings‐Dresen³

et al. 1997

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

112

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Objectives: This cross-sectional study was performed in order to elucidate the relationship of musculoskeletal complaints with age, gender and physically demanding work in the Netherlands. Methods: Questionnaire data of male (n 36 756) and female (n 7730) employees, gathered as part of periodical occupational health surveys among active workers in the Netherlands, were strati®ed for age, gender, and type of work demands. For each strati®ed group prevalence rates (PR) were calculated for complaints of the back, neck, upper and lower extremities. Moreover, prevalence rate dierences (PRD) were estimated as an absolute eect measure of exposure to various types of physical work demands, with active employees in mentally demanding work acting as a reference population. Results: Musculoskeletal complaints among workers in physically demanding occupations were found to increase with age for both sexes. For several complaints, substantially higher rates were reported for women than for men, with a relatively high number of complaints observed among the older female workers (around 40% for complaints of back, upper and lower extremities). Signi®cant PRDs were present in particular for employees in heavy physically demanding occupations and in jobs with mixed mental and physical work demands. Conclusions: With the ageing of the workforce in mind, these ®ndings stress the need for implementation of preventive measures. Special attention towards the susceptible group of female employees, the elderly age groups in particular, seems justi®ed. In order to clarify the combined eects of age and physical work demands on musculoskeletal complaints, additional studies are required.

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“…While a number of researchers have previously noted sociodemographic differences in risk of occupational injury, these reports have primarily represented the results of descriptive analyses (2, 3,6,14,15,22,23,33,37,39,52,60,62,65). The results of the present study demonstrate important differences in risk of knee-related disability discharge from the U.S. Army according to occupational and demographic characteristics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…Gender and age are the most commonly addressed sociodemographic characteristics in the occupational injury literature, but these characteristics are generally considered potential confounders to be statistically controlled, not factors of intrinsic interest. For example, among recent civilian sector studies of occupational demands as risk factors for knee problems (15,22,39,44,54,62,65), one study included too few women with physically demanding occupations to conduct separate analyses (22), and two included sufficient numbers of women, but did not evaluate gender differences in risk (15,62). When gender specific occupational injury rates are addressed, differences are typically found.…”

Section: Occupational Musculoskeletal Injuriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knee-Related Injuries and Disabilties in the U.S. Army, 1980-1997

Sulsky¹,

Mundt²,

Bigelow³

et al. 2000

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Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Objectives: This report identifies predictors of occupational knee injury and knee-related disability; demonstrates that a series of case-control comparisons can be used to identify differences in the determinants of these outcomes; and demonstrates that data collected for administrative purposes represent a cost-effective resource for epidemiologic research. Methods: Using the Total Army Injury and Health Outcomes Database (TAIHOD), we conducted separate case-control comparisons of occupational knee injury and knee-related disability discharge from active duty service. Results: Among men and women, non-whites were at about 30% lower risk than whites for both outcomes. There was increasing risk of both injury and disability with increasing age for women, and for disability among men. Duration of service (positive) and pay grade (negative) were associated with both outcomes for men and women. Other risk factors differed for men and women by outcome, and the final models included different parameters for each gender. Exploratory analyses suggested interactions between demographic and occupational factors. Conclusions: The differences between the final injury and disability models underscores the utility of separate case-control comparisons to identify risk factors for related outcomes. This study demonstrates the usefulness of large linked databases in epidemiologic research of occupational injury and disability.

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Sex Differences in Work-related Injury Rates among Electric Utility Workers

Cited by 56 publications

References 13 publications

Gender differences in upper extremity musculoskeletal complaints in the working population

Gender differences in upper extremity musculoskeletal complaints in the working population

Musculoskeletal complaints in the Netherlands in relation to age, gender and physically demanding work

Knee-Related Injuries and Disabilties in the U.S. Army, 1980-1997

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