A methodology for the collection of supplemental information on agricultural fatalities

Due to the lack of a standardized methodology to identify agriculturally related fatalities and the inaccuracy of data from death certificates, NSC's and NIOSH's estimates of the level of agriculturally related fatalities conflict, and the validity of both is subject to criticism. A follow-up survey with the next of kin of 107 potential agricultural fatalities, from a pool of 150 Pennsylvania cases, has been conducted. This paper details the methods and success in gaining supplemental information. Next of kin were generally willing to provide the information (67%), with both telephone (66%) and mail (68%) methods generating comparable levels of cooperation. The optimal time frame for finding current addresses and telephone numbers as well as for gaining cooperation appeared to be about 1 year after the fatality. However, a retrospective investigation of up to 3 years past the anniversary of the fatality produced an acceptable rate of cooperation. How the collected data compares with fatality data for agriculture published by NSC and N1OSH has been addressed in another paper.     

Epidemiology of Accidents in Tile Factories of Mangalore City in Karnataka

Background:

Occupational accidents are a major point of concern in industries. The academic community should take the first step to address the long-neglected concerns of occupational safety.

Objective:

To assess the prevalence and pattern of occupational accidents.

Materials and Methods:

A record-based, cross-sectional study was done in three tile factories of Mangalore city, in Karnataka. A total of 416 workers were analyzed for the year 2004, and data regarding age, sex, job duration, type and nature of injury, body parts involved, and time of injury were collected in a prestructured proforma.

Statistical Analysis:

Proportions, Chi-square test, Univariate and Multivariate analysis.

Results:

The overall prevalence rate of accidents was found to be 18.5%. It was found that almost around 86% of the accidents had affected the limbs (upper limb 24.7%, lower limb 61%), around half (52%) of the injuries were contributed by superficial injuries, 40% of accidents were due to stepping/striking against objects and while handling. Hand tools and machinery in motion contributed to around 20% of the accidents. Accidents were more common among the younger age group and less-experienced workers. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that the age group of 30-39 years had an independent significant association with accidents (OR = 0.21, P = 0.04).

Conclusion:

Accidents in tile industries are an important occupational health problem in this area of the country. There is a need for proper safety training of the workers.     

Analysis of Construction Accidents in Turkey and Responsible Parties

Construction is one of the world’s biggest industry that includes jobs as diverse as building, civil engineering, demolition, renovation, repair and maintenance. Construction workers are exposed to a wide variety of hazards. This study analyzes 1,117 expert witness reports which were submitted to criminal and labour courts. These reports are from all regions of the country and cover the period 1972–2008. Accidents were classified by the consequence of the incident, time and main causes of the accident, construction type, occupation of the victim, activity at time of the accident and party responsible for the accident. Falls (54.1%), struck by thrown/falling object (12.9%), structural collapses (9.9%) and electrocutions (7.5%) rank first four places. The accidents were most likely between the hours 15:00 and 17:00 (22.6%), 10:00–12:00 (18.7%) and just after the lunchtime (9.9%). Additionally, the most common accidents were further divided into sub-types. Expert-witness assessments were used to identify the parties at fault and what acts of negligence typically lead to accidents. Nearly two thirds of the faulty and negligent acts are carried out by the employers and employees are responsible for almost one third of all cases.     

核与辐射突发事件医学救援模式探讨

随着现代核工业的发展和核技术的普及,许多国家都将核电作为新能源进行建设发展。人类在享用核能源带来便利的同时,也为核与辐射突发事件的发生提供了引线。笔者通过对我国当前核与辐射医学救援模式的分析,对现在救援模式提出建议和措施。     

A Study of Occurrence of Domestic Accidents in Semi-Urban Community

Context:

Domestic accidents are worldwide public health problems. The consequences of a domestic accident may prove disastrous as it may result in disability and loss of productivity. In this context, the present study was carried out to characterize the occurrence of domestic accidents in a semi-urban community.

Aims:

To study the incidence of domestic accident in a semi-urban community and its association with various epidemiological factors.

Settings and Design:

Community-based cross-sectional study of 796 households consisting of 4086 individuals residing in a semi-urban area.

Materials and Methods:

Complete information from 796 households consisting of 4086 individuals was collected through semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaire. Domestic accident was considered when any of these individuals had met with an accident inside the house or in the immediate surroundings of the house during the last 6 months from the date of survey. The collected data were tabulated and analyzed.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Simple proportions and Chi-squared test.

