title: Occupational accidents and injuries in Thailand.
abstract: The Workers' Compensation Fund (WCF) represents only a limited fraction of work-related injuries in the Thai workforce. This cross-sectional study examined 258,986 records from the Thai National Injury Surveillance (NIS) system collected during 2001-2004, focusing on 17,538 injuries coded as work-related. NIS records provided information generally not represented in WCF statistics, such as construction and agriculture. The reported mechanisms in 129 work-related fatalities were particularly informative, including electrical current (27%), transport accidents (20%), and falls (15%). Mortality in transport accidents was dramatically higher when seat belts or motorcycle helmets were not used, whether work-related or not. The findings emphasize the need to use multiple sources of information for a complete picture of work-related injuries in Thailand, and possibly in other countries. The mechanisms of fatal injury indicate areas where focused efforts are warranted.
authors.affiliation: International Scholars in Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-7234, USA.
authors.forename: Phayong
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thepaksorn
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Daniell
authors.forename: Chantana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Padungtod
authors.forename: Matthew C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Keifer
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*