Sleep quality and the risk of work injury: a Swiss case–control study

Abstract

SUMMARYSleep problems are a well-known risk factor for work injuries, but less is known about which vulnerable populations are most at risk. The aims of this study were to investigate the association between sleep quality and the risk of work injury and to identify factors that may modify the association. A case-control study including 180 cases and 551 controls was conducted at the University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland, from 1 December 2009 to 30 June 2011. Data on work injuries and sleep quality were collected. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of the association between sleep quality and work injury were estimated in multivariable logistic regression analyses and were stratified by hypothesized effect modifiers (age, gender, job risk, shift work, sleep duration and working hours). Poor sleep quality was associated significantly with work injury of any type (P < 0.05) and with being caught in particular (P < 0.05). The association between poor sleep quality and work injury was significantly higher for workers older than 30 years (odds ratio >30 1.30 versus odds ratio ≤30 0.91, P < 0.01), sleeping 7 h or less per night (odds ratio ≤7 1.17 versus odds ratio >7 0.79, P < 0.05) and working 50 h or more per week (odds ratio ≥50 1.79 versus odd ratio <50 1.10, P < 0.01). Work injury risk increased with increasing severity of sleep problems (P < 0.05). Prior work injury frequency increased with decreasing sleep quality (P < 0.05). Older age, short sleep duration and long working hours may enhance the risk of work injuries associated with sleep quality. IN TROD UCTI ONEpidemiological research indicates that poor sleep quality is a risk factor for work injuries. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis, pooling data from 27 observational studies, estimated that sleep problems increase the risk of being injured at work by 62% 2014 (Uehli et al., 2014). This relationship was confirmed for various sleep problems (e.g. poor sleep quality, short sleep duration or daytime sleepiness), consequences (e.g. minor or fatal work injuries) and occupations (e.g. a specific profession or the general working population).A number of factors may modify the relationship between sleep quality and work injuries. Women have more sleep problems but fewer work injuries than men (Laflamme and Eilert-Petersson, 2001;Zhang and Wing, 2006). Older people complain about sleep problems more often but are at lower risk for work injuries (Roepke and Ancoli-Israel, 2010;Salminen, 2004). People working shifts or long hours are at higher risk for sleep problems and work injuries (Dembe et al., 2005;Folkard and Tucker, 2003;Metlaine et al., 2005). Work injuries are more common in blue-collar workers, whereas there are conflicting results for the prevalence of sleep problems in occupational categories (Metlaine et al., 2005;Smith and DeJoy, 2012

Sleep quality among industrial workers: related factors and impact

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Relationships between Sleep Behaviors and Unintentional Injury in Southern Chinese School-Aged Children: A Population-Based Study

“…Sleep problems or poor sleep behaviors have been identified as risk factors for injury because they may impair motor function, mood, and cognitive functions through sleepiness, fatigue, and cognitive impairment [ 6 , 7 ]. Recent studies suggest that individuals with more poor sleep behaviors have significantly higher injury rates and more injury-prone behavior [ 8 , 9 ]. Several aspects of sleep behaviors may be hypothesized in relation to injury.…”

Sleep and type 2 diabetes mellitus

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