The role of occupational activities and work environment in occupational injury and interplay of personal factors in various age groups among Indian and French coalminers.
OBJECTIVE
The role of occupational hazards in occupational injury may be mediated by individual factors across various age groups. This study assessed the role of occupational hazards as well as contribution of individual factors to injuries among Indian and French coalminers.


METHODS
We conducted a case-control study on 245 injured workers and on 330 controls without any injuries from Indian coal mines using face-to-face interviews, and a retrospective study on 516 French coalminers using a self-administered questionnaire including potential occupational and personal factors. Data were analyzed using logistic models.


RESULTS
The annual rate of injuries was 5.5% for Indian coalminers and 14.9% for the French ones. Logistic model including all occupational factors showed that major injury causes were: hand-tools, material handling, machines, and environment/work-geological/strata conditions among Indian miners (adjusted odds-ratios 2.01 to 3.30) and biomechanical exposure score among French miners (adjusted odds-ratio 3.01 for score the 1-4, 3.47 for the score 5-7, and 7.26 for score ≥ 8, vs. score 0). Personal factors among Indian and French coalminers reduced/exacerbated the roles of various occupational hazards to a different extent depending on workers' age.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that injury roles of occupational hazards were reduced or exacerbated by personal factors depending on workers' age in both populations. This knowledge is useful when designing prevention which should definitely consider workers' age.
Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, ashisb2006@gmail.com.
Ashis
A
Bhattacherjee
Bijay Mihir
BM
Kunar
Michele
M
Baumann
Nearkasen
N
Chau
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D003032:Coal Mining; D004864:Equipment and Supplies / Q000009:adverse effects; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D017770:Lifting / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D011187:Posture; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking; D017132:Workplace