Epidemiology of Occupational Injuries in a Large Manufacturing Employer, 2002-2006

Abstract

Approximately 4.2 million workers were injured in the United States in 2005, costing employers over $171 billion, a figure under-estimating the true cost. This retrospective descriptive occupational injury study analyzed existing health and safety data from 2002 through 2006 at a large US manufacturing employer. All work-related injuries from six geographic locations were included in the study. A total of 36,611 injuries involving 20,738 employees were analyzed using descriptive statistics to characterize the injuries, and general estimating equations (GEE) and multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify risk factors affecting the severity of occupational injuries.Nearly two-thirds of injuries reported were recorded on the OSHA log. Forty percent of occupational injuries resulted in restricted days, and 21% resulted in lost days. Three-quarters of the occupational injuries occurred among Production and Maintenance employees. Various injury characteristics and personal/work characteristics influenced recordability of occupational injury, restricted activity and lost days following occupational injury. Repetitive motion and over-exertion injuries were most commonly associated with recordable injuries and injuries with restricted or lost days. Employees with injuries due to repetitive motion in shop operations were more than twice as likely to experience lost days following injury as workers with most other types of injuries. Men were six times as likely to sustain a repetitive motion injury in shop operations. Union affiliation increased the likelihood of having an injury being recorded on the OSHA log or incurring restricted or lost days; however, significant interaction terms that included union status and other variables, suggest that the results should be viewed cautiously. Production & Maintenance workers were at greatest risk for incurring multiple injuries.Results of this study can be used to enhance prevention programs already in place in this company. Targeting future repetitive motion and over-exertion injuries and ensuring proper treatment and prevention interventions may reduce the severity and recurrence of injuries.