A prospective analysis of trash, brush, and grass burning behaviors

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kealey GP ; Lewis RW II ; Miller BR ; Newell IM ; Peek-Asa, Corinne ; Wibbenmeyer LA ; Young TL
• Description:
  Burn injuries sustained during residential trash, brush, and grass burning cause significant morbidity and mortality in rural areas. To further prevention efforts, we surveyed individuals who incurred injuries from residential burning. Thirty-six individuals injured while burning trash, brush, or grass from June 2003 through September 2005 were asked to respond to a self-administered written survey. Injury related questions revealed that the majority of those injured were burning brush (21 of 35, 60.0%) in an open space (19 of 35, 54.2%) with the addition of accelerants (27 of 36, 75%). Survey questions regarding usual burning practices revealed almost two-thirds burned either brush or a mixture of brush and trash (23 of 36, 63.9%). Eighty percent of those who were injured desired to change their behavior (25 of 35, 80%). Approximately two-thirds would consider asking for help with burning if it were provided (22 of 34, 64.7%). Our survey shows that acceptable alternatives to burning varied depending on the material that was burned. As the majority of respondents usually burned brush or a mixture of brush and trash, an acceptable trash removal system should also include brush pickup. As residential burning continues presently, injury prevention efforts are essential and should focus on the misuse of gasoline, uniform safety standards for gasoline cans, and dissemination of safe burning practices. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Burns Epidemiology Fires Men Morbidity Mortality Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Women

  More +
• Keywords:
  Etiology Fire-hazards Humans Injuries Morbidity-rates Mortality-data Physiopathology Questionnaires Risk-factors Statistical-analysis Traumatic-injuries

  More +
• ISSN:
  1559-047X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  441-445
• Volume:
  29
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20040679
• Citation:
  J Burn Care Res 2008 May-Jun; 29(3):441-445
• Contact Point Address:
  Lucy A. Wibbenmeyer, MD, FACS, Department of Surgery, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Burn Care & Research
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b8a426e921cc43695012f3079e47e28f6b88267a5741eb16a1c3cd5631c62c88bf6bde94d45f8be11c2b2e27625d6a4db43feb648a7884332975d6c96f371957
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/193467/cdc_193467_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 65.28 KB ]