Risk-Reduction Research in Occupational Safety and Ergonomics: An Editorial.

Occupational health and safety is one of the pillars of public health [...].

Client Perceptions of Occupational Health and Safety Management System Assistance Provided by OSHA On-Site Consultation: Results of a Survey of Colorado Small Business Consultation Clients.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) On-Site Consultation Service provides assistance establishing occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS) to small businesses. The Safety and Health Program Assessment Worksheet (Revised OSHA Form 33) is the instrument used by consultants to assess an organization's OHSMS and provide feedback on how to improve a system. A survey was developed to determine the usefulness of the Revised OSHA Form 33 from the perspective of Colorado OSHA consultation clients. One hundred and seven clients who had received consultation services within a six-year period responded to the survey. The vast majority of respondents indicated that the Revised OSHA Form 33 accurately reflected their OHSMS and that information provided on the Revised OSHA Form 33 was helpful for improving their systems. Specific outcomes reported by the respondents included increased safety awareness, reduced injuries, and improved morale. The results indicate that the OHSMS assistance provided by OSHA consultation is beneficial for clients and that the Revised OSHA Form 33 can be an effective tool for assessing and communicating OHSMS results to business management. Detailed comments and suggestions provided on the Revised OSHA Form 33 are helpful for clients to improve their OHSMS.

The association of self-reported backpack use and backpack weight with low back pain among college students.

OBJECTIVE: Back pain has consistently ranked among the top general health complaints among college students, but few studies have examined risk factors for back pain in this age group. This cross-sectional survey evaluated the association between the self-reported annual low back pain with the estimated usual backpack weight among college students. METHODS: Data were collected from health education students during the spring semester of 2007 at the Colorado State University using an online survey. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression. RESULTS: Four hundred sixty-five (94.6%) health education students completed the online survey. The annual prevalence of low back pain was 29.2% (n = 136). A 25% increase in the odds of annual low back pain for each 4-kg increase in the estimated usual backpack weight was observed after adjusting for sex, smoking, reporting frequently feeling overwhelmed, and body mass index (adjusted odds ratio per 4-kg increase, 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.32). There was no evidence of an increased association of annual low back pain with carrying a backpack weight greater than 10% of the students body weight compared with those carrying less (adjusted odds ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.63-1.65). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that increasing reported backpack weight is associated with increased prevalence of annual low back pain. However, these results do not provide evidence to support the recommendation that the backpack weight necessarily be less than 10% of body weight.

Risk factors associated with back pain: a cross-sectional study of 963 college students.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate standard measures of health behavior for association with back pain among college students using data from the standardized National College Health Assessment survey. This investigation evaluated potential risk factors among a population of students at a Colorado university. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 963 survey results that were assessed using backward selection logistic regression techniques to evaluate the associations between common college-life health behaviors and back pain occurrence within the past school year. RESULTS: Thirty-eight percent of college students surveyed reported having back pain within the past school year. Investigators found that univariate associations included multiple domains, but only psychosocial factors remained statistically significant in a final regression model and were associated with back pain. Feeling chronically fatigued (odds ratio, 3.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-13.86) and being in an emotionally abusive relationship (odds ratio, 2.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.69-4.57) were the factors most strongly associated with back pain in the final model. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial factors were identified to be associated with back pain. The prevalence of back pain among this younger population is of significant concern and warrants further investigation to identify contributing factors that may help in the development of interventions to reduce the epidemic of back pain within college students and lessen the burden upon college health providers.

Tractor-related injuries: an analysis of workers' compensation data.

Previous studies have reported that tractors are responsible for high proportions of fatal and nonfatal agricultural injuries. However, many common and preventable risk factors, conditions, and associated costs related to tractor-related injuries have not been investigated. This case-based study used workers' compensation data to investigate tractor-related injuries. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify and describe tractor-related injuries, (2) assess medical and indemnity costs associated with tractor-related injuries, and (3) determine contributing factors associated with those injuries. Tractor-related injury claims data from Colorado workers' compensation records were analyzed for a 12-year period (1992-2004). Descriptive analyses of the costs, characteristics, and contributing factors associated with tractor-related injuries were conducted. The epidemiological agent-host-environment model was used to analyze injury event descriptions. A total of 23,484 agricultural-related injury claims were analyzed. Through an event description analysis, a total of 642 claims were identified as being tractor-related. Over 60% of tractor-related claims involved sprains/strains and contusions. A total of 21% of tractor-related claims were associated with the worker mounting or dismounting a tractor, and an additional 10% of claims were associated with the worker falling, jumping, or slipping off a tractor. Among all claims associated with tractor mounting or dismounting, 35% involved the ankle and 15% involved the knee. Nearly three-quarters of tractor-related claims were medical-only claims. The median medical claim cost was $319, and the median medical plus indemnity claim cost was $335. Claim costs associated with tractor-overturn injuries were higher than tractor-related injury claims in general. This study determined that a large percentage of tractor-related injury claims were associated with tractor mounting and dismounting. These findings are consistent with previous research and suggest the need to further investigate tractor design criteria related to mounting and dismounting.

