title: The theatrical stage as accident site in professional dance.
abstract: Reducing work-related health hazards at the different theatre workplaces is one aspect of preventive options in professional dance. This also applies to hazards on the highly variable theatrical stage areas. However, detailed information on these stages and their risks is not available. The aim of this study was to analyze and evaluate work-related traumatic injuries in the stage area.
  
  
  
  The basis for the evaluation was accident reports, from the German National Statutory Insurance, of work-related traumatic injuries occurring on stage in professional dancers (n=790: 407 males, 383 females) over a 17-year period (1995-2011).
  
  
  
  Most (79.4%) of the accidents on stage occurred during an ongoing performance (frequency: 10.1/100 performances), with only 19.7% occurring during rehearsals on stage (p<0.001). Due to the sustained injury, 30.2% of the dancers sustained a time-loss injury. Most (57.7%) of the injured dancers were older than 25 years. Of the accidents, 59.3% were initiated by a definably extrinsic cause, with 40.7% caused by intrinsic factors (p<0.001). Injuries were most commonly caused by the "partner" (21.7%) or "floor" (21.0%). The lower extremity was the most commonly affected body region (63.6%) (p<0.001).
  
  
  
  Stage performances seem to carry an increased injury risk compared to rehearsals. The "risk" of on-stage work is spread across various factors that seem to be stage-specific. There is a need for further qualitative and quantitative research to be able to classify the stage as workplace more precisely.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dance Medicine, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Charité Medical University Berlin, Thielallee 69, 14195 Berlin, Germany. Tel +49 030 450 529 552, fax +49 030 450 529 952. Eileen.wanke@charite.de.
authors.forename: Eileen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Wanke
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arendt
authors.forename: Helmgard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mill
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davenport
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Groneberg
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000293:injuries; D003615:Dancing / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D005430:Floors and Floorcoverings; D005858:Germany; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013180:Sprains and Strains / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult