Magnitude and Risk Factors of Injuries in a Glass Bottle Manufacturing Plant

The prevalence of occupational injury and its associated factors in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Occupation related fatality and mortality rate is becoming the devastating issue globally as reported by the International Labor Organization (ILO). Though there are reports about exposure and burden of occupational injury from the regional states, the studies were fragmented and inconclusive ones at the national level. Hence, the authors' intention being to come up with the national pooled estimates of occupation related injury and the associated factors in Ethiopia.

METHODS

The international reputable databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Cochrane Library), cross-referencing and manual search strategies were explored rigorously following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocol (PRISMA-P) guideline. Studies that reported the prevalence of occupational injury were included for this systematic review and meta-analysis. The Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment tool scale for cross-sectional studies was used for the critical appraisal of the studies. The heterogeneity between the studies was checked using Cochran Q statistic with the inverse variance (I2) value. Random effects meta-analysis was considered assess the summative effect size of occupational injury and the factors associated with it. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were also employed to identify the possible source of heterogeneity and factors associated with occupational injury respectively. Both Egger's and Begg's test with the p-value less than 5% were used to declare the presence of publication bias.

RESULTS

A total of 23 original studies were considered to estimate the pooled effect size of occupational injury in Ethiopia. The pooled prevalence of occupational injury in Ethiopia was 44.66% (95% CI: 43.83, 45.49). Based on the subgroup analysis, the highest prevalence of occupational injury was reported from the construction sites (50.8%) in particular of the Addis Ababa city administration (49.5.Being male workers [OR = 1.46 (95% CI: 1.01, 2.11)], working more than eight hours per day [OR = 2.84 (95% CI: 1.81, 4.46)], absence of supervision for labor workers [OR = 1.60 (95% CI: 1.08, 2.37)], lack of personal protective equipment [OR = 3.01 (95% CI: 1.61, 5.63)] and lack of occupational health and safety training [OR = 1.49 (95% CI: 1.15, 1.92)] had increased odds of occupational injury.

CONCLUSION

Based on this systematic review and meta-analysis, it is concluded that nearly half of the labor workers in Ethiopia were experienced occupational injury. This issue was more encountered among the labor workers of construction sites and whose working place were at the Addis Ababa city administration respectively. Being male sex, working more than eight hours per day, lack of personal protective equipment, lack of supervision, and lack of training about occupational health and safety had increased odds of occupational injury in Ethiopia. Hence, the concerned body should give special emphasis for all the explored factors in order to minimize occupation related injury, mortality and morbidity in the country.

Heat stress assessment in artistic glass units

Heat stress in glass industry is mainly studied in large and highly mechanized manufacturing Units. To the contrary, few studies were carried out in small factories specialized in hand-made products. To stress the need of combined objective and medical surveys in these environments, this paper deals with a simultaneous climatic and physiological investigation of working conditions in artistic crystal glass factories in Tuscany (Italy). The microclimatic monitoring, through a continuous survey has been carried out in early spring. The main physiological parameters (metabolic rate, heart rate, tympanic temperature and water loss) were measured over the whole shifts. The results show that, despite the arduousness of the working conditions, the heat stress levels are physiologically tolerable. The predictions made using the PHS model at the Analysis level described in ISO 15265 agree closely to the observed values, validating the use of PHS model in these conditions. This model was then used to analyse what is likely to be the situation during the summer. It is concluded that the heat constraint will be very high and that some steps must be taken from the spring to monitor closely the exposed workers in the summer and take measures to prevent any heat accident.

Evaluation of occupational exposure of carpet weavers in northern province of Madhya Pradesh (India) during different seasons

Objectives:

We investigated general working conditions in the carpet manufacturing industry and assessed the health risk factors of weavers working in this industry.

Materials and Methods:

Noise level, light intensity, temperature and humidity were measured with the help of sound level meter, lux meter and thermohygrometer, respectively at the workplace and the result were subjected to One Way Analysis of Variance. A pretested questionnaire was used to evaluate the health problems among different weavers working in the carpet industry.

Results:

Results indicated that the weavers in these units were exposed to extreme environmental conditions. The majority of these weavers were suffering from eye irritation, back pain, allergies, general weakness, hearing loss, with most workers having three to five of these health problems. Our study reported higher incidence of musculoskeletal and respiratory diseases among weavers, during different season.

Conclusion:

A large variation during different seasons is an indication that environmental conditions play an important role in determining the health of weavers at the workplace. Results clearly demonstrate that working conditions were not suitable for the type of work carried out by the weavers.

Non-fatal occupational injuries among non-governmental employees in Malaysia

We analyzed data on non-fatal occupational injuries reported to Malaysia's social security organization from 2002 to 2006. There was a decrease in both the absolute number and the incidence rates of these injuries over time. About 40% of cases occurred in the manufacturing sector followed by the service (17%) and trading (17%) sectors. The agriculture sector reported the highest incidence rate (24.1/1,000), followed by the manufacturing sector subcategories of wood-product manufacturing (22.1/1,000) and non-metallic industries (20.8/1,000). Men age 40 to 59 and persons of Indian ethnicity had a greater tendency to sustain injuries. Government and non-governmental organizations should strive to develop strategies to reduce the occupational injuries targeting vulnerable groups. Enforcement of safety measures will further play an important role to ensure that both employees and employers take special precautions to address workplace hazards.

Day of the week lost time occupational injury trends in the US by gender and industry and their implications for work scheduling

While there is a growing body of research on the impact of work schedules on the risk of occupational injuries, there has been little investigation into the impact that the day of the week might have. The present research was completed to explore day of the week trends, reasons for such trends and the corresponding implications for work scheduling. Data for the number of injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (lost time; LT) in 2004 were provided by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Office of Safety and Health Statistics. Data from the American Time Use Survey database were used to estimate work hours in 2004. From these two data sources, the rate of LT injuries and illnesses (per 200 000 work hours) by day of the week, industry sector and gender were estimated. The analysis revealed clear differences by day of the week, gender and major industry sector. Sundays had the highest rate overall--nearly 37% higher than the average of the remaining days, Monday to Saturday. Mondays had the next highest rate followed closely by Saturdays. This pattern was not the same for males and females. For males, Mondays had the highest LT rate (27% higher than the average of all other days) with all remaining days having essentially the same rate. For females, Sundays and Saturdays had much higher LT rates--122% and 60% higher, respectively, than the average weekday rate. There were also differences by industry and differences between genders by industry. The present analysis suggests that several factors may be contributing to the weekend and Monday trends observed. Lower-tenured (and younger) workers on the weekends, lower female management/supervision and second jobs on the weekend seem to be contributors to the high Saturday and Sunday LT rates. Differences in day of the week employment by industry did not account for the trends observed. Fraud and overtime also could not be confirmed as contributing to these trends. Monday trends were more complex to explain, with possible explanations including non-work-related weekend injuries being reported on Mondays, soft-tissue symptoms becoming more noticeable on Mondays, greater Monday morning flexion risk and reduced supervision in the construction industry on Mondays. Interpretation of these trends and the implications for work scheduling are discussed.

Contributions of occupational hazards and human factors in occupational injuries and their associations with job, age and type of injuries in railway workers

OBJECTIVES

To assess the contributions of environmental hazards, technical dysfunctions, lack of work organization, know-how and job knowledge, and other human factors in occupational injuries and their relationships with job, age and type of accidents in railway workers.

METHODS

The sample included 1,604 male workers, having had at least one occupational injury with sick leave during a 2-year period in voluntary French railway services. A standardized questionnaire was filled in by the person-in-charge of prevention, with the injured worker. Data analysis was performed via the chi(2) independence test and adjusted odds ratios (OR) with Mantel-Haenszel test.

RESULTS

The environmental hazards were implicated in 24.7%, technical dysfunctions in 16.0%, lack of work organization in 13.7%, lack of know-how in 17.6%, lack of job knowledge in 5.2%, and the other human factors in 31.9% of occupational injuries. The injuries caused by lack of know-how or job knowledge were more represented in workers aged less than 30 (ORs adjusted for job 1.45, 95% CI 1.02-2.06 and 2.06, 1.22-3.49, respectively), those by environmental hazards in energy and electrical traction maintenance operators and train drivers (ORs adjusted for age 2.04, 1.16-3.58 and 1.80, 1.01-3.20, respectively), and those by lack of work organization in mechanical maintenance operators and in energy and electrical traction maintenance operators (ORs adjusted for age 2.24, 1.13-4.45 and 1.83, 1.30-2.57, respectively). The causes considered were strongly related with the type of injuries.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that environmental hazards, technical dysfunctions, lack of work organization, lack of knowledge and other human factors had important contributions in injuries, and they were related to job, age and type of injuries. These findings are useful for prevention. Training is necessary for young workers. The occupational physician could help the workers to be more aware of the risks.