Results:

The incidence of domestic accidents was found to be 1.7%. The most common accident reported was fall. Occurrence of falls was found to be associated with age and overcrowding. Other accidents noted were burns, scalds, electrocution, injuries and accidental poisoning. Accidents were reported in significantly higher proportion in extreme age groups and in females. Higher proportion of accidents occurred during the morning and evening hours. About 10.1% were treated at home, 72.5% as outdoor patients and 17.4% as indoor patients. The mean duration of hospital stay was found to be 2 weeks. Full recovery was observed in 82.6% cases, whereas permanent disability was found in only 2.9% subjects, while 14.5% reported chronic pain after the accident. No death related to domestic accident was reported in the present study.

Conclusions:

Domestic accidents are more common in extreme age groups and in females. The reasons may be the higher amount of time spent at home and greater participation in daily home activities. Falls being the most frequent type of accidents, proper designing of house and adequate illumination may help in reducing their occurrence, as the majority of accidents occurred during the morning and evening hours in our study.     

What We Know About the Effectiveness of Farm Safety Day Programs and What We Need to Know

Background: Farm safety day camps are grassroots educational interventions organized and conducted by members of a local community. These events are held in an effort to promote safety knowledge and behavior in children who live on family farms or are exposed to the hazards of the agricultural industry. Since the dramatic increase in farm safety day camps beginning in the 1990s, researchers have been called upon to evaluate their effectiveness. Purpose: The current paper reviews more than a decade of research, describing what is currently known about the effectiveness of farm safety days and suggesting potential methods for addressing questions regarding gaps in what we know about their effectiveness. Conclusions: The results of these evaluations indicate that farm safety days have a positive impact on children's safety behavior and knowledge; however, much remains to be investigated regarding the effectiveness and impact of these interventions.     

An occupational health and safety intervention research agenda for production agriculture: Does safety education work?

It is clear that agriculture has not kept pace with other hazardous industries in reducing its injury rate. For example, between 1960 and 1990 the work death rate for agriculture decreased only 28% while the work death rates decreased 65% for mining and 55% for construction [Purschwitz (1992)]. A national conference in Iowa in 1988 came to the forceful conclusion that “America's most productive workforce was being systematically liquidated by an epidemic of occupational disease and traumatic death and injury” [NCASH (1988)]. In 1991, the nation's top public health officer, the U.S. Surgeon General, convened a conference titled “FarmSafe 2000—A National Coalition for Local Action,” to formally address agricultural safety and health issues. Importantly, conferees recognized that preventing injury and disease was superior to trying to rehabilitate people after an injury occurred. But does participation in farm safety and health educational programs lead to a reduction in risk of injury from farm work? Questions are being raised about the value of farm safety and health educational information, campaigns, programs, and related activities. The questions have identified a critical gap in the literature of farm safety and health education. There is currently no good evidence demonstrating that farm safety and health education, campaigns, programs, or related activities lead to a relatively stable reduction of risk on the farm. In other words, do farmers and their families actually put to use, in a relatively permanent or stable manner, the educational information regarding elimination, reduction, or control of physical hazards and the modification of work behavior that may cause injury? © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

媒介报告的全国危险化学品事故分析

目的分析化学事故的发生类型、伤亡情况、涉及的主要化学品以及主要原因等,为化学事故的防制和危险化学品的管理提供依据.方法收集2003年9月～2004年10月期间新闻网站报道的全国649起化学事故,并进行统计分析.结果649起事故中死亡1197人;受伤4263人,其中中毒人数为3592人.事故类型以燃爆和泄漏为主.燃爆事故中以死亡人数为多,而泄漏事故则以中毒伤为主;井喷事故虽少发,但致死率高;化学性食物中毒多发且影响巨大.煤气和天然气发生燃爆最常见,而煤气和氨气是泄漏事故多发的毒源.事故的主要原因是设备跑、冒、滴、漏或者意外,其次是操作不慎、交通事故和违章操作.结论政府、企业(或单位)以及个人应针对化学事故类型和原因共同努力,积极参与化学事故的预防和控制,以更好地保护人民的财产和生命安全.     

