Wholesale and retail trade sector occupational fatal and nonfatal injuries and illnesses from 2006 to 2016: Implications for intervention

Sickness absence after work accidents and post-traumatic stress among white-collar workers in the retail and wholesale industry; a longitudinal Swedish cohort study

BACKGROUND

Most studies about accidents and about PTSD, respectively, have been conducted either on blue-collar workers, or on the entire working population. There are very few such studies on white-collar workers.

AIM

To examine diagnosis-specific sickness absence (SA) and disability pension (DP) after a work accident or PTSD, respectively, among white-collar workers in the private retail and wholesale industry.

METHODS

A prospective population-based cohort study of all 192,077 such workers aged 18-67 (44% women) in Sweden in 2012, using linked microdata from nationwide registers. We identified individuals who had secondary healthcare due to work-related accidents (n = 1114; 31% women) or to PTSD (n = 216; 79% women) in 2012-2016. Their average number of net days of diagnosis-specific SA (in SA spells > 14 days) and DP were calculated for 365 days before and 365 days after the healthcare visit.

RESULTS

35% of the women and 24% of the men had at least one new SA spell during the 365 days after healthcare due to work accidents. Among women, the average number of SA/DP days increased from 14 in the year before the visit to 31 days the year after; among men from 9 to 21 days. SA days due to fractures and other injuries increased most, while SA days due to mental diagnoses increased somewhat. 73% of women and 64% of men who had healthcare due to PTSD had at least one new SA spell in the next year. Women increased from 121 to 157 SA/DP days and men from 112 to 174. SA due to stress-related disorders and other mental diagnoses increased the most, while DP due to stress-related diagnoses and SA due to musculoskeletal diagnoses increased slightly.

CONCLUSIONS

About a quarter of those who had secondary healthcare due to work accidents, and the majority of those with such healthcare due PTSD, had new SA in the following year. SA due to injury and mental diagnoses, respectively, increased most, however, SA/DP due to other diagnoses also increased slightly. More knowledge is needed on factors associated with having or not having SA/DP in different diagnoses after work accidents and among people with PTSD.

Severe injuries from product movement in the U.S. food supply chain

INTRODUCTION

The modern food supply chain presents unique hazards to employees that result in higher morbidity and mortality rates versus other industries. Employees in food manufacturing, wholesaling, and even retailing experience relatively high numbers of occupational injuries and fatalities. One reason for the high hazard rates may be the reliance on a synergistic packaging system designed to load and transport food products within and between manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. Packaged food products are often aggregated using palletizers before they can be transported by forklifts and pallet jacks. Materials handling within facilities is critical to the efficient functioning of all members of the food-related supply chain, but product movement can be a source of occupational injuries. No previous research has examined the cause and result of such hazards.

METHOD

This paper aims to examine severe injuries related to the packaging and movement of food products in segments of the food and beverage supply chain from manufacturing to retailing. An OSHA database was used to investigate all severe injuries in the six years from 2015 to 2020. The focus was on the food supply chain for the period since OSHA began mandating new reporting procedures for severe injuries.

RESULTS

Results show there were 1,084 severe injuries and 47 fatalities during the six-year period. Fractures of the lower extremities were most prevalent, with the most frequent event type being transportation-related such as pedestrian-vehicle incidents. Significant differences were seen in the three parts of the food supply chain.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Implications are drawn for key sectors of the food-related supply chain to reduce packaging- and product movement-related hazards.

Updated assessment of occupational safety and health hazards of climate change

Workers, particularly outdoor workers, are among the populations most disproportionately affected by climate-related hazards. However, scientific research and control actions to comprehensively address these hazards are notably absent. To assess this absence, a seven-category framework was developed in 2009 to characterize the scientific literature published from 1988-2008. Using this framework, a second assessment examined the literature published through 2014, and the current one examines literature from 2014-2021. The objectives were to present literature that updates the framework and related topics and increases awareness of the role of climate change in occupational safety and health. In general, there is substantial literature on worker hazards related to ambient temperatures, biological hazards, and extreme weather but less on air pollution, ultraviolet radiation, industrial transitions, and the built environment. There is growing literature on mental health and health equity issues related to climate change, but much more research is needed. The socioeconomic impacts of climate change also require more research. This study illustrates that workers are experiencing increased morbidity and mortality related to climate change. In all areas of climate-related worker risk, including geoengineering, research is needed on the causality and prevalence of hazards, along with surveillance to identify, and interventions for hazard prevention and control.

