Citation

Zwerling CS, Sprince NL, Wallace RB, Davis CS, Whitten PS, Heeringa SG. Am. J. Public Health 1996; 86(9): 1306-1309.

Affiliation

University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center, Iowa City 52242, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, American Public Health Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8806386

PMCID

PMC1380597

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study examined risk factors for occupational injury among older workers. METHODS: We analyzed data on 6854 employed nonfarmers from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a population-based sample of Americans 51 through 61 years old. RESULTS: Occupational injuries were associated with the following: the occupations of mechanics and repairers (odds ratio [OR] = 2.27), service personnel (OR = 1.68), and laborers (OR = 2.18); jobs requiring heavy lifting (OR = 2.75); workers' impaired hearing (OR = 1.60) and impaired vision (OR = 1.53); and jobs requiring good vision (OR = 1.43). Self-employment was associated with fewer injuries (OR = 0.47). CONCLUSIONS: These results emphasize the importance of a good match between job demands and worker capabilities.