The Italian National Surveillance System for Occupational Injuries: Conceptual Framework and Fatal Outcomes, 2002–2016

Abstract

Background. A national database of work related injuries was established in Italy since 2002, collecting information on the injured person, his/her work tasks, the workplace as well as risk factors contributing to accident dynamics, according to a model called Infor.Mo. Methods. The present is a qualitative description of occupational fatal injuries, excluding work-related fatal traffic injuries, that occurred in Italy from 2002 to 2016 (15 years). Results. 4,874 victims were registered, all were males, mainly of >51 years of age (50.5%), predominantly self-employed (27.8%) or workers with non-standard contracts (25%). About 18.4% and 17.3% of fatal accidents occurred in micro-enterprises belonging to, respectively, Construction and Agriculture. A wide range of nationalities (59 countries in addition to Italy) was identified. 18.9% work related fatal injuries were due to some form of dangerous energy ‒ mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical ‒ freely present in the workplace. Fall of workers from height (33.5%), heavy bodies falling on workers from height (16.7%) and vehicles exiting their route and overturning (15.9%) were the accidents causing the greatest proportion of occupational fatal injuries. The activity of the injured person made up 43.3% of 9,386 risk factors identified in 4,874 fatalities. Less common risk factors were related to: work equipment (20.2%); work environment (14.9%); the activity of third parties (9.8%); personal protective equipment/clothing (8.0%) and materials (3.7%). The activity of the injured person remained the most relevant contributing factor even when the accident was caused by two or more risk factors. Discussion. Occupational fatal injuries occurred mainly in small size firms. Small companies generally have less resources to catch up with the continuously evolving health and safety at work regulations; moreover, they tend to be less compliant with occupational health and safety regulations since are less likely to be inspected by occupational vigilance services. As a result, the enforcement of regulations to control the occupational risk factors of occupational injuries is seemingly costly and scarcely effective. An alternative approach that is being introduced in Italy relies on the use of economic incentives to promote safe and healthy workplaces.

Occupational accidental injury deaths in Tokyo and Chiba prefectures, Japan: A 10‐year study (2011–2020) of forensic institute evaluations

“…As for the age distribution per 10‐year age group, the 65–74 years group had the greatest percentage (the >65 years age group accounted for about 28% of all cases), followed by the 45–54 years group. This result is mostly consistent with previous studies in the field of forensic medicine in Japan [27], whereas the percentage of the older adult workers (approximately 55–65 years of age or older, depending on the study) in other studies overseas was lower, ranging from 4% to 20% [4, 5, 7, 11, 23–25]. Moreover, an increasing trend was observed in the percentage of workers aged ≥65 years in OAID cases.…”

“…The overwhelmingly high percentage of men and a relatively high percentage of foreigners were common characteristics among the OAID cases examined. The higher frequency of accidents among men has been reported in previous epidemiological studies of OAIDs [4, 5, 7, 11, 20, 23–27], although this could not be proven using open data of occupational accidents in Japan due to a lack of information on sex. As women cannot engage in certain hazardous work (e.g., underground labor, heavy lifting, handling certain hazardous substances, etc.)…”

“…The total number and rate of OAIDs per employee have followed a gradual downward trend over the past decade [1, 2], as is the case in most high‐income countries. However, there are also subgroups for which the rate remains unchanged or has increased, such as in higher‐risk industries and occupations (e.g., agriculture, forestry, fishery, construction, and machinery operation), as well as among men and older workers in particular [3–11]. This is especially important in the case of Japan, which has the highest worldwide aging rate.…”