title: Low-back injuries in a heavy industry. I. Worker and workplace factors.
abstract: The costs and circumstances of low-back strains, low-back impact injuries, and non-low-back injuries among field employees of an offshore petroleum drilling company, 1979-1985, were compared. The objectives were to identify worker and workplace factors associated with low-back injuries, to identify factors differentially associated with lost-time injuries, and to formulate recommendations for the control of low-back injuries. Low-back-impact injuries resulted largely from falls. Efforts to prevent falls would have a potential to reduce other serious consequences as well as back injuries. Workers performing the heaviest physical labor were at highest risk of low-back strains. Based on activities precipitating the injury, modifications of work site, equipment, and procedures to help reduce low-back strains are recommended. Only job was a predictor of whether a low-back strain was likely to be associated with lost time. Even this association was lacking for low-back impact injuries. Cost control by preventing the small proportion of high cost injuries may not be feasible. Rather, subsets of low-back injuries defined, for example, by work site or activity can suggest options for intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Clemmer
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Mercer
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000191:economics; D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000191:economics*; D000328:Adult; D019567:Back Injuries; D001416:Back Pain / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009790:Occupations; D010578:Petroleum
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum