Employment status and the frequency and causes of burn injuries in New England

Details

• Personal Author:
  Burke JF ; Locke JA ; Rossignol AM
• Description:
  This study assessed the effects of work and employment status on rates and causes of burn injuries and identified high risk occupations using 1978/1979 New England Regional Burn Program data for persons at least 20 years old. Overall, 30 percent of burns were work related. Burn incidence rates were 28.5 and 5.4 burns/100,000 person years for employed men and women, respectively. Burn rate ratios varied inversely with age, burn incidence rate was highest for employed men aged 20 to 24 years (46.5 burns/100,000 person years). Overall, 55 and 30 percent of burns to employed men and women, respectively, occurred at work. Burn rates were roughly three times higher for blacks versus whites and varied minimally with sex, employment status, or work status. Non work related burns were substantially higher for unemployed versus employed persons among both sexes and both races. Overall burn rates were highest in Maine, primarily due to high work related burn rates, and lowest in Rhode Island for both sexes. Scalds were the most common type of work related burn to men and women aged 20 to 54 years but flame or flash burns were most common for older persons. Explosion or ignition of flammable liquids caused most work related flame or flash burns. Food preparation or consumption and motor vehicles also accounted for the majority of work related burns. Male and female operatives, laborers, and service workers were over represented among work related burns. The authors indicate that several commonly held ideas regarding burn epidemiology and control need to be reassessed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Age Factors Food-Processing Industry Food Handling Food Industry Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Occupational Injuries Race Factors Risk Assessment Safety Sex Characteristics

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• Keywords:
  Accident-rates Accident-statistics Age-factors Food-handlers Food-processing-workers Humans JOCMA7 Mechanics NIOSH-Grant NIOSH-Publication Occupational-accidents Occupational-hazards Racial-factors Risk-analysis Sex-factors Traumatic-injuries

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• ISSN:
  0096-1736
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maine ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; Rhode Island
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  31
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00192221
• Citation:
  J Occup Med 1989 Sep; 31(9):751-757
• Contact Point Address:
  Civil Engineering Tufts University Department of Civil Engr Medford, MA 02155
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1989
• Performing Organization:
  Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19860401
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational Medicine
• End Date:
  19881130
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:351f637b1d7d6d636370db02f02616884b4e93d268f9e5c1b1dad3f11e8c59ca5e7d3681b00f828efcb583398adcb6c28c7f5112c0e404679a4dbb73891d77f0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204601/cdc_204601_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 711.34 KB ]