The Costs and Characteristics of Occupational Injuries Admitted to a Trauma Unit

Occupational injuries requiring admission to a trauma unit were examined to outline the events surrounding the injury and to examine the costs. Sixty-nine patients were admitted over a 12-month period, representing 4.30% of all work-related injuries attending the emergency department and 4.25% of al...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of occupational safety and ergonomics 2012-01, Vol.18 (4), p.587-590
Main Authors: Macdonald, Duncan, Sanati, Kaveh, Macdonald, Ewan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidents, Occupational - economics
Accidents, Occupational - prevention & control
Accidents, Occupational - statistics & numerical data
Adult
Emergency Service, Hospital - economics
Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data
Female
Health Care Costs - statistics & numerical data
Health Expenditures - statistics & numerical data
Humans
injury
Male
Middle Aged
Occupational Health
occupational safety
Occupations - statistics & numerical data
prevention
Wounds and Injuries - economics
Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology
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Summary:Occupational injuries requiring admission to a trauma unit were examined to outline the events surrounding the injury and to examine the costs. Sixty-nine patients were admitted over a 12-month period, representing 4.30% of all work-related injuries attending the emergency department and 4.25% of all admissions to the trauma unit. Most were male (91%), working in skilled trade occupations (65%), with a mean age of 38.8 years. Personal protective equipment was used only by 46% of injured workers who should have been using it. Sixty-one percent of patients believed that their injury was preventable. Half of the injuries were to the upper limb, fall was the most frequent mechanism (25%) and the median duration of admission was 2 days. The direct hospital costs were estimated at over 300 000 GBP. Failure to use protective equipment and to follow health and safety guidelines suggests that opportunities exist for injury prevention.
ISSN:1080-3548
2376-9130
DOI:10.1080/10803548.2012.11076961