Citation

Liu XX, Huang GX, Huang HQ, Wang SY, Zong Y, Chen WQ. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2016; 59(10): 832-840.

Affiliation

Faculty of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ajim.22625

PMID

27373879

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Acute occupational hand injuries are a common occurrence in China's metal manufacturing industries. This study aimed to explore the transient risk factors for acute occupational hand injuries among metal manufacturing workers.

METHODS: A case-crossover study was conducted from October 2013 through December 2013 in Zhongshan city, southern China. Face-to-face interviews were used to collect information on the occurrence of 12 transient risk factors during the "hazard" period (a 60-min period prior to occupational hand injury) and a "control" period (the week before the injury).

RESULTS: One hundred ninety-four qualified acute occupational hand injury cases (139 male, 55 female) were enrolled in this study, with a mean age of 35.5 (standard deviation [SD] 10.4) years. The most common (64.9%) type of work was punching, and the most common injures were crushes and fractures (28.8 and 23.7%, respectively). Of these cases, 62.9% were regarded as severe or major. Among the 12 transient risk factors, 11 ones were significantly associated with acute occupational hand injuries occurring during the hazard period: "replacing sharp knives" (IRR = 14.38, 95%CI 11.43-18.08), "using malfunctioning machinery" (IRR = 30.59, 95%CI 17.84-52.48), "using different tools" (IRR = 10.96, 95%CI 4.77-25.17), "using different machines" (IRR = 5.20, 95%CI 2.25-12.00), "performing unusual work tasks" (IRR = 24.38, 95%CI 14.11-42.15), "working overtime" (IRR = 13.40, 95%CI 7.70-23.29), "performing a task with a different method" (IRR = 56.41, 95%CI 23.61-134.81), "being in a bad mood" (IRR = 108.11, 95%CI 55.10-211.11), "feeling ill" (RR = 12.27, 95%CI 4.95-30.43), "rushing" (IRR = 5.16, 95%CI 2.49-10.70), and "not wearing gloves" (IRR = 1.63, 95%CI 1.23-2.15).

CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that multiple transient risk factors were responsible for the acute occupational hand injuries in China's metal manufacturing industries. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Language: en