Tree-related injuries associated with response and recovery from Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey, 2011-2014.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Borjan M ; Lefkowitz D ; Lu S-E ; Marshall EG ; Williams AO
• Description:
  Objectives: Extreme weather events require extensive tree removal and disposal, tasks associated with severe injury risks among workers and residents. To help understand the risks of such activities, we evaluated the impact of a large and destructive storm (Hurricane Sandy in 2012) on the incidence of tree-related injuries. Methods: We searched chief-complaint text fields for patients aged 18-65 from 2011-2014 emergency department visit records submitted by New Jersey hospitals through the state-based syndromic surveillance system. Tree-related keywords (eg, saw, branch, wood chip, woodchip, tree) identified possible injuries that we then reviewed to exclude unrelated cases and classify mechanisms of tree-related injury. We used Poisson regression analysis to evaluate changes in the rates of probable tree-related injuries, adjusting for total emergency department visits and seasonal variation. Results: We identified 698 probable tree-related injuries from 2011-2014 among patients aged 18-65, including 104 (14.9%) falls, 241 (34.5%) machine-related injuries, 311 (44.6%) struck-by injuries, and 42 (6.0%) other tree-related injuries. Tree-related injuries increased significantly in the quarter immediately after Hurricane Sandy (November 2012-January 2013) compared with the same quarter the year before (rate ratio [RR] = 1.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-2.47) and the year after (RR = 2.47; 95% CI, 1.62-3.78) Hurricane Sandy, especially for struck-by injuries compared with the year before (RR = 2.74; 95% CI, 1.47-5.12) and the year after (RR = 4.17; 95% CI, 2.09-8.32) Hurricane Sandy. More than one-third of the injuries (33.4%) involved chainsaws. Conclusions: A major hurricane was associated with an increase in tree-related injuries in emergency departments, especially for mechanisms consistent with handling downed and damaged trees. Further research should confirm these findings and evaluate opportunities for preventing tree-related injuries. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Aging Cyclonic Storms Emergency Responders Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Occupational Injuries; Epidemiology; Trees; Population Surveillance; Injuries Tree Trimmers; Hurricanes; Injuries; Age Groups; Emergency Care; Emergency Treatment; Medical Facilities; Surveillance; Falls; Machinery; Machine Tools;
• ISSN:
  0033-3549
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  266-273
• Volume:
  133
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065878
• Citation:
  Public Health Rep 2018 May-Jun; 133(3):266-273
• Contact Point Address:
  Elizabeth G. Marshall, PhD, Rutgers School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, 683 Hoes Ln W, Piscataway, NJ 08854
• Email:
  marshaeli@sph.rutgers.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Public Health Reports
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:73048e513f537aa47f3e01498be785a9c61d9069f9715313d5a83c9205f2e71a53ab79a3f20514ea34db5e21766d628c151176c63ee43911e08f11a63e4e72f5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/249584/cdc_249584_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 253.51 KB ]