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Three times the injuries among occasional wood cutters compared to professional loggers: sample of emergency rooms in central and northern Wisconsin
Author(s) -
Fischer Virginia,
Young Nancy,
Mueller Cathy,
Stueland Dean T.
Publication year - 2005
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.20133
Subject(s) - medicine , occupational safety and health , injury prevention , poison control , suicide prevention , human factors and ergonomics , telephone interview , telephone survey , medical emergency , personal protective equipment , emergency medicine , environmental health , pathology , covid-19 , social science , marketing , sociology , business , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Background No reliable statistics exist for injury rates among occasional woodcutters as opposed to professional loggers. Study objectives were to assess woodcutting injuries seen in emergency rooms and identify risk factors. Methods Individuals with woodcutting related injuries were identified in 14 emergency and urgent care departments in central and northern Wisconsin. A telephone survey was conducted within 3 weeks of presentation to determine number and types of injuries, causes, and characteristics of the injured. Results Three times as many woodcutting‐related injuries occurred in non‐logger survey participants (54 vs. 17). There was no significant difference in age or type of injury. Loggers were more likely to wear personal protective equipment. Younger individuals attributed their accidents to human errors, whereas older individuals felt their injuries were unavoidable. Conclusions Occasional woodcutting activities result in comparable, but more frequent injuries than professional logging activities. Further data are needed to assess impact on public safety. Am. J. Ind. Med. 47:246–253, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.