Profiling bodily trauma by demographic and occupational characteristics among workers injured in the county of Gävleborg between 2007-2012 By Leah Okenwa Emegwa, SWEDEN

1. Profiling bodily trauma and sick-leave
tendencies in occupational Injuries: a
primary care study in the county of
Gävleborg, Sweden 2007-2012.
Leah Okenwa Emegwa (PhD)

2. Background
• About 317 million cases of
work injuries resulting in
absence from work of 4 days
or more
• Global estimates equivalent
to roughly 850,000 injuries
per day
• Men overrepresented
• Bodily Harm, disability,
sickleave

3. Sickleave
• Time off from work to address health and safety needs
• May be paid or unpaid
• Important for full recovery
• Negatively effects on society and individual if not properly
managed

4. Examples of Sickleave
Consequences
• Risk of permanent disability, potential job loss
• Attempted/completed suicide
• Loss of productivity for the time period
• Economic cost of worker’s compensation
• Up to 2.5% of the total gross national product (GNP)
and between 3-6% working hours are lost due to sick
leave

5. Work related injury and illness pattern, Sweden
Work related injury women
Work related illnesses women men
Work related injury men
Work related illnesses men
Source: Statistics Sweden

6. Questions Needing Answers!
• What are the patterns of bodily trauma resulting from work-
related injuries seen in primary care 2002-2012?
• Do these patterns differ by demographic and occupational
characteristics?
• What is the relative contribution of demographic and
occupational factors in explaining bodily trauma patterns
and sick-leave tendencies?

7. Method- study setting
Gävleborg, Sweden
 Centrally located by the
east coast
 280 000 inhabitants living
on almost 20 000 km2
 Three-quarter woodlands
 Lakes, hills and mountains
 Occupational injury
incidence 6 per 1000

8. University of Gävle

9. Methods- design,
participants, data analysis
 Outpatient records of 3155 injured workers
(2007-2012)
 SPSS (descriptive analysis & logistics
regressions)
 p<0.05; 95% CI
 Ethical approval granted by institutional review
board for the region.

10. Results
• Top 4 Injuries
• foreign objects, burns & others
By Gender
• Males more prone to injuries of
head/neck
• 2.5 times male risk for burns
• Males 3times more likely to
experience penetrating objects to
body orificies
• Female workers were more
prone to injuries to the trunk and
lower extremities.
Trunk
(5.6%)
Head/neck
Injuries
(19%)
Lower
Extremities
(21%)
Upper
Extremities
(47%)

11. Age
• Head injuries decreased with
increasing age, remained
significant in the multivariate
analysis.
• Injuries to the upper extremities
and lower extremities increased
with age.
• Exception: age 51-60 had
comparably least likelihood for
injuries to lower extremities but
highest odds for injuries of the
upper extremities

12. Employment Status
• Head injuries were almost twice more
common among workers with non-
permanent employment forms.
Country of Birth
• Head injuries common among foreign
born workers. Swedish born workers
more prone to hand injuries. None of
these reached significance after
controlling.

13. Industial Sector
• Trunk injuries in health/social
works and education sectors.
• Remained significant in multivariate
analysis only for health sector.
• 2.11 odds for upper extremities in
manufacturing; 2.01 odds in
education sector and 1.70 odds for
construction.
• Odds of Injuries to lower
extremities higher for health sector.
Significantly low odds for lower
extremities injuries in manufacturing
and construction

14. Sick leave longer than 14days
• Men more prone to longer sickleave
• Odds increase with increasing age, almost 4
times the risk for workers above 60years
• Transport workers twice more likely
• Swedish-born workers 1.54 times more likely

15. Discussions
 Gender differences for injuries also reflected in
sectors dominated by each gender e.g. lower
extremities in healthcare (e.g. falls)
 Gender based PPE design?
 Manufacturing- upper extremities
 Transport- longer sickleave (injury severity??)
 Longer sick leave for men- (due to
overrepresentation of men or injury severity?)

16. Reccomendations
 More industry specific safety policies and
monitoring
 Gender/Age consideration in prevention
 Prevention/Interventions that incorporate
demographic and occupational risk factors

17. Strengths and Weaknesses
Weakness
• Only out-patient records examined
• Only injuries with sick leave were examined
Strength
• Database with comprhensive record keeping system