Acute Occupational Inhalation Injuries-United States, 2011–2022

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blackley DJ ; Dodd KE ; Hale, Janet M. ; Hall NB ; Laney AS ; Myers NT
• Description:
  Background: Inhalation injuries due to acute occupational exposures to chemicals are preventable. National surveillance of acute inhalation exposures is limited. This study identified the most common acute inhalation exposure-related incidents by industry sector among US workers. Methods: To characterize inhalation-related injuries and their exposures during April 2011-March 2022, state and federal records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Occupational Safety and Health Information System (OIS) accident database were analyzed. Industry-specific injury, hospitalization, and fatality rates were calculated. Results: The most frequent acute inhalation incidents investigated by OSHA were caused by inorganic gases (52.9%) such as carbon monoxide (CO) or acids, bases, and oxidizing chemical agents (12.9%) such as anhydrous ammonia. The largest number of fatal and nonfatal injuries were reported in the manufacturing (28.6%) and construction (17.2%) sectors. Conclusions: Workers were affected by acute inhalation exposures in most industries. Using this surveillance, employers can recognize frequently-occurring preventable acute inhalation exposures by industry, such as inorganic gases in the manufacturing sector, and implement prevention measures. Training of workers on exposure characteristics and limits, adverse health effects, and use of protective equipment by exposure agent can prevent inhalation injuries. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Ammonia Carbon Monoxide Construction Industry Epidemiology Hazardous Substances Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety

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• Keywords:
  Accident Rates Author Keywords: Acute Inhalation Exposures Carbon Monoxide Chemical Hazards Cleaning Materials Construction Fatality Rate Hospitalization Rate Industry Sectors Inhalation Injury Rate Inorganic Gases Manufacturing Occupational Exposure Occupational Exposures

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  376-383
• Volume:
  67
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069258
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2024 Apr; 67(4):376-383
• Contact Point Address:
  Nirmala T. Myers PhD, 1000 Frederick Ln, Mail Stop H-G900, Morgantown, WV 26508, USA
• Email:
  nmyers@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Ammonia (CAS RN 7664-41-7) ; Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d8781ae861c18dd938d099588e05dfbcece2ab56dc814ba1de66e23269fa4c2efe9d3b67b4152cfce5cc015001ac8973e62dccde3c995ed2031fa7a948b08be7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207765/cdc_207765_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 886.75 KB ]