Etiology and consequences of injuries to veterinary technicians.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alexander BH ; Bender JB ; Church, Timothy R. ; Gerberich, Susan G. ; Nordgren LD ; Ryan, Andrew D.
• Description:
  Little is known about work-related injuries to Certified Veterinary Technicians (CVTs). A two-phase study was implemented to determine the frequency and consequences of and risk factors for injuries in all 1,427 CVTs, certified in Minnesota. First, a mailed survey collected data on demographics, personal characteristics, injury occurrences, and consequences from the previous 12 months (74% response). Subsequently, a mailed case-control study of bite injuries collected data on bite exposures, activities, clinic or department characteristics, use of animal restraint, and workplace safety culture. Cases (n=301) were questioned about exposures in the month before the incident; controls (n=567) were questioned about exposures on a randomly selected working month from all months during the study period. We identified potentially confounding variables for multiple logistic regression from causal directed acyclic graphs. Injury rates per 100 persons per year included: all injuries, 188; and bites, 69. Of the most severe injuries, primary types were: bites, 52%; cuts/lacerations/scratches, 31%; bruises/contusions, 22%; abrasions, 9%; sprains/strains, 7%; punctures/needle sticks, 5%. For all injuries leading sources were: cats (47%), dogs (35%), and lifting animals or equipment (9%). Injury consequences included: treatment, 78%; restricted work activity, 27%; lost time from work, 13%; and persistent symptoms, 9%. Multivariate modeling identified increased risks for handling animals <5 years, belief injuries not preventable, <25 years of age, and reduced risks for working <8 hours/week, and working in university, mixed, or commercial industrial practices. Many CVTs experience injuries with serious consequences. Further identification of risk factors is integral to the development of preventive interventions. [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:
  Animals; Injuries; Veterinarians; Veterinary-medicine; Exposure-levels; Risk-factors; Workers; Work-environment; Behavior; Demographic-characteristics; Age-groups; Humans; Men; Women; Epidemiology; Preventive-medicine; Personality-traits; Work-areas; Questionnaires; Epidemiology
• Publisher:
  American Public Health Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• 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
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046061
• Citation:
  APHA 135th Annual Meeting and Exposition, Washington, DC, November 3-7, 2007. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2007 Nov; :150616
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Performing Organization:
  University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  APHA 135th Annual Meeting and Exposition, Washington, DC, November 3-7, 2007
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7dc847c09aedf140bc731323e8446b4703641ae07d6ad9e7b7238120dab30b8f7dcaa9b938d34d035f87873a0fe7fec262d5d13dcaf290925445e82b6de3b57d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/248275/cdc_248275_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 168.02 KB ]