Livestock-handling injuries in agriculture: an analysis of Colorado workers' compensation data.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported that livestock-handling injuries are among the most severe of agricultural injuries. This study identifies the costs, characteristics, and contributing factors associated with livestock-handling injuries among Colorado dairy farmers, cattle/livestock raisers, and cattle dealers. METHODS: A 10-year (1997-2006) history of Colorado's workers' compensation claims data was used for analysis. Descriptive analyses of livestock-handling injury claims were performed. Claim cost analysis was also conducted. The agent-host-environment epidemiological model was used to analyze injury event descriptions. RESULTS: A total of 1,114 livestock-handling claims were analyzed. Claims associated with milking parlor tasks represented nearly 50% of injuries among dairy workers. Claims associated with riding horseback, sorting/penning cattle, and livestock-handling equipment represented high proportions of livestock-handling injuries among cattle/livestock raisers and cattle dealers. Claims associated with livestock-handling represented the highest percentage of high-cost and high-severity injuries in all three sectors. CONCLUSIONS: Livestock-handling injuries are a significant problem, more costly, and result in more time off work than other causes of agricultural injuries. There is a strong and compelling need to develop cost-effective interventions to reduce the number of livestock-handling injuries in agriculture.

Low back pain among residential carpenters: ergonomic evaluation using OWAS and 2D compression estimation.

Occupational low back pain (LBP) remains a leading safety and health challenge. This cross-sectional investigation measured the prevalence of LBP in residential carpenters and investigated ergonomic risk factors. Ninety-four carpenters were investigated for LBP presence and associated risk factors. Ten representative job-tasks were evaluated using the Ovako Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS) and ErgoMaster 2D software to measure elements of posture, stress, and risk. Job-tasks were found to differ significantly for total lumbar compression and shear at peak loading (p < .001), ranging from 2 956 to 8 606 N and 802 to 1 974 N respectively. OWAS indicated that slight risk for injury was found in 10 job-tasks while distinct risk was found in 7 of the 10 job-tasks. Seven of the 10 job-tasks exceeded the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) action limit of 3 400 N for low back loading. The point prevalence for LBP was 14% while the annual prevalence was 38%.

Low back pain in Hispanic residential carpenters.

OBJECTIVE: Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of lost work time and has been recognized as America's number one workplace safety challenge. Low back pain is occurring at epidemic proportions among construction workers, and minority populations have been underinvestigated for risk of back injury. This project investigated the multiple potential risk factors for occupational LBP among Hispanic residential carpenters. METHODS: This investigation evaluated 241 Hispanic residential framing carpenters. Data for this study were collected using a 91-question survey. End points of interest included point, annual, and lifetime prevalence of LBP. RESULTS: Nineteen percent of respondents reported they had an episode of LBP in their lifetime. CONCLUSIONS: Hispanic residential carpenters reported less than expected prevalence of LBP compared with non-Hispanic counterparts in the same trade and location. Job tasks and personal and workplace risk factors, including psychological and morphological characteristics, affect the prevalence of LBP among Hispanic framing carpenters.

Construction work practices and conditions improved after 2-years' participation in the HomeSafe pilot program.

This study reevaluated changes in job-site safety audit scores for a cohort of residential construction workers that had protracted exposure to the HomeSafe pilot program for 2(1/2) years. The investigation was a repeated measure of a cohort study underway in the six-county metro area of Denver, Colo. The larger study was a longitudinal, quasi-experimental design with a cohort of residential construction workers within the HomeSafe strategic partnership between Occupational Safety and Health Administration Region VIII and the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Denver (HBA). Audits were conducted on residential construction sites. Study subjects were construction workers employed by partner or control companies within the study. Repeated measures of 41 companies showed significant improvement (p=.01) in audit scores, increasing from 71.8 to 76.8 after 2(1/2) years in the program. HomeSafe companies out-performed controls (p=.01) for both the retest group and previously unaudited HomeSafe companies. Prolonged exposure in the HomeSafe pilot program resulted in improved audit scores for companies within the program for at least 2 years.

Management commitment to safety and health in residential construction: HomeSafe spending trends 1991-1999.

The support of good management is fundamental to the success of any safety and health program. Residential construction is a high-risk industry requiring significant commitment by management to impact day-to-day safety and health challenges. Investigators have evaluated management practices and spending trends in a cohort of 228 residential homebuilders in the Denver metro area of Colorado. Findings suggest that companies significantly increased dollars allocated to support safety and health practices between 1991 and 1999. In addition, the HomeSafe Pilot Program has positively impacted financial commitments of partner companies. Resource allocations were significantly greater for specific expense categories when comparing pre to post HomeSafe intervention. This paper presents data on the use of written safety and health programs, safety committees, and workers compensation premium cost containment certification, as well as allocations to safety incentive programs (SIP), personal protective equipment (PPE), other safety equipment (OSE), and safety training (ST).