Evaluation of factors associated with work-related injuries to veterinary technicians certified in Minnesota

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alexander BH ; Bender JB ; Church, Timothy R. ; Gerberich, Susan G. ; Nordgren LD ; Ryan, Andrew D.
• Description:
  Objective: To evaluate the magnitude and consequences of work-related injuries and associated factors among veterinary technicians certified in Minnesota. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Sample: 1,427 certified veterinary technicians (CVTs). Procedures: Surveys were used to collect data on demographics, personal characteristics, injury occurrences in the 12 months prior to survey completion, and injury consequences. Annual injury rates were estimated on the basis of demographic and work-related characteristics. Risk of injury associated with various factors was estimated by calculation of incidence rate ratios, controlling for multiple factors. Results: 465 of 873 eligible CVTs reported 1,827 injury events (total and bite injury rates, 237 and 78 injuries/100 persons/y). Primary injury sources were cats and dogs, and most injuries occurred during animal restraint or treatment. Self-reported most severe injuries involved bites; cuts, lacerations, or scratches; bruises or contusions; and abrasions. Injury consequences included treatment and restricted work activity. Risk of work-related injury was lower for CVTs who worked < 40 h/wk than for those who worked >/= 40 h/wk. The risk was higher for CVTs working in small animal or mixed mostly small animal facilities and lower for those working in mixed large and small animal facilities, commercial or industry operations, and government or regulatory facilities, compared with CVTs in colleges or universities. Handling 4 to > 6 (vs < 4) animal species during the 12 months prior to the survey and belief that injuries are not preventable were also associated with higher risk of injury. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Several factors associated with the risk of work-related injury among CVTs were identified. Beyond these risk factors, investigation of additional exposures is integral to relevant intervention strategies. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Animals Behavior Demography Epidemiology Health Personnel Men Occupational Health Preventive Medicine Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Veterinarians Women Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Age-groups Demographic-characteristics Exposure-levels Humans Injuries Personality-traits Preventive-medicine Questionnaires Risk-factors Veterinary-medicine Work-areas Work-environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  0003-1488
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Minnesota ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  425-433
• Volume:
  245
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046021
• Citation:
  J Am Vet Med Assoc 2014 Aug; 245(4):425-433
• Email:
  gerbe001@umn.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:dfbff464cbf0b3c21f73554c8dcc5c0b94220803def5d49da1a606c805fb94116fc7b7d62aa2ea44741b3dbbee3db9c535300c26f8e903f771fbc41fce2f841a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/201212/cdc_201212_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 347.78 KB ]