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Transient risk factors for acute occupational hand injuries among metal manufacturing workers: A case‐crossover study in southern China
Author(s) -
Liu XinXia,
Huang GuoXian,
Huang HuiQiang,
Wang ShuYu,
Zong Ying,
Chen WeiQing
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.22625
Subject(s) - medicine , hazard ratio , occupational safety and health , quartile , occupational injury , injury prevention , poison control , environmental health , confidence interval , pathology
Background Acute occupational hand injuries are a common occurrence in China's metal manufacturing industries. This study aimed to explore the transient risk factors for acute occupational hand injuries among metal manufacturing workers. Methods A case‐crossover study was conducted from October 2013 through December 2013 in Zhongshan city, southern China. Face‐to‐face interviews were used to collect information on the occurrence of 12 transient risk factors during the “hazard” period (a 60‐min period prior to occupational hand injury) and a “control” period (the week before the injury). Results One hundred ninety‐four qualified acute occupational hand injury cases (139 male, 55 female) were enrolled in this study, with a mean age of 35.5 (standard deviation [SD] 10.4) years. The most common (64.9%) type of work was punching, and the most common injures were crushes and fractures (28.8 and 23.7%, respectively). Of these cases, 62.9% were regarded as severe or major. Among the 12 transient risk factors, 11 ones were significantly associated with acute occupational hand injuries occurring during the hazard period: “replacing sharp knives” ( IRR = 14.38, 95%CI 11.43–18.08), “using malfunctioning machinery” ( IRR = 30.59, 95%CI 17.84–52.48), “using different tools” ( IRR = 10.96, 95%CI 4.77–25.17), “using different machines” ( IRR = 5.20, 95%CI 2.25–12.00), “performing unusual work tasks” ( IRR = 24.38, 95%CI 14.11–42.15), “working overtime” ( IRR = 13.40, 95%CI 7.70–23.29), “performing a task with a different method” ( IRR = 56.41, 95%CI 23.61–134.81), “being in a bad mood” ( IRR = 108.11, 95%CI 55.10–211.11), “feeling ill” ( RR = 12.27, 95%CI 4.95–30.43), “rushing” ( IRR = 5.16, 95%CI 2.49–10.70), and “not wearing gloves” ( IRR = 1.63, 95%CI 1.23–2.15). Conclusions Our study suggested that multiple transient risk factors were responsible for the acute occupational hand injuries in China's metal manufacturing industries. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:832–840, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.