title: Hospital contacts due to injuries among male drivers working for road goods-transport contractors in Denmark.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish a detailed picture of injury pattern among professional goods-transport drivers in Denmark.
  
  
  METHODS
  For each calendar year over the period of 1995-2003, the age-standardized hospital contact ratios (SHRs) for injury were calculated for male drivers working for road goods-transport contractors in Denmark. The reference population was the male skilled/semiskilled subpopulation of the general workforce in Denmark.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No differences in the rate of injury-related hospital contact could be found between male goods-transport drivers and the reference population between 1995 and 1999. However, in the following period of 2000-2003, elevated rates of injury-related hospital contact were noted among goods-transport drivers, compared with the reference population. Furthermore, the injury-related SHR of goods-transport drivers showed a significant increase throughout the period of 1995-2003. Injuries to ankles/feet/toes were prominent among goods-transport drivers. Compared with the reference population, male goods-transport drivers had elevated rates of superficial injuries, dislocations/sprains/strains, fractures, and concussion. The superficial injuries were sustained most frequently in the ankles/feet/toes, open wounds in head/neck, dislocations/sprains/strains in ankles/feet/toes, and fractures in wrists/hands/fingers and ankles/feet/toes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a clear need for efforts to prevent work injuries among goods-transport drivers. Special attention should be paid to preventing fractures in wrists/hands/fingers and ankles/feet/toes, dislocations/sprains/strains in ankles/feet/toes, open wounds in head/neck, and concussion.
authors.affiliation: National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark. kis@nrcwe.dk
authors.forename: Hitomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shibuya
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hannerz
authors.forename: Kim Lyngby
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Mikkelsen
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cleal
authors.forename: Lotte
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gubba
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019992:Databases as Topic; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D014186:Transportation; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology