Injuries and illnesses among American Red Cross responders - United States, 2008-2012

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brinker, Kimberly ; Funk RH ; Head CA ; Johnson CY
• Description:
  Objective Occupational injury and illness rates for volunteer responders have not been well documented. We analyzed data specific to volunteers from the American Red Cross (ARC). Methods Data collected by the ARC between 2008 and 2012 were analyzed to identify disaster factors associated with responder injuries and illnesses. We focused on disaster-relief operation (DRO) level (indicating operational costs, ranging from 3 [lower] to 5+ [higher]); disaster type; region; and year. We calculated injury and illness rates and estimated rate ratios (RR) with 95% CI, using negative binomial regression. Also, we analyzed a total of 113 disasters. Results Hurricanes had the highest rates of injuries (14/1000 responders) and illnesses (18/1000 responders). In the adjusted model for injuries, RRs were higher for DRO levels 4 (3.6 [CI, 2.0-6.7]) and 5+ (4.9 [CI, 2.2-11.0]) than for level 3. In the adjusted model for illnesses, RRs also were higher for DRO levels 4 (4.4 [CI, 2.6-7.3]) and 5+ (8.6 [CI, 4.1-17.7]) than for level 3. Conclusions Higher DRO levels were a significant predictor of greater rates of occupational injuries and illnesses. Careful selection of responders, including volunteers, has been warranted for deployments to such disasters. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emergencies Emergency Responders Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Responders Emergency-responders Emergency-response Illnesses Injuries Occupational Health Statistical-analysis Volunteers
• ISSN:
  1935-7893
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Georgia ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  EPRO - Emergency Preparedness and Response Office
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  404-410
• Volume:
  8
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045361
• Citation:
  Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2014 Oct; 8(5):404-410
• Contact Point Address:
  Kimberly A. Brinker, MSN, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of the Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Emergency Preparedness and Response Office, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Mailstop E-20, Atlanta, GA 30333
• Email:
  kbrinker@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7b880b148938ea8f4c09e91b1b4f1b72ad994217269f8d7851aba70b1873443178a768a11a62969a5d36524e90b476176e2cab6fd18580b7d7c1e648d569c5a2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200809/cdc_200809_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 223.99 KB ]