闵行区2006年～2007年易肇事肇祸精神病人情况分析

目的了解本区精神病人肇事情况,为制定防治措施提供依据。方法对全区近两年发生的319起肇事事件按《精神疾病社区防治康复信息管理系统》中精神病人肇事肇祸情况报告单、入院记录单、出院记录单的内容进行调查。结果有11例病人因病情复发导致意外死亡,16例病人失踪,97例病人对社会及家庭生活带来明显影响。结论社区精神病人的管理在疾病控制工作中越来越显得重要,它决定着整个社会的经济发展和人民生活的安稳。     

1998年某市道路交通事故流行病学分析

目的：对1998年某市道路交通事故进行流行病学分析，探讨该市道路交通事故的分布和危险因素。方法：对该市交通警察总队公布的1998年全市道路交通事故资料，进行整理、统计分析和比较。结果：（1）1998年全市共发生道路交通事故23996起，造成1562人死亡，6509人受伤。与1997年相比，除死亡人数持平外，事故总数和受伤人数分别上升11．3％和11．6％，该市道路交通事故总量呈上升趋势。（2）市区的事故起数、死亡人数分别占事故总数和总死亡人数的76．8％和70．6％，53．1％的事故发生在城市主干道上。（3）机动车驾驶员造成的交通事故和人员死亡数约占全部事故和死亡总数的90．22％和56．08％；非机动车中自行车所致事故起数和死亡人数占全部交通事故总数和死亡总数的4．54％和21．39％。（4）伤亡人员均以青壮年为主，而死亡者中学龄前儿童占4．1％，老年人占21．9％。结论：应根据该市道路交通事故的上述流行病学特点，采取综合治理措施，减少道路交通事故发生。     

Accidents in the school environment in Milan,a five year survey

Data regarding 11,541 cases of school accidents (from kindergarten to senior high school) that required hospital attention for treatment were examined. The information was obtained from the records of the a School Medicine Service of the City of Milan , and covered five school years (from 1980–81 to 1984–85). The surveyed population included over 160,000 subjects for each year. After computer processing, data regarding type of school, year, age of the victim, place of the accident and type of lesions were obtained.The frequency of accidents was highest (about 2%) among kindergarten pupils, while in senior high school the lowest frequency (less than 1 %) was accompanied by the greatest percentage of hospitalizations (about 6%). From our results it appears that most accidents occur in school gyms (around 50%), and that the percentage of sprains and fractures is also highest in this area. School gyms can therefore be considered as a primary target for any prevention activity.Corresponding author.     

News Clippings Offer Intriguing Injury Prevention Possibilities

Abstract

Unguarded agricultural power take-off (PTO) drivelines and related components, including secondary drivelines powered by the PTO, have been historically recognized as serious farm-related hazards that can cause severe, permanently disabling injuries and death when entanglement occurs. The lack of longitudinal and causative data on these incidents has been a barrier for developing relevant and effective intervention strategies. A study was conducted at Purdue University to design, develop, and test a system to document, code, store, and analyze a large amount of agriculture driveline-related injury and fatality data to allow for identification of causative factors and trends that could be used in developing engineering, educational, and regulatory solutions. This was accomplished by first developing a standardized injury reporting form and coding system and then developing an electronic database, using Microsoft^® Access 2002,^® which could be used to document, store, query, and analyze agricultural driveline-related incident data. Incidents resulting in injury or fatality identified between 1970 and 2003 were documented and the available data coded and entered into the database using a systematic approach. A pilot-test of the usability of the database was conducted on data collected from 92 incidents involving children and adolescents. Using the validated data management system, an analysis was conducted on data collected from 674 cases entered into the database. Findings from the analysis of the data included the following: the frequency of documented agricultural driveline-related incidents increased from the 1970s to the 1980s, but then decreased through the 1990s and into the 2000s; the 11 to 15-year-old age group had the highest frequency of cases; incidents occurred more often in the fall season; and augers, elevators, or conveyors were the type of implements most frequently involved. Recommendations were made to reduce the risk of agriculture driveline injuries and for future research.     

