Slips, Trips and Falls in US Hospital Workers-Detailed Investigation

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bell JL ; Brennan MJ ; Chang WR ; Collins, James H. ; Courtney TK ; DeMaster E ; Gronqvist RA ; Lombardi DA ; Matz M ; Sorock, Gary S. ; Verma S ; Wellman HM ; Wolf L
• Description:
  In 2003 the health services sector was the largest employer in the USA, and slips, trips and falls (STF) accounted for the largest proportion of lost time injuries (20%). A follow-back study of hospital workers who STF was conducted to better describe STF circumstances and inform ergonomic interventions. One hundred twenty-three health care workers, who reported a STF to the occupational health department in seven US hospitals, were recruited and interviewed using a structured telephone questionnaire. Participants were predominantly female (86%) with a mean age (range) of 46 (19-67). One hundred and eight workers (88%) fell: 53% after slipping, 32% after tripping. Liquid contaminants (e.g., water, cleaning solutions) were involved in 36% of the events. Sixty-four percent of the STF occurred at a transitional area: dry/wet (32%), one type of floor to another (20%), or uneven surfaces (15%). Forty-one percent of workers fell forward, 23% fell to the side, and 21 % fell backward. While the hands, knees, and buttocks were most often the points of impact, the back, knees, ankles/feet were most frequently injured. For workers who were injured (93%), strains and sprains (29%), contusions (27%), and non-specific pain and soreness (24%) were typical. Other injuries included abrasions, fractures, edema and lacerations. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Epidemiology Ergonomics Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Occupational Health Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Women
• Keywords:
  Health-care-facilities Health-care-personnel Injuries Injury-prevention Nurses Questionnaires Statistical-analysis Surveillance Traumatic-injuries
• ISBN:
  9780080450551
• Publisher:
  International Ergonomics Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; Maryland ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20030991
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the 16th World Congress on Ergonomics (IEA2006), July 10-14, 2006, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Pikaar RN, Koningsveld EAP, Settels PJM, eds. Madison, WI: International Ergonomics Association, 2006 Jul; :1-4
• Contact Point Address:
  Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA 01748 USA
• Editor(s):
  Pikaar RN; Koningsveld EAP; Settels PJM
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Traumatic Injuries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the 16th World Congress on Ergonomics (IEA2006), July 10-14, 2006, Maastricht, The Netherlands
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:24ca436451591796142331757400d2dff6f239733d9ba04ece4fcc7569b13ec63b5c00c361ae9e7eeb371987f39237a2d2ab448313c321444d418b08575443a7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/191398/cdc_191398_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 414.00 KB ]