Non-fatal occupational injuries in British agriculture

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the incidence, nature and determinants of non-fatal occupational injuries in British agriculture.

METHODS

As part of a postal survey, data on lifetime histories of work in agriculture and occupational accidents were obtained from men born between 1933 and 1977 and residing in three rural areas of England and Wales. Incidence rates for different categories of accident were compared with those derived from statutory reporting. Associations with risk factors were explored by Poisson regression, and summarised by incidence rate ratios (IRRs).

RESULTS

Of the 10 765 responders (response rate = 31%), 3238 (30%) reported at least one occupational accident at the ages of 14-64 years, leading to absence from work for >or=3 days, including 1492 accidents that could be linked to a specific job listed in the history of agricultural work. The reported incidence of injuries in agriculture was markedly higher than that derived from statutory reporting, particularly for self-employed farmers. During 1996-2003, the highest rates of agricultural accidents were from handling, lifting or carrying (4.9/1000 person-years), falls from a height (4.6/1000 person-years) and injury by animals (3.4/1000 person-years). After adjustment for calendar period and age, the risk of accidents was elevated in men who had only recently entered agricultural work (IRR 3.7, 95% CI 2.7 to 5.1 for men who had worked in agriculture for up to 1 year relative to those who had entered the industry >25 years earlier), and in those who carried out forestry (IRR 1.7, 95% CI 1.5 to 1.9).

CONCLUSION

Our findings confirm the substantial underascertainment of serious accidental injuries in agriculture through statutory reporting, particularly for the self-employed. The risk of accidents is highest in new recruits to the industry and in those undertaking forestry, and these groups should be a target for further preventive action.

Relationships of working conditions and individual characteristics to occupational injuries: a case-control study in coal miners

This study assessed the relationship of age, poor perception of working condition, poor safety environment, poor management and supervision, risk-taking behavior, emotional instability, negative job involvement, job dissatisfaction, job stress, and poor safety performance of workers to occupational injuries. This case-control study was conducted on 202 male coal miners with at least one occupational injury during a five-year period and 202 male controls with no occupational injury, matched on the job. A standardized questionnaire administered by individual interviewers was used. Data were analysed by the logistic regression method. For all workers combined, the factors with significant adjusted odds ratios (ORs) found were: 30-45 and >45 yr age groups (OR vs. <30 yr age group: 1.80, 95% CI 1.02-3.17 and 2.59, 1.38-4.85 respectively), poor perception of working conditions (1.61, CI 1.00-3.18), emotional instability (2.33, 1.04-5.22), job stress (1.83, 1.00-3.46) and poor safety performance of workers (3.10, 1.45-6.63). No significant interaction was found between these risk factors and the job. It was concluded that older age, poor perception of work conditions, poor work environment, and human behavioral factors played significant roles in occupational injuries. This information would help in implementing preventive programs to improve working conditions and management quality and to help the workers to develop positive psychological traits, but workers with negative traits such as emotional instability and older workers should be employed in less demanding jobs.

Correlates of occupational injuries for various jobs in railway workers: a case-control study

Few studies have simultaneously addressed the role of occupational factors, individual characteristics and living conditions in occupational injuries, and to the best of our knowledge none on railway workers. This survey assessed the roles of these factors in various types of injuries and for various jobs in French railway workers. This case-control study was conducted on 1,305 male workers with an occupational injury during a one-year period and 1,305 male controls. A standardized questionnaire was administrated by an occupational physician. Data were analyzed by the logistic regression method. The significant factors found for all the injuries combined were: young age (<30 yr) (adjusted odds ratio 1.47, 95% CI 1.01-2.14), 5 yr or less in present job (1.43, 1.15-1.78), sleep disorders (1.30, 1.08-1.57), current smoker (1.27, 1.08-1.50), and no do-it-yourself or gardening activity (1.23, 1.02-1.48). Young age, sleep disorders, and smoking were common for several types of injuries. The role of these factors differed between various job categories. Among injured workers sick leaves of eight days or over were more frequent in current smokers and overweight subjects. In conclusion, young age, lack of experience, job dissatisfaction, sleep disorders, smoking, and lack of physical activity increase the risk of occupational injuries. The risks induced were related with jobs. Preventive measures concerning work conditions and these factors could be conducted in railway workers generally, and especially in workers most at risk. The occupational physician could make workers more sensitive to these risks and help them to improve their living conditions during medical examinations.