Common Occupational Trauma: Is There a Relationship with Workers’ Mental Health?

Exposure to major trauma can have significant consequences for workers’ mental health, but common trauma may also result in poor mental health outcomes. This cross-sectional study retrospectively investigated the occurrence of common physical or psychological workplace trauma in 901 health, social service, and trading company workers and studied these experiences in relation to occupational stress, anxiety, and depression. Stress was measured with the effort/reward imbalance (ERI) model while anxiety and depression were evaluated with the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS). Healthcare workers reported a high frequency of trauma and significantly higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression than other workers. Even in the entire population of workers of the various professional categories, verbal violence (harassment and threats), traffic accidents, home injuries, and family bereavement were significantly associated with high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Major trauma survivors are known to be at increased risk of mental disorders and require support in the workplace, however, even minor repeated emotional trauma and injuries can affect mental health. During mandatory health surveillance, the occupational physician should systematically collect information on minor trauma and mental health outcomes when assessing the occupational fitness of the workers assigned to him.

[Social Security Epidemiological Technical Nexus (NTEP): risk of seven economic activities and most frequent disabling conditions, Brazil, 2000-2016]

The Brazilian National Social Security Institute has used the Social Security Epidemiological Technical Nexus (NTEP) since 2007 to associate risks of the occurrence of work-related disability to classes of economic activities. This study aimed to identify the main risks of this type in Brazilian companies. We conducted a dynamic census cohort study with secondary national data from the Single Benefit System (SUB) and the National Registry of Social Information (CNIS). The Worker's Identification Number (NIT) allowed linking the occurrence of disabling conditions (International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision - ICD-10) to economic activities (National Classification of Economic Activities, CNAE). The NTEP was established with the highest risks between the seven most populous CNAE classes and seven largest ICD-10 among social security benefits from 2000 to 2016. During the period, Brazil had entitled employees with 30,815,310.06 employment contracts per year with 512,967,233.15 contract days. The most populous CNAE were: "retail commerce - hypermarkets", "roadway collective passenger transportation", "multipurpose banks with commercial portfolios", "pork and poultry slaughtering", "job selection and hiring", "nonhazardous waste collection", and "automobile, pickup truck, and utility vehicle manufacturing". The most prevalent disabling conditions were: back disorders, wrist and hand injuries, knee and leg injuries, soft tissue disorders, mood disorders, joint disorders, and neurotic disorders. Among the 49 combinations of ICD-10 and CNAE, the NTEP was established for 27 (55.1%). The study corroborates the accuracy and consistency of NTEP for identifying risks and etiological fractions.

Union Efforts to Reduce COVID-19 Infections Among Grocery Store Workers

Grocery store workers are essential workers, but often have not been provided with appropriate protection during the current pandemic. This report describes efforts made by one union local to protect workers, including negotiated paid sick leave and specific safety practices. Union representatives from 319 stores completed 1612 in-store surveys to assess compliance between 23 April 2020 and 31 August 2020. Employers provided the union with lists of workers confirmed to have COVID-19 infection through 31 December 2020. Worker infection rates were calculated using store employees represented by the union as the denominator and compared to cumulative county infection rates; outcome was dichotomized as rates higher or lower than background rates. Restrictions on reusable bags and management enforcement of customer mask usage were most strongly associated with COVID-19 rates lower than rates in the surrounding county. Stores that responded positively to worker complaints also had better outcomes. The union is currently engaging to promote improved ventilation and vaccination uptake.