开展“营造安全文化防范护理差错”活动的体会

目的剖析护理安全隐患,有效回避护理风险,降低护理缺陷,确保护理安全,提升护理质量。方法将安全文化视为一种安全管理思路运用到护理质量管理中,首先让护士明确服务对象,感悟工作责任,然后对护理工作中存在的安全隐患进行识别和评估,提出相应的护理措施进行风险控制,及时发现问题,及时进行整改落实,达到回避护理风险,保证护理质量的目的。结果通过营造护理安全文化活动,明确了护士对待安全问题态度,提高了安全意识,使护理缺陷发生率大大降低。结论将安全文化视为管理思路运用到护理质量管理中,可以降低护理缺陷,提高护理质量,和谐护患关系。     

1994～2003年合肥市职业病危害事故分析研究

目的　探讨合肥市职业病危害事故发生原因和规律 ,为控制和预防职业病危害事故提供依据。方法　对 1994～ 2 0 0 3年合肥市职业病危害事故调查资料进行统计分析。结果　 10年间合肥市发生职业病危害事故 15起。其中化学性事故 14起 ,占 93.3% ;事多发生在 5～ 9月 ,有 11起 ,占 73.3% ;罹患人员年龄以2 0～ 4 5岁为主 ;事故多发生在下午 ,有 10起 ,占 6 6 .7% ;在工作中 (11起 )和设备检修 (3起 )时发生 12起 ,占93.3% ,其中 5起发生在狭窄工作场所 ;事故原因主要为管理不到位、环境无急救设施、设备出现故障等。结论　控制和预防职业病危害事故 ,必须加强职工安全卫生培训和职业过程的卫生管理 ,按照事故发生特点 ,严格执行操作和防范措施。     

Scope and magnitude of injuries in the agricultural workplace

Agricultural work injury data are less available than data for other industries, so an overview of existing data is provided. Agriculture has the highest annual work death rate of all industries, 52 per 100,000 workers, which is five times the combined rate for all industries. Tractor-related injuries are the leading types of fatal injuries; injuries involving agricultural machinery, animals, and trucks are the leading types of non-fatal injuries. Victims of fatal accidents range in age from less than 1 year to over 90. Research needs are discussed, including the need for comprehensive surveillance.     

Accidents in the school environment: perspectives of staff concerned with data collection and reporting procedures

School-accident reports document incidents that have resulted in children requiring assistance from staff in the education and healthcare sectors. This study was undertaken to investigate the collection and use of data by agencies concerned with the school-accident problem. Our aim was to determine if the annual collection and use of such a large body of data might be improved through better management procedures. Interviews were conducted with primary and secondary school staff in one education authority. Interviewees completed a questionnaire on accident activity and accident reporting in their school. In the healthcare sector, staff from the Schools' Office and the ambulance unit servicing the schools provided information on their collection and use of data. Our survey found that accident activity is usually a private matter for individual schools, shared to varying degrees with the education authority. Playgrounds, children's behaviour and footwear carried much of the blame for the injuries sustained. Staff generally accepted the current accident rates. The compilation of accident data by the Schools' Office, accident and emergency department, and ambulance service were compromised by deficiencies in computerization and computer software. The management and utilization of school-accident data could be improved by better collaboration within and between the education and healthcare agencies.     

Influencing Safety in Australian Agriculture and Fisheries

ABSTRACT

Background: Improving the health and safety of those working in Australian agriculture and fishery industries is a recognized priority area for preventative activities. With Australian agricultural industries being among the nation’s most dangerous workplaces, there is a need for action. While there are currently known solutions, their implementation is limited. Influential agents, i.e., people who can influence others, are important for helping engender action to enact solutions into practice. Objective: This study examines agents that influence safety behavior either negatively (barriers) or positively (facilitators), in the Australian agriculture and fishery industries. Methods: Focus groups were conducted with producers and industry representatives. Thematic analysis identified barriers and facilitators to improve health and safety. These were assessed against the Socioecological Model, which considers the various, and often intersecting, human (intrapersonal, i.e. values and attitudes, peers, familial, and cultural) factors influencing safety behavior. Results: Seven categories of human influences were identified: self, peers, family, intergenerational change, industry agents, government agents, and other. Peers (including direct managers) and family were seen to be direct influencers. Individuals signal to others that safety is valued and important. This is reinforced by experience, skill, attitudes, and behavior. Safety practice knowledge acquisition occurred via the family unit, specific training, industry, or knowledge transfer between industries. Government influence predominately focused on legislation and while the source of this influence is distant, it does influence behavior. Conclusions/Recommendations: There is a need to support comprehensive programs. These should include strengthening relationships via peer-to-peer networking, sharing information about safety initiatives, appropriate legislation, and enhancing leadership of all influencers with regard to safety.