A case-crossover study of laceration injuries in pork processing

Details

• Personal Author:
  Lander L ; Mittleman M ; Perry MJ ; Smith LM ; Sorock, Gary S. ; Stentz TL
• Description:
  Objectives: The authors estimated the associations between transient risk factors and laceration injuries in workers at two meatpacking plants in the Midwest. Methods: The case-crossover design was used to collect within-subject transient work task and personal-level exposure information. RRs of laceration injuries were estimated by comparing exposures during the 'hazard' period (just before the laceration injury) with exposures in the 'control' period (the previous workweek). Stratified analyses were utilized to estimate the effects of gender, ethnicity, training and the number of adjacent coworkers on each transient risk factor. Results: The authors interviewed 295 meatpacking workers with laceration injuries (mean age 36.6 years, SD 11.2, 75% men, 48% Hispanic). Recent tool sharpening (RR 5.3, 95% CI 3.8 to 7.4) and equipment malfunction (RR 5.3, 95% CI 3.9 to 7.3) were associated with the highest RR for laceration injury, followed by using an unusual work method to accomplish a task (RR 4.1, 95% CI 2.6 to 6.4) and performing an unusual task (RR 2.3, 95% CI 1.8 to 3.0). Rushing and being distracted were not significantly associated with an elevated RR of a laceration injury. In stratified analyses, there were a number of significant differences in laceration risk factors by gender, ethnicity, training, and number of workers on the line. Conclusions: Sharpening tools, equipment malfunction, using an unusual work method to accomplish a task and performing an unusual task were all associated with increased risk of lacerations. Expanded training in atypical work circumstances and evaluation of tool sharpening procedures are intervention areas in meatpacking that need examination. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Monitoring Food-Processing Industry Food Handling Food Industry Men Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Race Factors Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Staff Development Women

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• Keywords:
  Cutting-tools Employee-exposure Equipment-reliability Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Food-handlers Food-processing-industry Food-processing-workers Injuries Meat-handlers Meat-packing-industry Racial-factors Risk-factors Task-performance Tools Training Work-practices

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• ISSN:
  1351-0711
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Maryland ; Massachusetts ; Nebraska ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  410-416
• Volume:
  69
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20040757
• Citation:
  Occup Environ Med 2012 Jun; 69(6):410-416
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr Lina Lander, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984395 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-4395, USA
• Email:
  llander@unmc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050901
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20110831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:bcc2cbeea8f9132ffc18f804afcf4f0e29fc2e6c23728a2796e34e16f294c210c0783d1e5a9dad55236fef5420d9f381d3d869295693666b5b9f157c6266f234
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/193511/cdc_193511_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 119.47 KB ]