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An analysis of fatal and non‐fatal injuries and injury severity factors among electric power industry workers
Author(s) -
Fordyce Tiffani A.,
Leonhard Megan J.,
Watson Heather N.,
Mezei Gabor,
Vergara Ximena P.,
Krishen Lovely
Publication year - 2016
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.22621
Subject(s) - medicine , occupational safety and health , occupational injury , workforce , injury prevention , poison control , population , electrical injuries , environmental health , occupational medicine , psychological intervention , human factors and ergonomics , suicide prevention , physical therapy , medical emergency , emergency medicine , nursing , pathology , economics , economic growth
Background The electric power industry represents a unique subset of the U.S. workforce. We aimed to evaluate the relationships between occupational category, nature of injury, and injury severity among electric power industry workers. Methods The Occupational Health and Safety Database (1995–2013) was used to calculate injury rates, assess patterns of injury severity, and identify at‐risk occupations in this population. Results Over the surveillance period, a total of 63,193 injuries were reported. Overall, and severe injury rates were 3.20 and 0.52 per 100 employee‐years, respectively. The fatal injury rate was 3.29 per 100,000 employee‐years. Line workers experienced the highest risk for fatal injuries and second highest for non‐fatal severe injuries, following meter readers. The most severe non‐fatal injuries were hernia and rupture; multiple injuries; and CTD/RSI. Fatal injuries were most commonly associated with vehicle collisions and contact with electric current. Conclusions Industry specific surveillance and interventions tailored to high‐risk occupations are needed to further reduce severe injuries in this population. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:948–958, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.