Industrial sectors with high risk of women's hospital-treated injuries.
BACKGROUND
Women's occupational injury rates are converging with those of males. Associations between female workers' hospital treated injury rates, industrial sector and injured body area were analyzed to provide for better-focused injury prevention of women's hazardous jobs.


METHODS
Females' standardized hospital treatment ratios (SHR) and the excess fraction for five body regions (head/neck, thorax, back, upper and lower extremities) were calculated for 58 industrial sectors for 1999-2003.


RESULTS
Five industrial sectors, "Cleaning, laundries and dry cleaners," "Transport of passengers," "Hotels and restaurants," "Hospitals" and "Transport of goods" had significantly high SHRs for all five body regions. The excess fraction for upper extremity injuries revealed that 14%-27% of injuries could theoretically have been avoided.


CONCLUSIONS
There is strong evidence for an association between women's hospital treated injuries and industrial sector. The results justify the need for gender-sensitive analyses to orient injury prevention programs.
Kines
Pete
P
National Institute of Occupational Health, Lersø Parkallé, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Hannerz
Harald
H
Mikkelsen
Kim Lyngby
KL
Tüchsen
Finn
F
D000328:Adult; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009790:Occupations; D011159:Population Surveillance; D016387:Women's Health; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*