Non-fatal work related injuries in a cohort of Brazilian steelworkers
Minouk J Schoemakera, Sandhi M Barretob, Anthony J Swerdlowa, Craig D Higginsa, Robert G Carpentera
a Cancer and
Public Health Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health,
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street,
WC1E 7HT London, UK, b Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Federal
de Minas Gerais and Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação
Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil
Correspondence to: Dr Minouk Schoemaker minouk.schoemaker{at}lshtm.ac.uk
Accepted 14 April 2000
OBJECTIVES
Workers
in the steel industry are exposed to various severe hazards. This study
investigated risk factors for non-fatal injury occurring in the
workplace and during travel to and from work in steelworkers in Brazil.
METHODSNon-fatal
work related injuries during employment from January 1977 to September
1992 were analysed in a cohort of 21 732 male workers in the steel
plant of USIMINAS, Brazil.
RESULTSThere
were 14 972 non-fatal injuries during follow up, with 10 891 injuries
in the workplace and 4081 during travel to and from work (travel to
work injury). The rate of injury in the workplace was 5.6/100
person-years and that of travel to work injury was 2.1/100
person-years. The most common injuries were to hands, arms, and eyes,
with 90% of the eye injuries caused by a foreign body. Both rates of
workplace and travel to work injury increased significantly with the
number of injuries previously experienced, and decreased with number of
years in employment and calendar period. The rates of travel to work
injury also seemed to decrease with age, but age was not an independent
predictor of workplace injury when we controlled for duration of
employment. The rate of workplace injury was increased eightfold for
workers who had experienced more than six previous injuries compared
with those with no previous workplace injuries after adjusting for
duration of employment and calendar period. Labourers were most at risk of workplace injury, with about eight injuries per 100 person-years. Travel to work injury was most common among support workers, with nearly half of the travel to work injuries affecting the eyes.
CONCLUSIONThe
rate of injury was high in these steelworks, both for workplace and
travel to work injuries. Characteristics of the work areas and the
employees can identify high risk groups; protective measures, safety,
health training, and injury programmes should concentrate particularly
on these groups. Prevention of eye injury needs special attention in steelworks.
Keywords: steel workers; injuries
© 2000 by Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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