Characteristics of occupational burns in Oregon, 2001-2006

Epidemiology of work-related burn injuries: A ten-year retrospective study of 429 patients at a referral burn centre in the north of Iran

Work-related burns can have a destructive impact; however, knowledge of the epidemiology of work-related burn injuries in Iran is limited. This study aimed to describe epidemiological characteristics of work-related burn injuries in a burn centre in the north of Iran. This study was a retrospective single-centre study of the medical records of work-related burns between 2011 and 2020. Data collection was done using the hospital information system (HIS). The data were analysed by using descriptive statistical methods and SPSS 24.0 software. Of the 9220 cases treated in the burn centre, 429 (4.65%) had work-related burns. There was an increasing trend of work-related burns during the ten years. The mean age of patients was 37.53 (SD = 13.72). Most patients were male (n = 377, 87.9%), with a male-to-female ratio of 7.25/1. The mean total body surface area burn was 23.39% (SD = 20.03). Most work-related burns occurred in the summer season (46.9%, n = 201), and the upper limb was the most common anatomical site of burns (n = 123, 28.7%). The most common mechanism of injury was fire & flames (266, 62.0%). Inhalation injury was observed in 52 (12.1%) patients, and mechanical ventilation was undertaken in 71 (16.6%) patients. The mean length of stay in the hospital was 10.38 (SD = 10.37) days, and the overall mortality rate was 11.2%. The most common activities associated with burns at the time of the incidents were food preparation and serving related (108, 25.2%), followed by welders (n = 71, 16.6%) and electricians (n = 61, 14.2%). This research is the basis for evaluating work-related burns and identifying the causes of these injuries to develop education and prevention programmes, especially for young male workers.

Work-Related Burn Injuries in a Tertiary Care Burn Center, 2013 to 2018

The features of work-related burn (WRB) injuries are not well defined in the literature and they vary depending on geographical location. We wanted to describe these characteristics among patients treated in the UNC Burn Center to evaluate the potential impact of commonly accepted prevention efforts. Adults of working age, admitted between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2018, were identified using our Burn Center Registry. Demographic data, characteristics of injury, course of treatment, and patients' outcomes were described. Differences between work-related and non-work-related injuries were evaluated using the Chi-square test and Student t-test where appropriate. Three thousand five hundred and forty-five patients were included. WRB cases constituted 18% of the study population, and this proportion remained relatively stable during the study timeframe. Young white males were the majority of this group. When compared with non-WRB patients, they were characterized by fewer co-morbidities, decreased TBSA burns, decreased risk of inhalation injury, shorter time of intensive care treatment, shorter lengths of hospital stay, and lower treatment cost. In contrast to non-WRB, among which flame injuries were the main reason for admission, work-related patients most often suffered scald burns. They also had a dramatically increased proportion of chemical and electrical burns, making the latter the most common cause of death in that group. WRB are characterized by a characteristic patient profile, burn etiologies, and outcomes. Learning specific patterns at this group may contribute to optimize work safety regulations and medical interventions.

The health of restaurant work: A historical and social context to the occupational health of food service

The United States currently has over one million restaurants, making food service one of the largest workforces and industry sectors in the nation's economy. Historically, concern for the health of early restaurant workers was tied largely to the hygiene of the food and thus the wellbeing of the customer rather than the individuals preparing the food. The landscape of occupational illness and injury that resulted is fraught with some of the starkest health disparities in wages, discrimination, benefits, injuries, and illness seen among US laborers. These disparities have consistently been associated with social class and economic position. Conditions identified during the early years of restaurant work, before the introduction of occupational safety and health protections, persist today largely due to tipped wages, dependence on customer discretion, and the management structure. Research and intervention efforts to control occupational health hazards should be directed toward the socioeconomic and structural roots of health problems among food service workers in the United States. Such efforts have important implications for enhancing worker protections, improving wages, and restructuring working conditions for restaurant and food service workers. They also suggest opportunities for occupational health practitioners and researchers to contribute to system-level change analysis to address centuries-old occupational health challenges still facing one of the largest sectors of workers in the country.

Work-Related Burn Injuries Hospitalized in US Burn Centers: 2002 to 2011

OBJECTIVE

To develop a comprehensive definition to identify work-related burns in the National Burn Repository (NBR) based on multiple fields and describes injuries by occupation.

METHODS

The NBR, which is an inpatient dataset, was used to compare type and severity of burn injuries by occupation.

RESULTS

Using the definition developed for this analysis, 22,969 burn injuries were identified as work-related. In contrast, the single work-related field intended to capture occupational injuries only captured 4696 cases. The highest numbers of burns were observed in construction/extraction, food preparation, and durable goods production occupations. Occupations with a mean total body surface area (TBSA) burned greater than 10% include transportation and material-moving, architecture and engineering, and arts/design/entertainment/sports/media occupations.

CONCLUSIONS

The NBR dataset should be further utilized for occupational burn injury investigations and multiple fields should be considered for case ascertainment.

Health disparities of Latino immigrant workers in the United States

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the literature pertaining to occupational health disparities experienced by Latino immigrant workers in the USA and to advance a general framework based on systems science to inform epidemiological and intervention research.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using papers and other sources from 2000 to the present, the authors examined the employment conditions and health outcomes of Latino immigrant workers and critically analyzed the pervasive evidence of health disparities, including causal mechanisms and associated intervention programs.

