Musculoskeletal disorders in relation to age and occupation in Swedish construction workers

BACKGROUND: Physical exposure load varies between trades in the construction industry. Our hypothesis is that the prevalence of MSD in a trade, reflects the level of physical exposure; the aim of the study was to describe MSD in relation to age and occupation within the industry. METHODS: The study is based on data from self-administered questionnaires filled out by 85,191 males in the Swedish construction industry. RESULTS: Construction workers had higher age-adjusted prevalence of MSD than foremen and office workers. In general prevalence rates increased steadily with age. Scaffolders showed the highest prevalence of MSD in all body locations. Elevated prevalence of neck disorders was found in crane operators, insulators, and painters, and of lower back and lower extremity disorders in roofers and floorers. CONCLUSION: MSD increase with age. The variation between trades of MSD prevalence seems to correspond to the variation with respect to physical exposure.     

Respiratory health of Hispanic migrant farm workers in Indiana

The prevalence of respiratory disease in a Midwest Hispanic (mostly Mexican) migrant farm worker population was investigated. Chronic respiratory symptoms (cough, wheezing, sputum production) in adult workers (n = 354) were elevated (8.5%, 6.2%, 6.5%, respectively) and were accompanied by physiologic abnormalities as determined by pulmonary function testing. Over 15% of the adult cohort exhibited a FEV₁/FVC <75, and over 14% had FEF_25–75 values which were less than 60% of predicted. The observed airflow obstruction of both large and small airways was not explained by cigarette usage (43%) in the adult cohort (current/past smokers). Tuberculin skin tests (TST) were positive (≥10 mm) in 55/195 men and 35/123 women for a total prevalence of 28.3%. No case of active tuberculosis (TB) was identified by either chest X-ray (CXR) or sputum cultures (in selected cases). In contrast to adult farm workers, who were predominantly born in Mexico (70%), on 36% of adolescent workers (age 11–18 years, n = 107) were born in Mexico with only 7.5% exhibiting TST positivity. Airflow obstruction of large airways (5.8%) and small airways (12.9%) were also less common in adolescents than adults. In summary, these studies document respiratory dysfunction in Hispanic migrant farm workers in Indiana and highlight the need to closely monitor the respiratory health of this high-risk population. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

An English/Spanish safety climate scale for construction workers

BACKGROUND: Workers in the construction trades experience high rates of traumatic injury. An increasing number of workers in this industry speak only Spanish, including members of construction trade unions. This brief communication reports a dual language safety climate scale developed during a larger training intervention study. METHODS: Construction workers in two unions self-completed a previously validated 6-item safety climate scale modified for the construction trades. A seventh item was developed midway through the study and incorporated into the version completed by half of the respondents. For one union with a sizeable number of Spanish-speaking members, a dual-language (Spanish/English) version was administered. Follow-up telephone interviews conducted 3 months after the self-completed survey also included the safety climate scale. RESULTS: Cronbach's coefficient alpha was 0.85 for the 6-item scale and 0.85 for the 7-item scale. Similar coefficient alpha scores were found for the subgroup of Spanish-speakers on the 6- and 7-item scales. Spanish speakers with low education were less likely to respond to the scale when self-completing but not when it was administered by telephone in Spanish. CONCLUSION: This safety climate scale elicits consistent and reliable response from unionized construction workers when administered in English or in Spanish. Spanish literacy may be a consideration for the use of this scale among foreign-born Hispanic workers.     

Illnesses and injuries reported by Latino poultry workers in western North Carolina

BACKGROUND: Poultry processing is the largest sector of the meat products industry. Many workers are immigrants; few data exist on their illness and injury rates and the impact of workplace safety environment. METHODS: Survey interviews were conducted with a representative sample of 200 Latino poultry workers employed by three different companies in western North Carolina; topics included symptoms, work-related illnesses and injuries, and plant safety climate. RESULTS: Most respondents were <35 years of age and had been in the US <10 years. Frequency of self-reported symptoms was high, particularly for musculoskeletal symptoms. Despite symptoms, workers reported not missing work or seeking medical care. Occupational injuries and illnesses and symptoms varied by company. Between-company differences in injury and illness rates were consistent with perceived safety and company provision of personal protective equipment. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms reported exceeded rates reported by other community, clinical, and occupational samples. Findings suggest policy changes and research are needed to reduce the high rates of occupational illnesses and injuries in this vulnerable population.     

Injury risks in children of California migrant Hispanic farm worker families

BACKGROUND: Few data are available addressing occupational and other injury risks among children of migrant Hispanic farm workers. METHODS: We conducted the U.C. Davis Farm Worker Injury Study (UCD-FWIS), a longitudinal follow-up study of injury among migrant Hispanic farm worker families living in six Northern California Migrant Housing Centers (MHCs). Nine hundred forty-one children (age < 18 years) were interviewed through parental proxy. RESULTS: Fifty-one injuries resulting in medical care or at least one-half day of lost or restricted work or school time occurred among 49 children (3.8 injuries/100 person-years). Open wounds (31.4%) and fractures (29.4%) were most common. Falls comprised over one-third of the cases, followed by being struck and bicycle injuries. Over three-quarters of subjects never use a helmet when riding a bicycle. Seventy-eight (8.3%) children reported employment in the preceding year, typically involving manual agricultural tasks. Two injury cases were occupational and involved agricultural work. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational injury was uncommon in this group of children in migrant Hispanic farm worker families. Injury prevention in this population should include a focus on the home and surrounding environment as well as the work place.     

某院医务人员职业暴露监测

目的了解医务人员发生职业暴露人群的分布特征、危险因素与风险环节。方法对某院所有医务人员2011年1月—2014年6月发生的职业暴露进行风险监控,分别从发生职业暴露者的职业类别,暴露的地点、环节以及方式进行数据统计。结果 286例次职业暴露者中,男性63例(22.03%),女性223例(77.97%);2011年111例次(38.81%),2012年75例次(26.22%),2013年67例次(23.43%),2014年1—6月份33例次(11.54%);对不同人群发生职业暴露者统计数据显示,各年度不同人群发生职业暴露所占百分比相似,由高到低依次为护士(31.97)%、医师(19.90%)、护工(15.79%)、技师(7.64%)、护师(4.17%)和保洁员(2.84%);整理废物、拔针或更换针头、丢弃锐器入利器盒、手术缝合或器械传递、各种穿刺(含抽血)操作时的锐器伤是医务人员发生职业暴露损伤的主要风险环节,其构成比分别为22.38%、19.58%、14.34%、12.94%和11.19%;各年度职业暴露发生地点相似,主要是病房、手术室和注射(治疗)室,其构成比分别为51.40%、19.58%和11.54%。结论医院应建立完善的职业暴露监控与风险管理体系,强化标准预防,加强对职业暴露高危人群的培训,对风险环节及危险因素进行监控和干预,以有效降低医务人员职业暴露发生率。     

Hardware to hard hats: training workers for action (from offices to construction sites).

A university-based labor education program provides training to unionists, emphasizing the skills needed by workers and their representatives in order to promote their rights to health and safety on the job. The article describes two examples of this training approach. The first example is a training program for video display terminal (VDT) operators which prepares them to take a leadership role in advancing policies to regulate working conditions for VDT users. The second is a program designed to improve the quality of safety, or "tailgate" meetings in the construction industry by promoting an approach that encourages active worker participation in identifying potential hazards and developing solutions. The methodologies used to achieve action-oriented outcomes are described.     

Results of a community-based survey of construction safety climate for Hispanic workers

Background:

Hispanic construction workers experience high rates of occupational injury, likely influenced by individual, organizational, and social factors.

Objectives:

To characterize the safety climate of Hispanic construction workers using worker, contractor, and supervisor perceptions of the workplace.

Methods:

We developed a 40-item interviewer-assisted survey with six safety climate dimensions and administered it in Spanish and English to construction workers, contractors, and supervisors. A safety climate model, comparing responses and assessing contributing factors was created based on survey responses.

Results:

While contractors and construction supervisors’ (n = 128) scores were higher, all respondents shared a negative perception of safety climate. Construction workers had statistically significantly lower safety climate scores compared to supervisors and contractors (30.6 vs 46.5%, P<0.05). Safety climate scores were not associated with English language ability or years lived in the United States.

Conclusions:

We found that Hispanic construction workers in this study experienced a poor safety climate. The Hispanic construction safety climate model we propose can serve as a framework to guide organizational safety interventions and evaluate safety climate improvements.     

Working lifetime risk of occupational fatal injury

Estimates of risk accumulated over a working lifetime are used to assess the significance of many workplace health hazards. Utilizing data from the National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities (NTOF) surveillance system, estimates of the risk of work-related fatal injuries are provided for the 50 industries and the 50 occupations having the highest risks. Cause-specific risk estimates are provided for the six occupations at the greatest risk of occupational fatal injuries. Results suggest that the risks of certain work-related fatal injuries in some occupations (e.g., loggers being struck by falling objects) are of the same magnitude as risks previously identified for specific occupational illness exposures (e.g., lung cancer among uranium miners exposed to ionizing radiation). Assuming a 45-year working lifetime, cause-specific fatal injury risks reported in this paper range from a predetermined minimum of 1 death per 1,000 lifetime workers to 36.4 deaths per 1,000 lifetime workers. These results suggest that risk assessment for traumatic causes of death should be considered equally with risk assessments for health exposures, such as potential carcinogens. Am. J. Ind. Med. 31:459–467, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

     

Fatal injuries to teenage construction workers in the US

BACKGROUND: The construction industry is second only to agriculture in the annual number of fatal injuries in workers less than 18 years of age. We examined fatal injury reports for youth and adult workers to determine risk factors for injury and applicability of existing child labor regulations. METHODS: The US Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) investigation data for fatal work injuries from 1984 through 1998 were reviewed with respect to type of event, employer characteristics, and apparent violations of existing child labor laws under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). We also examined whether the employer met exemption criteria for federal enforcement of child labor or OSHA regulations. RESULTS: The fatality rate for teenage construction workers age 19 and younger was 12.1 per 100,000 per year, slightly less than for adult workers. Teenage workers who were fatally injured were more likely than adults to have been employed at non-union construction firms (odds ratio (OR) = 4.96, P < 0.05), firms with fewer than 11 employees (OR = 1.72, P < 0.05), and their employers were more likely to have been cited by OSHA for safety violations (OR = 1.66, P < 0.05) than for firms which were investigated because of a fatality in an adult worker. Fatalities in teenagers were more likely to occur in special construction trades such as roofing. Among fatalities in workers less than 18 years of age, approximately one-half (49%) of the 76 fatal injuries were in apparent violation of existing child labor regulations. We estimated that in 41 of the 76 cases (54%) the employer's gross annual income exceeded the $500,000 threshold for federal enforcement of child labor laws. Only 28 of 76 cases (37%) were at construction firms with 11 or more employees, which are subject to routine OSHA inspections. CONCLUSIONS: Fatal injuries in teenage construction workers differed from those in adults in that they were more likely to be at small, non-union firms of which a substantial proportion were exempt from federal enforcement of child labor laws and from routine OSHA inspections. Safety programs for young construction workers should include small, non-union construction firms and those in special construction trades such as roofing. We did not identify specific areas for new regulation but the number of fatalities reviewed was small.     

Risk factors for injury among construction workers at Denver International Airport

Background The Denver International Airport construction project provided a rare opportunity to identify risk factors for injury on a large construction project for which 769 contractors were hired to complete 2,843 construction contracts. Workers' compensation claims and payroll data for individual contracts were recorded in an administrative database developed by the project's Owner-Controlled Insurance Program. Methods From claims and payroll data linked with employee demographic information, we calculated injury rates per 200,000 person-hours by contract and over contract characteristics of interest. We used Poisson regression models to examine contract-specific risk factors in relation to total injuries, lost-work-time (LWT), and non-LWT injuries. We included contract-specific expected loss rates (ELRs) in the model to control for prevailing risk of work and used logistic regression methods to determine the association between LWT and non-LWT injuries on contracts. Results Injury rates were highest during the first year of construction, at the beginning of contracts, and among older workers. Risk for total and non-LWT injuries was elevated for building construction contracts, contracts for special trades companies (SIC 17), contracts with payrolls over $1 million, and those with overtime payrolls greater than 20%. Risk for LWT injuries only was increased for site development contracts and contracts starting in the first year of construction. Contracts experiencing one or more minor injuries were four times as likely to have at least one major injury (OR &equals: 4.0, 95% CI (2.9, 5.5)). Conclusions Enhancement of DIA's safety infrastructure during the second year of construction appears to have been effective in reducing serious (LWT) injuries. The absence of correlation between injury rates among contracts belonging to the same company suggests that targeting of safety resources at the level of the contract may be an effective approach to injury prevention. Interventions focused on high-risk contracts, including those with considerable overtime work, contracts held by special trades contractors (SIC 17), and contracts belonging to small and mid-sized companies, and on high-risk workers, such as those new to a construction site or new to a contract may reduce injury burden on large construction sites. The joint occurrence of minor and major injuries on a contract level suggests that surveillance of minor injuries may be useful in identifying opportunities for prevention of major injuries. Am. J. Ind. Med. 34:113–120, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Effectiveness of the HomeSafe Pilot Program in reducing injury rates among residential construction workers, 1994-1998

BACKGROUND: The construction industry typically has one of the highest fatal and non-fatal injury rates compared with other industries. Residential construction workers are at particular risk of injury (work is in remote sites with small crews, there are often many subcontractors, and they have limited access to safety programs). Difficulty accessing information specific to this group has made research more challenging, therefore, there are few studies. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the HomeSafe Pilot Program, a safety education and training program designed to reduce injuries among residential construction workers. METHODS: Researchers evaluated whether overall and severe injury incidence rates declined during the intervention period. Data were analyzed using incidence rates and Poisson regression to control for the effect of antecedent secular trend. RESULTS: Injury incidence rates declined significantly following HomeSafe; however, this effect was not statistically significant once temporal variation was controlled. CONCLUSIONS: The decline in injury rates following HomeSafe cannot be attributed solely to HomeSafe, however, programmatic and methodologic limitations contributed to the inconclusive results. Further research into the hazards faced by residential construction workers is needed. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:210-217, 2004.