title: The costs and characteristics of occupational injuries admitted to a trauma unit.
abstract: Occupational injuries requiring admission to a trauma unit were examined to outline the events surrounding the injury and to examine the costs. Sixty-nine patients were admitted over a 12-month period, representing 4.30% of all work-related injuries attending the emergency department and 4.25% of all admissions to the trauma unit. Most were male (91%), working in skilled trade occupations (65%), with a mean age of 38.8 years. Personal protective equipment was used only by 46% of injured workers who should have been using it. Sixty-one percent of patients believed that their injury was preventable. Half of the injuries were to the upper limb, fall was the most frequent mechanism (25%) and the median duration of admission was 2 days. The direct hospital costs were estimated at over 300000 GBP. Failure to use protective equipment and to follow health and safety guidelines suggests that opportunities exist for injury prevention.
authors.affiliation: Public Health and Health Policy, University of Glasgow, UK. djmmacd@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Duncan J M
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Macdonald
authors.forename: Kaveh A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Sanati
authors.forename: Ewan B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Macdonald
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D009790:Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology*