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Nonfatal occupational injuries from slips, trips, and falls among older workers treated in hospital emergency departments, United States 1998
Author(s) -
Layne Larry A.,
Pollack Keshia M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20038
Subject(s) - medicine , occupational safety and health , injury prevention , poison control , fall prevention , suicide prevention , human factors and ergonomics , occupational injury , workforce , falling (accident) , environmental health , population , injury surveillance , demographics , medical emergency , gerontology , demography , pathology , sociology , economics , economic growth
Background Falls are a leading cause of injury among older adults. As the workforce demographics shift to an older population, the dearth of information on occupational falls among older adults must be addressed. Methods A national probability sample of hospital emergency departments (EDs) (National Electronic Injury Surveillance System) was utilized to characterize falls at work. Results Older workers were found not to be at increased risk of a fall injury, but were more likely than younger workers to be hospitalized post‐injury. Same‐level falls were the most common type of incident among older workers. Falls from height were more prevalent among men than women. The narrative case descriptions for same‐level falls to the floor primarily implicated floor contamination and tripping hazards. Conclusions Fall prevention programs targeted to older workers must examine extrinsic sources of falls, particularly surface traction, contaminant control, and footwear. Am. J. Ind. Med. 46:32–41, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.