A significant outcome of work life: occupational accidents in a developing country, Turkey.
Occupational accident rates are high in the developing world and they are among the crucial indicators of work life. The data on serious occupational accidents in three years from the Aegean Region of Turkey were analyzed in order to define the working life situation. The data for 1995-97 were obtained from The Social Insurance Institution. Variables were defined for workers, work environment and working conditions for descriptive analysis. The relationships between these variables and outcomes of the occupational accidents were analyzed. The fatality risk was 2.6 times higher for mining and construction than for the production sector (p<0.001), and 1.6 times higher for evening and night shifts than for day shifts (p<0.01). Mortality from being struck by something, falls, motor vehicle accidents and electrocutions were significantly higher than being cut or in, under or between objects (OR 3.5, 8.7, 23.1, 26.1 respectively and p<0.01). As a conclusion, it was suggested that within the globalization picture, occupational health problems in the developing world should be explored intensively in order to establish effective prevention programs.
Ergör
O Alp
OA
Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey.
Demiral
Yücel
Y
Piyal
Y Bülent
YB
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology