Occupational injuries in Dunedin

Attendances for work-related injury at the accident and emergency department, Dunedin Hospital over a 10 week period are described. The number of workers attending from Dunedin city, St Kilda and Green Island boroughs was 655, the overall rate being 15.8/1000 workers. The injury rate varied according to age, sex, ethnicity, occupation and industry. Laceration, strain/sprain and foreign body in the eye were the most common injuries and machinery was the commonest cause of injury. Small factories had significantly higher rates for lost time injuries compared with large factories. Serious under reporting of occupational injury to the Department of Labour was identified.