A Descriptive Analysis of Nonfatal Occupational Injuries to Older Workers, Using a National Probability Sample of Hospital Emergency Departments

An estimated 136,985 nonfatal, work-related injuries to workers 55 years of age and older were presented for treatment in hospital emergen departments across the United States during 1993. Men accounted for 63.7% of the injuries and had an injury rate of 1.06 per 100 workers, compared with a rate of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 1997-09, Vol.39 (9), p.855-865
Main Authors: Layne, Larry A., Landen, Deborah D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidental Falls - statistics & numerical data
Age Distribution
Aged
Agricultural Workers' Diseases - epidemiology
Biological and medical sciences
Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data
Emergency services
Female
Forestry
Hospitals
Humans
Industry
Injuries
Male
Medical Records Systems, Computerized
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
Occupational accidents
Occupational Diseases - epidemiology
Occupational Diseases - prevention & control
Occupational medicine
Older people
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Population Surveillance - methods
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Sex Distribution
United States - epidemiology
Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology
Wounds and Injuries - prevention & control
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Summary:An estimated 136,985 nonfatal, work-related injuries to workers 55 years of age and older were presented for treatment in hospital emergen departments across the United States during 1993. Men accounted for 63.7% of the injuries and had an injury rate of 1.06 per 100 workers, compared with a rate ofO. 76 among women. Among the oldest worker (65+ years), injuries were more likely to be fractures or dislocations, to result from falls on the same level, or to involve hospitalization. The services industry had the largest number of injuries (31.9%), whereas the highest injury rate occurred in the agriculture/forestry/fishing industry (1.50 per 100 workers). The types of injuries most frequently requiring hospitalization were fractures or dislocations that resulted from a fall. Because older workers' employment demographics and inju patterns differ from the remainder of the labor force, interventions need to be developed which are specific to the workplace for this older worki population.
ISSN:1076-2752
1536-5948
DOI:10.1097/00043764-199709000-00009