Cold-related non-fatal injuries in Alaska.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Conway GA ; Husberg, Brad
• Description:
  Background: As in northern Finland and Sweden, the Arctic and subarctic environments of Alaska provide a hazardous work setting, exacerbated by great distances, seasonal darkness, very cold waters, high winds, often brief hunting and fishing seasons, and high icing potential. Methods: Comprehensive surveillance for non-fatal injuries requiring hospitalization was established in 1991 via the Alaska Trauma Registry. In our preliminary analysis, we considered the following ICD-9-CM classifications to be cold injuries: E-codes: 901.00 (excessive cold weather), 901.8 (excessive cold, other), and 901.9 (excessive cold, nonspecific); and/or N-codes: 991.6 (hypothermia), 991.0-991.3 (frostbite), 991.5 (chilblains), and 991.4 (immersion foot). Results: During 1991-1995, 327 persons were hospitalized for cold-related injuries in Alaska. Male victims numbered 251, female 76. The mean age of victims was 34 years. Among those injured while working (N=40): 20 (50%) were active-duty military, and 14 were professional fishermen, hunters or trappers; 19 (48%) were white, 12 (30%) black (versus 4% of the Alaska population), and 8 (20%) Alaska Native, disproportionate in rate only for black workers. For those injuries not meeting a strict case definition for work-related events (N=287), 14 7 ( 51 % ) of the victims were Alaska Native, in contrast to the 16% of Alaska residents who are Alaska Native. The most common cause for hospitalization was hypothermia (150, 46% ), followed by frostbite of the foot (138, 42%) or hand (62, 19%) or face (13, 4%). Immersion foot accounted for 10 (3%) of the hospitalizations. Alcohol consumption was implicated in 88 (27%) of these events. Conclusions: Cold-related injury is a relatively common cause for hospitalization in Alaskan workers. The cold continues to be a tangible and potentially serious hazard, particularly for military and outdoor workers and Alaska Natives. The apparent higher risk for these injuries experienced by black workers also requires further investigation. Careful attention to wearing proper clothing, particularly gloves or mittens and boots or mukluks, as well as limiting sustained exposure times, should be encouraged. Specialized training in cold preparedness and injury prevention should be considered for all workers and persons conducting subsistence activities in cold environments. The systematic and comprehensive approach (well-documented in the literature) taken by the Oulu Regional Institute of the FIOH to studying, designing clothing and equipment, and organizing worktasks for prevention of cold injury might be a fruitful area of collaboration for prevention of similar injuries in Alaska.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Asbestos Dust Environmental Monitoring Health Surveys Occupational Health Particulate Matter Preceptorship Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Textile Industry

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• Keywords:
  Age Groups Alcohol Alcoholic Beverages Alcohols Cold Environments Cold Stress Cold Weather Operations Demographic Characteristics Environmental Exposure Environmental Hazards Exposure Levels Extremities Fishing Fishing Industry Frost Bite Hazards Humans Hypothermia Injuries Men Outdoors Outdoor Workers Racial Factors Risk Factors Seasonal Activity Seasonal Factors Sociological Factors Women Work Environment Workers

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• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research ; AFS - Alaska Field Station
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  41-42
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20047960
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the 7th Joint Science Symposium on Occupational Safety and Health, October 26-27 1998, Hidden Valley, Pennsylvania. Cincinnati, OH: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,1998 Oct; :41-42
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1999
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the 7th Joint Science Symposium on Occupational Safety and Health, October 26-27 1998, Hidden Valley, Pennsylvania
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6b999c586e423d69a891f250b5ea2ce74b7617366cc68f354bd17df809b16997b902e931ebd1887c07251b38171d2c025740c560375c32a8bea2bd3499382292
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/181691/cdc_181691_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 50.62 KB ]