Findings

– The occupations, including the work environment and resultant living conditions, frequently performed by Latino immigrants in the USA represent a distinct trigger of increased injury risk and poor health outcomes. Extant intervention programs have had modest results at best and are in need of more comprehensive approaches to address the complex nature of health disparities.

Practical implications

– An integrated, systems-based framework concerning occupational health disparities among Latino immigrant workers allows for a holistic approach encompassing innovative methods and can inform high-leverage interventions including public policy.

Originality/value

– Reductionist approaches to health disparities have had significant limitations and miss the complete picture of the many influences. The framework the authors have provided elucidates a valuable method for reducing occupational health disparities among Latino immigrant workers as well as other populations.

Characterization of Textiles Used in Chefs' Uniforms for Protection Against Thermal Hazards Encountered in the Kitchen Environment

Within the kitchen the potential for burn injuries arising from contact with hot surfaces, flames, hot liquid, and steam hazards is high. The chef's uniform can potentially offer some protection against such burns by providing a protective barrier between the skin and the thermal hazard, although the extent to which can provide some protection is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine whether fabrics used in chefs' uniforms were able to provide some protection against thermal hazards encountered in the kitchen. Fabrics from chefs' jackets and aprons were selected. Flammability of single- and multiple-layered fabrics was measured. Effect of jacket type, apron and number of layers on hot surface, hot water, and steam exposure was also measured. Findings showed that all of the jacket and apron fabrics rapidly ignited when exposed to a flame. Thermal protection against hot surfaces increased as layers increased due to more insulation. Protection against steam and hot water improved with an impermeable apron in the system. For wet thermal hazards increasing the number of permeable layers can decrease the level of protection due to stored thermal energy. As the hands and arms are most at risk of burn injury increased insulation and water-impermeable barrier in the sleeves would improve thermal protection with minimal compromise to overall thermal comfort.

Occupational burns treated in emergency departments

BACKGROUND

Despite reported declines, occupational burn injuries remain a workplace safety concern. More severe burns may result in costly medical treatment and long-term physical and psychological consequences.

METHODS

We used the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Occupational Supplement to produce national estimates of burns treated in emergency departments (EDs). We analyzed data trends from 1999 to 2008 and provided detailed descriptions of 2008 data.

RESULTS

From 1999 to 2008 there were 1,132,000 (95% CI: ±192,300) nonfatal occupational burns treated in EDs. Burn numbers and rates declined approximately 40% over the 10 years. In 2008, men and younger workers 15-24 years old had the highest rates. Scalds and thermal burns accounted for more than 60% of burns. Accommodation and food service, manufacturing, and construction industries had the largest number of burns.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite declining burn rates, emphasis is needed on reducing burn hazards to young food service workers and using job specific hazard analyses to prevent burns.

Risk factors for frequent work-related burn and cut injuries and low back pain among commercial kitchen workers in Japan

This study investigated risk factors for frequent work-related burn and cut injuries and low back pain (LBP) among kitchen workers including personal, work-related and environmental factors. Subjects were 991 kitchen workers in 103 schools, 17 hospitals and nursing homes, and 6 restaurants in central Japan. A cross-sectional survey was carried out using a structured self-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to examine associations between frequent injuries/LBP and risk factors. The effective response rate was 75.1% (n=744), the mean age was 40.7 (SD 11.7) and 77.2% were female. Burn injury was associated with a smaller kitchen (OR 1.94; 95%CI, 1.13-3.33), and gas kitchens rather than electric kitchens (OR 2.30; 95%CI, 1.17-4.52). LBP was associated with female gender (OR 2.46; 95%CI, 1.37-4.43), high body height (>160 cm) (OR 2.03; 95%CI, 1.22-3.36), and large number of meals produced per person (≥ 150 meals) (OR 1.83; 95%CI, 1.12-3.00). The results of this study suggest that securing adequate work space and introducing electric kitchen systems may reduce the risk to kitchen workers, as well as the importance of adequate height of cooking equipment and selecting an appropriate volume of meals to produce per person to prevent LBP in kitchen workers.

Surveillance of occupational health disparities: challenges and opportunities

Increasingly, the occupational health community is turning its attention to the effects of work on previously underserved populations, and researchers have identified many examples of disparities in occupational health outcomes. However, the occupational health status of some underserved worker populations is not described due to limitations in existing surveillance systems. As such, the occupational health community has identified the need to enhance and improve occupational health surveillance to describe the nature and extent of disparities in occupational illnesses and injuries (including fatalities), identify priorities for research and intervention, and evaluate trends. This report summarizes the data sources and methods discussed at an April 2008 workshop organized by NIOSH on the topic of improving surveillance for occupational health disparities. We discuss the capability of existing occupational health surveillance systems to document occupational health disparities and to provide surveillance data on minority and other underserved communities. Use of administrative data, secondary data analysis, and the development of targeted surveillance systems for occupational health surveillance are also discussed. Identifying and reducing occupational health disparities is one of NIOSH's priority areas under the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA).