Risk Factors for Lacerations in Meatpacking

描述：本研究重点调查与肉类加工工人上肢(UE)撕裂伤风险相关的固定和暂时性因素，因为1)UE创伤及其相关经济成本在美国劳动力中的高发生率已有很好的记录；2)现有数据表明肉类加工工人UE创伤的发生率很高，尽管关于风险和原因的实证数据很少；以及3)我们以前研究肉类包装和其他职业伤害的经验支持这样一个假设，即可以确定可改变的风险因素，最终减少肉类加工业中UE创伤的发生。对中西部猪肉加工设施日加工生猪9000头至10000头进行研究。向工厂职业卫生诊所报告UE撕裂伤的工人将被招募为病例，并在伤害事件发生后不久进行面谈。将使用病例交叉方法评估存在与暂住工人相关的风险因素的UE撕裂伤的风险，例如使用个人防护装备、匆忙、从事陌生切割任务的工作以及UE疼痛。对于病例交叉分析，病例将被问及在伤害发生前很久的控制期内存在稳定和短暂暴露的情况下的伤害事件，并与伤害发生前的风险期进行比较。在存在稳定的人体工程学/工作设计因素的情况下，将使用病例对照方法评估UE撕裂伤的风险，这些因素包括人员配备水平、使用钝刀工作和安全培训历史。在病例对照分析中，病例将与受伤时在工厂工作的对照病例相匹配，风险因素暴露将使用条件Logistic回归进行比较，并调整固定的协变量，如年龄、教育程度、利手和割伤史。这两种方法的使用是研究一系列潜在的可改变的风险因素的综合方法，这些因素可以直接转化为预防性干预战略，以减少这个高风险行业的撕裂发生。

DESCRIPTION: This study focuses on investigating fixed and transient factors related to the risk for upper extremity (UE) laceration injuries in meatpacking workers because 1) high rates of UE trauma and associated economic costs have been well documented in the US workforce; 2) existing data suggest high rates of UE trauma in meatpacking workers, although little empirical data are available on risk and causal factors; and 3) our prior experience in studying meatpacking and other occupational injuries supports the hypothesis that modifiable risk factors can be identified to ultimately reduce the occurrence of UE trauma in the meatpacking industry. To Midwest pork processing facilities processing between 9,000 and 10,000 hogs per day will be studied. Workers reporting to plant-based occupational health clinics with a UE laceration will be recruited as cases and interviewed soon after the injury event. Case-crossover methods will be used to evaluate the risk for UE laceration injuries in the presence of transient worker related risk factors such as personal protective equipment use, rushing, working with an unfamiliar cutting task, and UE pain. For case-crossover analyses, cases will be asked about the injury event in the presence of stable and transient exposures in a control period well before the injury and compared to a risk period immediately preceding the injury. Case-control methods will be used to evaluate risk for UE laceration injuries in the presence of stable ergonomic/job design factors including staffing levels, working with dull knives, and history of safety training. For case control analyses, cases will be matched to controls working in the plant at the same time the case was injured and risk factor exposures will be compared using conditional logistic regression, adjusting for fixed covariates such as age, education, handedness and laceration history. Use of the two methodologies is a comprehensive approach to studying a spectrum of potentially modifiable risk factors that can be translated directly into preventive intervention strategies to reduce laceration occurrence in this high risk industry.