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BACKGROUND: Understanding the demographic factors associated with work-related accidents may expose opportunities for work-place interventions leading to the prevention of both fatal and non-fatal injuries.
METHODS: We investigated several injury types including ‘struck by a falling object’, ‘fire/explosion/burns’, ‘falls’, ‘machine’, ‘motor vehicle’, ‘caught by or between objects’, ‘toxic exposure’ and ‘homicide/assault’. For each of these injury types we characterized work-related fatalities (2005-2010) by year, demographics, occupation and industry. We also compared the odds of work-related injuries being fatal using logistic regression, with a data set combining fatal injuries with non-fatal injuries (from hospitalizations and emergency department visits in 2010 for which worker’s compensation was the payer) for each injury type, by race, ethnicity, age and gender. Additionally, we compared work-related injuries from hospital and emergency department data to non-work-related injuries in the same data set by race, ethnicity, age and gender using logistic regression.
RESULTS: Of the injury types explored, ‘struck by a falling object’ had the highest occupational injury rate (118.7 per 100,000 workers) followed by ‘falls’ (96.6 per 100,000 workers) and ‘motor vehicle’ (59.7 per 100,000 workers). Occupational injuries due to ‘struck by a falling object’, ‘fire/explosion/burns’, ‘falls’, ‘machine’, ‘motor vehicle’, and ‘homicide/assault’ were more likely to be fatal among males as compared to females. Occupational injuries due to ‘falls’, ‘caught by or between objects’, and ‘homicide/assault’ were more likely to be fatal among Hispanics as compared to non-Hispanics, while occupational injuries due to ‘fire/explosion/burns’ were more likely to be fatal among non-Hispanics. Occupational injuries among individuals aged 65+ were more likely to be fatal for almost all injury types as compared to younger age groups. Among those with non-fatal injuries due to ‘struck by a falling object’, the injuries were more likely to be work-related among Hispanics, males, and those aged 30-64 years. Among those with ‘falls’ injuries, the injuries were more likely to be work-related among males and those aged 30-49 years. Among those with ‘motor vehicle’ injuries, the injuries were more likely to be work-related among males, Whites, and those aged 30-49 years.
CONCLUSIONS: By examining a wide-variety of injury types by demographic factors we are able to better understand the specific groups at risk for occupational injuries.